'Curb Your Enthusiasm' Season 8, Episode 9 Recap - 'Mister Softee'

What we learned from this week's episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm":

1. Larry's personality comes down to ice cream

At lunch, Larry hears the music from a Mr. Softee ice cream truck, which brings back a rush of memories from his childhood. Apparently, he was caught having a game of strip poker with the daughter of the Mr. Softee man, and ran out onto the street with no clothes on. Somehow, it all makes sense. And I believe Larry when he says "I feel like if she had taken her top off, my whole life would have been different."

2. Don't "Buckner it"

While playing in the championship of the softball league (there's been a lot of baseball lately, hasn't there?), Larry once again hears the Mr. Softee music and gets distracted, thus letting the ball pass right by them, costing them the game. Baseball fans might see some parallels with Bill Buckner...who just so happens to show up in the next scene when Larry goes to a baseball memorabilia show to get Mookie Wilson's autograph for Jeff's birthday. Larry and Buckner hit it off...until Larry tosses Buckner the signed baseball, and Buckner lets it go right out the window.

3. Black people in glasses can do anything

When Leon has trouble getting into Larry's building, Larry makes a suggestion: invest in a pair of glasses. as Larry says, "white people revere black people in glasses." Sure enough, Leon is able to get Larry into the sold-out baseball memorabilia show, nullify an unfair bill from his therapist, and other amazing feats. Who knew?

4. Man can't compete with machine

Because of Larry's softball error, Yari refuses to fix his car...which means Larry is dealing with a rattling passenger seat. But Larry's new girlfriend doesn't seem to have a problem with that, as the vibrating seat provides certain, um, benefits. In fact, the seat satisfies her so much that she just has Larry drive her home.

Bring it all together!

Buckner now has two botched plays to make up for, but he soon has his chance to shine. First, however, Larry has to drive Susie over to her cousin's apartment, which is on fire...which means, unfortunately, that she has to ride in the "special" seat. It's more horrifying for Larry than it is for Susie. Then, when they get there, it turns out there's a woman trapped on an upper floor with her baby. The firemen coax her into dropping her baby onto the trampoline, but that just sends the baby bouncing into the air...and into the arms of a diving Bill Buckner. He can miss as many easy ground balls as he wants to...he just caught a baby.