Comedy and sexual harassment: An explosive combination that, especially nowadays, most male artists stay away from because they don't want to be associated with the #MeToo movement whatsoever. But there's always an exception to the norm. And the name of this particular exception is "Seinfeld" co-creator, Larry David. In his tenth season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," David ingeniously portrayed what sexual encounters look like in the post-#MeToo-world.
In the premiering episode titled "Happy New Year," David accidentally assaulted two women. While he asked his assistant inappropriate questions at work, he touched a caterer's chest as he was reaching for the hors d'oeuvres at a party. Instead of being the "creepy bad guy," David has mastered his role as the clumsy bald guy stumbling into severe problems. As Harvey Weinstein recently stood trial for rape in New York, facing a possible sentence of between five and 29 years in prison, Larry David made his actions seem hilarious and unintentional.
The bold and surely unique first episode got trumped by the second one, titled "Side Sitting." During the 35-minute long episode, David flirted with a blond receptionist at his lawyer's office—where he was trying to get rid of the sexual allegations he faced after his previous misbehaviors. "I'll take you out and we go toilet hopping throughout the town. You'll be hearing from me, you lucky gal," David says to Rita while conversing about public restrooms. Shameless Larry clearly hasn't learned anything—but that's exactly why the audience loves him!
During the date, Larry and the receptionist sat next to each other on her couch. While sipping on his glass of wine, he said: "We've come to the juncture of the evening where a move of some kind is either required or expected." A genius move, because by saying that, Larry tried to prove that he was now "playing it safe." He continued: "Given the current climate, I would like to ask you a series of questions to determine how comfortable you are with physical contact as it progresses. I'd like to begin by taking my right hand and placing it on your right shoulder. Would that be acceptable?"
From that moment on, a ridiculous game started in which the 72-year-ole tested the waters by placing his hand close to her breast. To his excitement, Rita responded: "That is acceptable. That's very nice." Is that what dating looks like post-#MeToo? Of course not. But by overly dramatizing the current climate, Larry David made an important point: We all have to click the reset button and rethink our boundaries.
The climax of the episode was reached when the comedian took out his phone while saying: "With your permission, of course, I would like to take a video to document the evening, just in case there are any discrepancies of the 'he-said-she-said' variety." After starting the video, he asked: "Rita, nobody forced you here. Is that correct?" She nodded and smiled. Larry then continued: "Now I'd like to take this left hand, which I've introduced you earlier, and am going to place it on your inner thigh and slowly inch my way up in a crab-like fashion." To his surprise, she responded: "Since it's our first date, I'm going to have to say no to that." But instead of discussing and raising his voice in a typical "Larry-manner," he stayed calm: "I'm perfectly okay with that. Look at the hand—all gone."
The episode ended with an encounter between Larry and his former assistant and accuser. While he protested his innocence and tried to convince her that it was "all just a big misunderstanding," she made her case clear: "I guess the culture is just sort of changing and we're defining our boundaries and personal space. You just don't get to demand the meaning of my tattoo because it's on MY body." She then ended the conversation with: "This is how culture moves forward."
By naming the "elephant in the room" and showing interactions between men and women in the midst of the #MeToo era, Larry David managed to balance this serious topic in a brilliant way. Instead of ridiculing female victims, he made fun of himself, and his own stupidity that got him a sexual harassment complaint in the first place. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" managed to portray both sides while still being funny.
Of course, Larry's impoliteness and oftentimes inappropriate behavior is his trademark—and can be considered a "no-go" in times of Weinstein, Epstein & Co. But isn't the beauty of good comedy its boundless possibilities? To speak the unspeakable; think the unthinkable? Isn't comedy meant to sometimes violate and cross the line in order to generate a broader cultural discussion? Whether good or bad, Larry manages to curb people's enthusiasm—even after ten seasons.