Larry David’s love of the New York Jets surfaced in the latest episode of his HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, “The Ugly Section.”
It may be the NFL offseason, but the New York Jets took a beating, albeit one from one of their most renowned fans.
Comedian/writer Larry David worked his love of the Jets into the latest episode of his popular HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. The episode, entitled “The Ugly Section”, features a subplot in which David, playing a fictionalized version of himself, blames the team for the suicide of a friend.
Early in the episode, David’s friend Carl (guest star Bobby Slayton), fresh off a strong golf game, bemoans a (fictional) season-ending injury to Jets running back Le’veon Bell, declaring he “can’t take the disappointment.” Later, David’s good friend Jeff (series regular Jeff Garlin) informs him that Carl killed himself and left the same term in his suicide note. David thus concludes that Carl killed himself over his disappointment over the team.
He shares the theory with recurring character Dr. Winocur (Ed Begley Jr.), who speaks about the tragedy. David mistakenly believes he is talking about the Jets’ misfortunes, referencing quarterback Sam Darnold‘s mononucleosis diagnosis before Dr. Winocur corrects him on the direction of his sorrows.
In the second act, David makes an advance on Carl’s widow Veronica (guest star Jane Krakowski) at the ensuing funeral. Veronica vents about Carl’s excessive devotion to the team, stating that Carl one night arose from his sleep and yelled the word “Watson,” which David labels an example of Carl’s disappointment with the team for passing over Deshaun Watson in the 2017 NFL Draft.
The Jets do gain a small redemption in the episode’s latter stages. David is able to stall a robbery of his friend Richard Lewis by pointing out the burglar’s Jets mask. The stall later allows him to discover that both Lewis and Carl cheated in their recent golf outing, one that cost David $500 in betting.
When he successfully stages an intimate night with Veronica, David tries to win back his $500 from “the estate.” He goes on to callously compare the situation to Austin Seferian-Jenkins’ denied touchdown in an infamous October 2017 game against the New England Patriots. Originally ruled a score, Seferian-Jenkins was controversially ruled to have fumbled into the back of the end zone, affording the Patriots the ball back en route to a heartbreaking 24-17 loss for New York.
Outraged, Veronica engages in a series staple of demanding David leave the premises. She gets in a final word by telling David that the Seferian-Jenkins play was ruled correctly.
Intertwining with New York sports is nothing new for Curb Your Enthusiasm. In the 2007 episode “The Anonymous Donor,” David and fellow main character Leon Black (JB Smoove) go on a search for the former’s missing Joe Pepitone New York Yankees jersey.
The real-life David is known for his support of the Jets. In a January edition of The Michael Kay Show, David revealed that he told Jets management to draft Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson during the 2018 draft proceedings. Jackson would later go to the Baltimore Ravens with the 32nd pick. That selection came 29 picks after the Jets took Darnold at third overall.
Smoove, a regular on the show since its sixth season, is likewise a fan of New York’s green squad. The actor and comedian served as the master of ceremonies when the team unveiled their new uniforms last season.
Curb Your Enthusiasm is in the midst of its 10th season. New episodes can be seen on Sundays at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO.
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
