Larry's improved golf game causes trouble with an acclaimed actor. Freddy helps his neighbors through a delicate issue.
WAR
106.9
Wins Above Replacement
“Vertical Drop Horizontal Tug” ranks #3 of 120 Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 90.9 — Elite. The episode packs 71 scored jokes at 1.4 per minute, averaging 7.5 on craft and 7.6 on impact, with Larry landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Larry: 'Well depends how I'm playing.'
Larry Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Jeff: 'You know the cruel irony of this, right? You're being railroaded.'
Jeff Wordplay/Pun Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: 'Those withered grotesqueries just saved me 1,350 dollars!'
Larry Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Leon: 'That little motherfucker gon' come out with a mustache and bad credit.'
Leon Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Larry: 'Certainly, I would give you more consideration than I gave the dog.'
Larry Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 71 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Sienna Miller · Larry: Sienna Miller recognizing Larry from the news and praising him
Sienna Miller · Larry: Sienna says 'Keep in touch' and Larry interprets it as flirting
Larry · Homeless man: No, no, no, no, no! Stop, stop! Thanks, man.
Jeff: 'It's so disrespectful. It's like sneezing in someone's face.'
Jeff Observational Escalation Larry · Jeff: 'I know vulva. That's a great car.' / 'No, it's not a car.' / 'It's one of the safest cars.'
Larry · Leon: Larry's balls are hanging out of his shorts, visible to others
Larry: I just saw your balls! They're hanging out with those shorts!
Larry Cringe/Discomfort Observational Leon: 'Balls are disgusting. It's like the elephant man under your penis.'
Leon Observational Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Leon: Leon's theory about balls and brain having same pattern under magnifying glass
Leon Absurdist Observational ★ Rewatch Larry: Honestly, that one was on purpose!
Larry Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: 'That's a little better.' regarding father-in-law vs father dying
Larry Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry: Larry's dog analogy: your dog vs your friend's dog dying
Larry Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry: 'Between you and me, my condolences aren't quite as deep as the average person's.'
Larry Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Larry: Larry's theory that nobody means 'I love you' or 'sorry'
Larry Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry: 'It's our tree when you want lemons, and it's my tree when we have to take care of it'
Larry Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry: 'I can go the rest of my life without touching a lemon.'
Larry Character Comedy Escalation Duane · Larry: 'You're gonna put grapefruit on fish?' / 'I haven't actually put it on, but I've thought about it.'
Larry: 'My point is lemons are a fungible citrus.'
Larry Wordplay/Pun Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry: 'Well, you'd think his ancestors would be ashamed of him.'
Larry Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jeff: 'You know the cruel irony of this, right? You're being railroaded.'
Jeff Wordplay/Pun Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Freddy: Freddy's matter-of-fact announcement about having sex with neighbor's wife
Freddy Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Freddy: Blanks. Shooting blanks.
Freddy Observational Character Comedy Freddy: 'When the shit gets lit up, there's no goddamn rules.'
Freddy Escalation Character Comedy Freddy: 'We do it at my house on the Funk-O-Matic. We're biting butts. We're biting the ears.'
Freddy Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Susie: 'Do you smell musk? The sex musk you release is great for conception.'
Susie Cringe/Discomfort Absurdist Larry: 'I got to say, for a male dog, it looks a tad effeminate.'
Larry Character Comedy Observational Larry: 'I think you better get that dog a pronoun.'
Larry Observational Character Comedy Larry: I think you better get that dog a pronoun.
Larry Observational Character Comedy Jimmy the golf pro: 'It's not a lingering bench, okay? It's an aesthetic bench.'
Larry: 'Now, I've dropped before, but I've never tugged! And now I'm tugging!'
Larry Escalation Character Comedy Callback Larry: 'I think this is the happiest I've ever been in my life!'
Larry Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Jeff: No one on the planet would believe that you're happy.
Jeff Character Comedy Observational Jeff · Larry: I'm sick of your historical references. If nominated, I will not run. If bequeathed, I will not accept.
Jeff Larry Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry · Troy: Larry hits Troy with golf ball using the new technique
Larry Troy Physical/Slapstick Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: 'I couldn't yell "fore". I mean, he can't hear.'
Larry Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Larry: 'I'm gonna just drop it over here. I'll drop it where the body was.'
Larry Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jeff · Larry: That could be my puppy! - Does your neighbor have a dog? - Yeah, there's a few dogs around. So maybe one of your neighbors' dogs.
Larry: 'If he's dead, what are you gonna do, sit Shiva?'
Larry Dark/Subversive Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Jeff: Either my puppy's dead or it's a neighbor's dog. Nothing you could do either way.
Jeff Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Larry: 'Either my puppy's dead or it's a neighbor's dog. Nothing you could do either way.'
Larry Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Susie: 'This little boy, this little beautiful, little creature is dead, and you continue to play?'
Susie Escalation Cringe/Discomfort Larry: 'Certainly, I would give you more consideration than I gave the dog.'
Larry Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Larry: Certainly, I would give you more consideration than I gave the dog. But ultimately, I think I'd play through.
Larry Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Larry: 'Well depends how I'm playing.'
Larry Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Larry: 'This is very un-Tubman-like behavior.'
Larry Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: 'Harriet, they're dropping into the yard. I don't need it.'
Larry Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry · Leon · Duane: Every Black person you meet, you say 'brother' to? - You say 'brother' and you give him one of those right there. - You too? - Respectful nod.
Larry: 'You say "brother" and you give him one of those right there.'
Larry Observational Character Comedy Leon · Larry: A nod is like our 'aloha'. - I don't do a Jew nod. You guys got that song already, 'Hey, Jew'. That's Hey Jude with a D. J-U-D-E.
Larry: 'Those withered grotesqueries just saved me 1,350 dollars!'
Larry Callback Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: 'What do you got, three sperm?'
Larry Character Comedy Escalation Leon: 'The only problem is you can't get someone pregnant on old-ass sperm when it's in powdered milk form.'
Leon Escalation Observational ★ Rewatch Leon: Leon's video message: 'I'm looking forward to tapping that ass. Hope you ready.'
Leon Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy Mr. Takahashi: 'Wave means what? Hello. Goodbye. But it doesn't mean "I'm going to hit you with a golf ball".'
Mr. Takahashi: 'It's kusai.' / 'Stinky.'
Larry · Jeff: 'Sitting prohibited during lessons' sign on roped-off bench
Jeff: You're putting me in your will 'cause you want me to put you in my will.
Jeff Observational Character Comedy Jeff: 'You're putting me in your will 'cause you want me to put you in my will.'
Jeff Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry: 'You cocksucker. You gave away Wordle? You fuck. That's so low.'
Larry Escalation Callback ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Jeff: 'I got a friend in Israel!' / 'My friend lives on the equator!'
Larry: Don't look at the ball!' Give me a break! Moron!
Larry Character Comedy Observational Cheryl · Larry: 'Isn't that something you should be doing in private? I got pants on. What are you talking about?'
Larry · Susie: Hey, shut the fuck up. - Don't you talk to my dog that way!
Larry: I think you're jealous that I'm the one who got arrested in Atlanta and I'm getting all this attention.
Larry Character Comedy Observational Larry: 'I think you're jealous that I'm the one who got arrested in Atlanta'
Larry Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Ted: I'm authentic. I care about myself. - And only yourself. There's an authenticity involved in caring about oneself.
Leon: This motherfucker can bend his body up and lick his own balls. Do you think that motherfucker can't lick his own nuts? Of course he can.
Leon Absurdist Cringe/Discomfort Leon: 'That little motherfucker gon' come out with a mustache and bad credit.'
Leon Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Leon: 'Fuck is she, the cum police?'
Leon Reaction Beat Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry · Mr. Takahashi: Larry's elaborate fish dream explanation to Mr. Takahashi
Lydia · Leon: What was that? Was that a coyote? - Mabel? Did you hear a dog? I didn't hear shit.
Lydia Leon Callback Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Top Episodes — Curb Your Enthusiasm