Curb Your Enthusiasm (TV Series) The Benadryl Brownie (2002) User Reviews

Average episode of the show

[DVD_Connoisseur · 7/10 · 5 June 2007]

"The Benadryl Brownie" fails to reach the comedic heights of the previous episode but still manages to beat most comedy shows into submission without breaking a sweat.

There's the usual mix of human error, misunderstandings, coincidence and selfish behaviour in this episode, leading to some humorous situations. The ultimate pay-off isn't totally satisfactory but this is still worthy of a viewing.

Wanda Sykes makes a welcome return as Larry's nemesis, Wanda, and Richard Lewis is superb.

7 out of 10 in terms of a "Curb" score but still very good entertainment.

Not the best

[mafaldatranslations · 6/10 · 9 January 2023]

This episode has a promising setup. Richard Lewis is dating a Christian scientist, Deborah, who does not take medicine because of her religious beliefs; unfortunately for him, she develops a severe allergic reaction (thanks to Larry's faulty new phone) which makes her face look completely grotesque... right before she and Richard are supposed to go to the Emmys. Larry and Richard develop a scheme to feed Deborah some special brownies (with a secret ingredient) so that she'll get better in time for the Emmys.

My problem with this episode isn't its depiction of Christian scientists (as someone who knows a person that attends a Christian science church, I can tell you that not all of them are this extreme) or that the plot essentially revolves around Larry and Richard attempting to drug someone. Rather, my main issue is the ending. Deborah just... refuses to eat the brownies, and goes to the Emmys with Richard looking grotesque, much to his humiliation. And that's it. No twist, no big payoff, just an underwhelming, predictable conclusion. The Benadryl brownies felt like a wasted opportunity; I was expecting someone to unknowingly eat them and experience side effects from the Benadryl, which would somehow end up backfiring on Larry and/or Richard. But nothing ever comes of this plot device. The subplot with the TV repair guy also felt a bit weak. Larry sees a TV repair guy at Deborah's house, and it seems like they're going somewhere with this (especially since the man is dark-skinned, which would play into the story's conflict) but then this is completely dropped.

There are still lots of good moments here and there; Larry calling Richard out on his true motivation for wanting his girlfriend to eat the brownies (knowing it's more for his benefit than hers) is pretty funny, as is their cute little "Oh dear" exchange at the beginning of the episode (I always love how genuine their conversations feel in the show.) But overall, this is an episode that needed a little more time in the oven.