Kamikaze Bingo (16 Oct. 2005)

Larry offends a Japanese restaurant owner by implying that the owner's father was not a real Kamikaze pilot. Later, Larry accuses his dad's retirement home of fixing their bingo game.

Director:

Robert B. Weide

Writer:

Larry David (story)

Stars:

Larry David, Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Larry David	...	Larry David
Jeff Garlin	...	Jeff Greene
Cheryl Hines	...	Cheryl David
Kevin Nealon	...	Kevin Nealon
Shelley Berman	...	Nat David
Matt DeCaro	...	Dr. Skadden
Ann Morgan Guilbert	...	Lenore (as Ann Guilbert)
Elaine Kao	...	Miyuki
Alan Kirschenbaum	...	Poker Player #1
Victor Kobayashi	...	Sushi Waiter
Kenji Nakamura	...	Sushi Chef #1
Angela Paton	...	Ruth
Philip Rosenthal	...	Poker Player #2
Lew Schneider	...	Poker Player #3
Louisa Springs	...	Nursing Home Resident

Storyline

Larry offends a Japanese restaurant owner by implying that the owner's father was not a real Kamikaze pilot. Later, Larry accuses his dad's retirement home of fixing their bingo game.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 2005 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

The attempted suicide

As the show opens, Larry is stepping into a Japanese restaurant. He's got a standard joke with the people behind the counter as he only orders chicken Teriyaki. Cheryl is with her friend Yoshi, a Japanese-American, who gets a bit disturbed when the subject of the conversation turns to his father, a Japanese kamikaze pilot, who according to his son didn't throw his bombs into any of the enemy ships. According to him, he only graced a vessel. Larry finds it hard to believe. There is a name carved on the table, something Larry finds childish.

There is a card game at Yoshi's brother-in-law, Kevin. A call interrupts the game when Kevin is notified Yoshi has tried to commit suicide and has been taken to the hospital. The players, although temporarily shocked, decide to continue with the game. After all, they have ordered pizza and it still hasn't arrived, and as Larry puts it, they don't know the code to set the alarm. Kevin is horrified when he returns to get a few things to take to the hospital finding all the guys playing and carrying on as though nothing had occurred. When he gets home, Larry finds out Yoshi had sent a suicide e-mail to Cheryl where he writes about his motive for doing such a thing. Larry's reaction is that he wants to read the message.

Larry goes to visit his father Nat at the nursing home where he is living. He joins Nat in playing bingo. Larry, who thinks he has won, is told by Lenore, the woman in charge of calling the numbers, he is wrong. Ruth, his father's friend ends up winning. Larry feels cheated. As he is leaving he finds a doctor who wants to give him a prescription for his father. Larry informs this man about the irregularities in the bingo program.

When he gets to the drug store, the pharmacist takes a look at the prescription. He suggests there is another medicine more effective for his father's ailment and recommends Larry to have the doctor change it. As he enters the home he can hear two people having sex loudly. Shocked, he realizes it's his father who has been watching the tape, and since he is hard of hearing he is playing it at maximum volume. The doctor is not too happy, but decides to go along and changes the medication. Before that he has been telling something to his father that is heard outside and interpreted as though he wants to do away with Ruth.

When he meets Kevin one day, he is told Yoshi is out of danger and has been released and doing better. Kev suggests he apologizes for what Larry did to his brother-in-law. Larry, who is eating pistachio nuts, calls Yoshi, but the aggrieved man, hearing him talking with his mouth full, doesn't believe a word of what the offender is trying to say.

The last sequence occurs in the nursing home. Another game of bingo is going on. The residents don't like Larry at all. An unexpected attack by a Japanese old man leaves Larry unprepared about what to do!

Robert B. Weide directed this episode. Larry's points in this show have to do with the way people react to a real dramatic situation without even caring for the person that was involved. It's as though Yoshi didn't exist. The other one has to do with second guessing doctors when we hear of another way to do it, even though an authority in the matter is questioned. Racism is lightly touched in the case of the kamikaze pilot.

Shelley Berman a great stand up comedian plays Larry's father. Kevin Nealon appears briefly. Matt DeCaro is seen as the doctor Larry questions about a medicine he prescribed. David Wells is the pharmacist that thinks he knows more about drugs than the physician that ordered it. Greg Watanabe is Yoshi, the embarrassed man that wants to preserve his old man's reputation.