Larry David's long running comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm returned for a whopping ninth season this year, and it didn't disappoint. We saw plenty of new situations for Larry to deliciously mess up, as well as new guest stars like Lauren Graham, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Banks. This Sunday brought the season finale, titled "Fatwa!", which may or not may not end up being the show's series finale-- considering David's haphazard tradition of taking years off between seasons. And with the production of Larry's musical with Lin Manuel-Miranda coming to a fever pitch, the series leaned on its guest star and had Curb go full Hamilton.
The episode opens with rehearsals mounting for Fatwa the musical, based on Larry David's persecution by the Ayatollah for the majority of the season. Hamilton scribe and actor Lin Manuel-Miranda and Darry continue to butt heads, with Miranda continually bulldozing over Larry's creative contributions about the project. While Larry has a fight with producer about outfit repeating, Miranda endlessly pisses of the show's costume designer.
Eventually all of the episode's confrontations come to ahead when Larry insults Lin Manuel-Miranda's family, after hosting his swinging cousins for a few nights in his home. This cannot stand, and Lin challenges him to a Hamilton-esque duel as the cast and crew of the musical attend a paintballing trip. They load their pistols (with Nick Offerman serving as referee), and Larry accidentally shoots Miranda in the back of the throat. This cartoon version of Hamilton's penultimate song is utterly ridiculous, and is the result of the last few episode's conflict.
Overall, Season 9 of Curb Your Enthusiasm felt far more cohesive and plot-driven than the show has ever been. The main conflict surrounding Larry and the Ayatollah was a throughline throughout all of the episodes, and reared its head again in the finale. In addition to the musical "Fatwa", the final moments of the finale brought into question whether or not Larry was actually pardoned. After his conflict with Lin Manuel-Miranda stopped the musical in its tracks, Larry was once again accosted for the fatwa, and the season closed with him running for his life.
In addition to the season long conflict, Curb Your Enthusiasm also brought in a bunch of classic guest stars from the show's tenure. Some of Larry's many enemies showed up while he was under investigation for the fatwa, including Michael J. Fox, "Car Pool Lane's" Monina, and "The Ski Lift's" Lisa (Mo Collins). This felt like a not so subtle nod to the controversial Seinfeld finale, where the groups' various foes returned while they were arrested. Cheryl Hines also returned this season as Larry's ex-wife, who began dating frenemy Ted Danson. Overall, Season 9 was far more plot driven than some of its predecessors, while still feeling very much like the same show we know and love.
Curb Your Enthusiasm is streaming its nine seasons on HBO's streaming services. Be sure to check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch, and see if your favorite show got the chop with our cancellation list.
