The Subtle Nod to Groat's Disease in Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12

In Curb Your Enthusiasm season 12, episode 5, Larry David comes up with a clever plan to break up with Irma. At the start of the season, we learn that Larry is stuck with Irma for six months. This is because her A.A. sponsor believes a sudden breakup could harm her recovery. However, in episode 5, Larry finds a loophole: he can leave Irma if she initiates the breakup. So, he sets out to make her be the one to end things.

Groat's Disease Was First Introduced In Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 2

Larry discovers from his friend Richard Lewis that Irma turned to alcoholism when her first husband fell ill. To test her loyalty, Larry pretends to have a serious illness called Groat's disease. Irma immediately moves out when she hears the news. This fictional disease has been featured on the show before.

Larry talks to Rob Reiner in Curb Your Enthusiasm - Groat's Disease Was First Introduced In Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 2

In the TV show Curb Your Enthusiasm, Groat’s disease is introduced in season 2, episode 5, “The Thong.” Rob Reiner convinces Larry to help out with a Groat’s charity. Reiner describes Groat’s as a neurological condition that causes uncontrollable hyperactivity, making patients feel like they are constantly on five cups of coffee. Named after the doctor who discovered it, Groat’s is known for its high mortality rate, with many patients experiencing a long and painful death, as mentioned by Marty Funkhouser.

Leon Also Pretended To Have Groat's Disease In Curb Season 7

Leon posing as Danny Duberstein in Curb Your Enthusiasm - Leon Also Pretended To Have Groat's Disease In Curb Season 7

In season 7, episode 9 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, the plot point about Groat's resurfaces. Michael Richards is hesitant about participating in the Seinfeld reunion because he has been diagnosed with Groat's and doubts his ability to be funny while dealing with the diagnosis. Larry assures Michael that his friend Danny Duberstein had Groat's but is now doing well. He offers to arrange a meeting between Michael and Duberstein for reassurance. Unfortunately, Larry discovers that Duberstein passed away in a terrible way months ago.

To help Michael, Larry enlists Leon to pretend to be Duberstein. This results in a hilarious scene in the show's history, with J.B. Smoove showcasing his improvisational comedy skills by inventing Groat's symptoms and absurd remedies (including claiming that wearing a specific hat saved his life). The callback to Groat's in season 12 serves as a fun nod to these memorable storylines, among other great callbacks in the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Editor's P/S:

The article delves into the clever ploy devised by Larry David in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" season 12 to extricate himself from