The Bowtie

Larry's friend Richard Lewis is in dire need of a kidney transplant and, purely for guilt reasons, Larry offers his own if a suitable match does not arrive in time. The main storyline in season five thus surrounds the ridiculous lengths Larry will go to in order to backtrack on this offer. The first episode in this week's double bill sees Larry suffer a near-death experience and, while on the face of it he seems changed by the incident, Larry soon becomes obsessed with a sandwich that has been named after him. Initially flattered at the local shop's gesture, Larry cannot stand the taste and immediately sets about swapping sandwiches with another celebrity. Ted Danson is in his sights, but who wants to be named after a sandwich that contains whitefish, sable, capers, onions and cream cheese?, Larry (Larry David) tries to hire a private detective, Omar Jones (Mekhi Phifer), to find out if he's adopted, but Jones explains he's only interested in taking cases that "benefit the community," and Larry's offer to host bingo or be a Big Brother for a single afternoon apparently doesn't cut it. Larry and Jeff (Jeff Garlin) run into Jodi Funkhouser (Mayim Bialik, TV's Blossom), the daughter of their friend Marty (Bob Einstein). She's very friendly, and Larry explains to Jeff that the lesbian community has always embraced him. Later, Marty, who is pressing Larry to attend his anniversary party, promises him that Rosie O'Donnell will be at his table. He also tells Larry that Jodi is now dating a guy, eliciting a joyous response from Larry that puts his relationship with the lesbian community in peril. Also, Larry wears a bowtie, learns from Wanda (Wanda Sykes) that his new dog hates black people, and gets into a spat with a disabled man when he uses the handicapped stall in a public restroom.