‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Season 9, Episode 7 Recap: Larry Tackles Race, Asperger’s & Yoga

Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm adventures continue this week, leading to romance, car accidents and warmth.

CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM SEASON 9, EPISODE 7 RECAP

The episode begins with Larry and his self-appointed roommate Leon participating in a yoga class, though the two seem more interested in the instructor’s body than in their exercises. As the session ends, Larry and the teacher, dubbed Yogi Tina by our protagonists, discuss Larry’s refusal to join the “spiritual community.” Larry resists the more enthusiastic aspects of yoga, explaining “there’s no light within” him. Tina, surprising Larry, tells him to leave and never return. As he does so with Leon, the two accidently back into another car. Larry leaves a note with his phone number, and the pair drive off.

Susie Green later informs Larry how her friend, Bridget, evidentially has an interest in him. Susie reluctantly agreed to arrange a date for them, noting how her friend even finds his infamous fatwa attractive. Both Susie and Jeff affirm that she’s attractive, with Larry boldly stating that his façade would score a four-star rating on an Uber scale. Susie believes he’s a two. Moreover, Jeff similarly helps Larry get in touch with one of his friends, Greg, who’s a mechanic. Greg kindly agrees to repair Larry’s car. Upon meeting each other, Larry’s cavalier acknowledgement of Greg’s ethnicity lowers his morale, clearly knocking Larry’s car to a lower spot on Greg’s priority list.

Greg also insists that they don’t have any loaner cars on-hand, forcing Larry to call Uber. Larry then asks the driver for an honest opinion: what would his rank be on an Uber scale? The Romanian driver asserts a two-star rank is befitting of Larry. This eventually evolves into a verbal altercation between the two, with Larry calling the beauty of Romanian women into question. Plus, Justin Brown, the owner of the automobile Larry accidentally hit, calls Larry during this timeframe. While Larry’s apologetic, Justin wasn’t impressed by Larry’s note, saying how a “real man” would have waited and resolved the issue then. The two men exchange insults, with Larry eventually begrudgingly giving Justin his address, saying how he’ll give him a check without needing to get their insurance involved.

Larry’s date with Bridget begins promisingly, with her interest in our hero remaining consistent. She tells him about her job as a censor for NBC programs, seductively listing off all of the suggestive words she has to block on TV. This momentum carries over once they arrive at her house, but it comes to a screeching halt once her son wakes up. She informs Larry he has Asperger’s. The next day, Larry intrudes himself into Susie’s room after chatting with Jeff. Aside from Bridget’s “prick son,” Larry’s pleased with how well the date went. Susie less enthusiastically notes how her friend had a good time. Susie eventually forces Larry to leave, therefore forcing Larry to pick up an Uber driver. He’s successful, but the driver admits to Larry that Larry’s listed as a one-star passenger in their database.

When Larry returns home, his glasses instantaneously fog up. The temperature was turned up to 92 degrees, but Leon offers an explanation: he’s enjoying intimacy with Yogi Tina, and they like it hot. She emerges, telling Larry how the heat provides the “optimal temperature for climaxing.” Leon also informs Larry that a black guy called about his car, spurring Larry to wonder how Leon could tell Greg was black. Bridget and her son later accompany Larry to a restaurant, but Larry notices the Romanian Uber. The two resume their argument over the beauty of Romanian women, and the driver writes some notes about Larry before scaring him off.

Afterwards, Jeff and Susie visit Larry while a repair man is over to fix his heating system. Larry continues to express his disdain for Bridget’s son, and he jokes with Jeff how he could claim to be on the spectrum himself. Justin also knocks on the door, to which Leon answers. Justin’s hostile demeanor shifts to a passive one as Justin mistakenly believes Leon is Larry. Apologetic for assuming Larry was white, Justin sheepishly says he’ll pay to repair his damaged car. At Greg’s repair shop, Larry makes amends with Greg while interjecting how he’s on the spectrum and occasionally says improper things. Greg likewise apologizes, offering to fix his car soon.

This episode draws to a close at a coffee shop, when Larry receives a text from Bridget wherein she informs him that her son will be gone for an hour. Leon refuses to allow Larry the use of his car, nor does he agree to call an Uber driver for him, wanting to keep his five-star rating. Larry’s therefore required to take a bus, which is an alien experience to him. He successfully transfers at the right stop, but the second bus agrees with him even less. He frustrates the bus’s driver and passengers alike, expressing how the bus was “a very cold and unforgiving place.” They throw him out after his antics inadvertently cause the bus driver to hit a parked car. Finally, Larry returns home. His glasses fog up again, and he overhears Leon and Tina talking. Larry realizes that Tina’s Jewish.

Overall, this was another enjoyable episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, even if the plot threads didn’t meld together as satisfyingly as usual. I, for one, look forward to seeing Bridget and her son again next week. Perhaps Larry can obtain a happy ending for once?