Larry is labeled a misogynist when he believes an HBO Network executive took some shrimp from of his meal, following a mistake in a delivery of Chinese food.
WAR
52.7
Wins Above Replacement
“The Shrimp Incident” ranks #72 of 120 Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 79.4 — Elite. The episode packs 50 scored jokes at 1.4 per minute, averaging 7.1 on craft and 7.0 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
Allan: 'If you want shrimp, take your $475 million, go buy a fucking shrimp boat.'
Allan Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Larry · Julia: 'He implied that I was lying about my stepfather.' 'You don't have a stepfather.' 'But I didn't like the implication.'
Larry Julia Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: Larry counting and documenting the missing shrimp in detail
Larry Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Julia: 'Michael Halbreich took a leave of absence... he's shell-shocked... and he's examining everything in his life.'
Julia Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Restaurant worker: 'How many shrimp do you generally put in the kung pao shrimp?' 'Eleven.' 'You always put in 11?' 'We have a very strict policy about that.'
All Jokes — 50 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Larry: 'That's it! What is the point of the drink? I am missing the point.'
Larry Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Larry: 'Yeah, I did, but I decided to take the wrong food home. Thank you for inquiring.'
Larry Deadpan/Understatement Irony/Sarcasm Larry: Larry's elaborate lie about having a stepfather in an accident
Larry Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: 'I just thought it was a better lie. 'Cause if you make up a lie about a stepfather... you'll be believed, don't you think?'
Larry Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Larry · Cheryl: The discovery of only three shrimp in the kung pao container
Larry: Larry's immediate conclusion that Wasserman stole the shrimp
Larry Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Larry · Cheryl: 'Did he take the shrimp?' 'I'll bet he took the shrimp.'
Larry · Julia: 'No, we can go back and forth.' 'We don't need back and forth, we'll just do forth. Don't need back.'
Julia · Larry: 'You've turned into a very nice man.' 'I'm a lovely gentleman.'
Larry · Julia: The 'Aren't You Evelyn?' TV show pitch
Larry Julia Meta/Self-Referential Observational ★ Rewatch Larry: 'Really, this is all he can do, between you and me.'
Larry Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Julia · Larry: I want to be able to say 'fuck,' you know. And I wanna say... 'Cocksucker.' You don't need to say that. Actually, I do. I haven't really gotten to say that a lot.
Larry: I think he's bad, I'm not gonna go into why. I just don't think he's a good guy.
Larry Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Julia: 'Gay guy?' 'Gay, no, he's not gay, he's married.' 'I could have sworn he was gay, that guy.'
Larry Julia Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Callback Jojo: She has a very high tolerance for pain, this woman, don't worry about it.
Jojo Character Comedy Visual Gag Larry: Larry's drink argument retold to the HBO executives
Larry Callback Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Michael: 'Maybe Cheryl wanted to get laid.'
Larry · Julia · HBO executives: The elaborate greeting ritual at HBO
Allan · Larry: 'How's the stepfather doing?' 'Good.' 'He's doing better now?' 'Yeah.' 'Yeah, miraculous recovery he had?'
Allan Larry Callback Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: 'How were the garlic noodles, the other night?'
Larry Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: Larry counting and documenting the missing shrimp in detail
Larry Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Allan: 'You counted the shrimp, you're a shrimp-counter now.'
Allan Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Allan: 'If you want shrimp, take your $475 million, go buy a fucking shrimp boat.'
Allan Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Allan: 'Nothing changes in 25 years with this guy. Same shit.'
Allan Character Comedy Callback ★ Rewatch Larry · Julia: 'He implied that I was lying about my stepfather.' 'You don't have a stepfather.' 'But I didn't like the implication.'
Larry Julia Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Julia: 'The implication for your imaginary stepfather? How can he insult you about somebody who's imaginary?'
Julia Setup/Punchline Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Julia: 'Larry, everybody steals shrimp, and everybody lies about it. This is Hollywood.'
Julia Observational Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Larry: 'You know, my dentist told me I have the gums of a 25-year-old man. I think it was about the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.'
Michael · Larry · Julia: 'I guess when they switched them back, Allan had taken seven of your shrimp?' 'That's my claim, yeah.' 'Allegedly.'
Allan: 'I saw the Jackson Pollock movie the night before... and I got very influenced by the artist, you know.'
Allan Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Julia: 'Because GE will not take responsibility for dumping the PCBs in the Hudson river.'
Julia Character Comedy Absurdist ★ Rewatch Larry: 'So you throw in a "fuck," you double your laughs. It's a crowd-pleaser. "Fuck" is a crowd-pleaser.'
Larry Observational Meta/Self-Referential Larry: 'You cunt, what a cunt!'
Larry Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Julia: 'I think that's kind of a misogynist thing to say.'
Julia Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Brad: 'That kind of language is not allowed in a game... in a decent game.'
Brad Escalation Cringe/Discomfort Larry: 'It's a word you use when somebody doesn't act manly. And he didn't act manly, he should've gone in.'
Larry Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Larry: 'Maybe in retrospect, I should've said, "Pussy."'
Larry Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Larry: Maybe in retrospect, I should've said, 'Pussy.'
Larry Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Larry: 'Maybe I am a misogynist. Maybe I like to beat my wife a little bit.'
Larry Dark/Subversive Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Cheryl: 'I can't believe that guy called me a misogynist.' 'Nobody ever called me that before.' 'Maybe you are.'
Larry · Cheryl: Larry playfully hitting Cheryl in the car
Larry Cheryl Physical/Slapstick Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: 'Big deal, I call men pricks all the time, men want to work with me.'
Larry Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Callback Julia · Larry: 'Cunt's worse.' 'It's not worse, pricks and cunts, they're equal.'
Julia Larry Observational Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Julia: 'Michael Halbreich took a leave of absence... he's shell-shocked... and he's examining everything in his life.'
Julia Escalation Absurdist ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Julia: 'I thought he was one of those effeminate heterosexuals.' 'There's no such thing as an effeminate heterosexual.'
Larry Julia Character Comedy Observational ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Restaurant worker: 'How many shrimp do you generally put in the kung pao shrimp?' 'Eleven.' 'You always put in 11?' 'We have a very strict policy about that.'
Mickey · Brad: Mickey the dentist witnessing the car 'abuse' and misinterpreting it
Mickey Brad Cringe/Discomfort Escalation ★ Rewatch Callback Mickey: 'I have seen Larry David in action, and that man is an animal... and he has to be stopped.'
Mickey Escalation Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry: 'Dentist got in touch with Wasserman, thinks I'm a wife-beater.'
Larry Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Cheryl: The dinner-to-dessert venue argument recreating the opening scene
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