Larry David returns to airwaves with a conscience

Most people understand that not everyone will subscribe to a social etiquette system, and that sometimes, you just have to tolerate what is normally accepted.

Not the co-creator of Seinfeld.

Uncomfortable · Larry David, the creator and star of HBO’s acclaimed series, Curb Your Enthusiasm, finds himself in the middle of many awkward situations in each episode. The series’ seventh season began Sunday. - Photo courtesy of Joshua Sankey

While the real Larry David understands people can’t always bend to his will, the exaggerated David on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm constantly berates others as to why their opinion is wrong and searches for shortcuts to avoid difficult situations. Both usually end up backfiring.

Thankfully for viewers, David does not learn from his mistakes and continues to turn even the smallest irritants into a dilemma in the seventh season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which premiered Sunday. Nearly a decade after the pilot episode aired in 2000, the series remains as satisfying and entertaining as ever.

The “Funkhouser’s Crazy Sister” episode opens with the traditional and simple “Frolic” theme as the phrase “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is superimposed over a black background. The first scene connects this season to the previous one with a look at Larry’s relation to the Black family, which is coincidentally African-American. As David tends to his bedridden girlfriend, Loretta Black (Vivica A. Fox), he squabbles with her over the temperature of the house at night. He prefers 68 degrees, which Loretta calls “white people shit,” preferring 75 degrees.

Humorous bits like these are scattered loosely throughout the first 10 minutes of the episode as series regulars, like Larry’s manager and best friend Jeff Greene (Jeff Garlin), make their on-screen appearances. Little has changed among David’s crew, and they still must put up with his misguided philosophy on proper social etiquette. The laughs are somewhat sparse early on as the audience is reacquainted with these characters, but this is to be expected from the first episode of a new season.

Before long, David finds himself in a familiar situation. By carelessly mentioning Jeff’s dinner party to Marty Funkhouser (Bob Einstein), who was not invited, the latter presses to come along with his sister Bam Bam (Catherine O’Hara), who was recently released from a mental institution. Along the way, David has several small quarrels and is the center of many awkward social moments. When Bam Bam tells everyone at the dinner party that David has been stealing food from her brother’s refrigerator, he passes the blame onto Jeff for sleeping with her.

While David has not changed, his social interactions seem to have improved since the last season because of his relationship with Loretta. But living with the Blacks has become a double-edged sword. Loretta’s sickness is starting to worry him — not because he is afraid of losing her, but because he might have to give up certain luxuries in order to take care of her.

A coldhearted side to David’s immaturity is revealed, giving the episode a more serious tone than one might expect. That’s not to say his interpretation of life has become any more critical, but that the means of exposing his misanthropic attitude have, as they now hold larger consequences for the other characters. And though it is still humorous, this episode’s closing “Larry David moment” is also a bit more ominous.

Likewise, other series regulars are becoming more conscious of David’s faults and are starting to question them. Jeff asks David why he bothers making a big deal over the social conventions of a dinner party, while Loretta’s doctor says he should prioritize her illness when David begins discussing the tediousness of feeding goldfish. In the past, other characters would argue with David over his ridiculous customs, but they would almost never confront him about it.

While the show has now focused on more serious events in David’s life, it does not feel like a great leap for Curb Your Enthusiasm — and it is not supposed to. Instead, it speaks to David’s ability to not only amplify minor annoyances into big problems, but also view serious matters in a very relaxed and comical light.

The show takes seemingly ordinary moments of his life and turns them into interesting and funny events that somehow matter more than they should. By staying true to this recipe, this season will no doubt please fans and continue to make the audience wonder why Larry David does what he does.