We did it. We came to the end of another terrific season of the Emmy-winning FX show Louie, in which we follow Louis C.K. through a day in the life. A lot goes wrong and we even see him win a few bouts this time. However, when looking back on the season as a whole, we must wonder what it is that made the show what it was. What made this season really special and continues to prove that Louie is hands down one of the best comedies on TV, even if it often goes for a more dramatic style? This two part retrospective will hopefully provide some light on how it was achieved.
I have been a huge fan of Louie, notably peaking during the middle of season 2 when the road trip episode premiered. I found it thoroughly interesting how the narrative could wind around this conflict without sticking to any norms. In fact, that is what lead me to praise it to high heaven and post on the first ever retrospectives that I have written. It inspired me to give this season a closer look and write every week, and I am glad that I did.
I will not lie. Early on in this year's happenings, I was beginning to doubt that Louie could ever improve on season 2, which dealt with almost everything from sleeping with Joan Rivers to talking a comic out of suicide. It was dark, innovative, and enthralling. The big difference is that this season was not about the small moments as much as it was about trying to create a fleshed out universe where everything coexists. We can have rude, raw meat-eating kids one week and a pointless trip to Miami the next. As far as world building goes, this may seem nonexistent, but it is in fact one. This is the universe that C.K. has built through his stand-up, which also saw itself take a backseat this year in order to make more strong narratives.
It was towards the middle of the season when I first noticed this. We were not being introduced to C.K. as he walked into the Comedy Cellar. He seemed to evolve from that. We now saw him having midlife crises and possibly getting David Letterman's job. The stakes were raised, and this could only have happened with the proper amount of time set up to build the world through two seasons of hard work and the world shitting on you. Because of this, he comes across as the cynical every man whose mundane life is more interesting than yours, if just because it always take a weirder turn than reality would insist.
However, it never lost the sense of realism. Louie is a show based somewhat on real circumstances. This season saw the world get realer and there was less moments of imaginary scenarios. True, we had him fantasizing about women in black and white, but it wasn't overly complicated. We saw something important as well. We saw his children (Ursula Parker and Hadley Delany) show support and give advice. There was a sense that the last half of this season when "the Late Show" arc took place was the momentum the show needed to save it from repetition.
Besides cutting out the stand-up, which had been used to effectively sow together the narration, it also feels like the show has outgrown the segmented nature that it started as. Most of all, the segments became more hit and miss this season, which initially made me believe that this season, despite two terrific multiple episodes arcs, wasn't going to be as good. The concepts were strung together perfectly, but it felt like nothing was given time to flesh out and make sense. It felt like it was being rushed onto the next segment.
 |
| Maria Bamford |
Don't get me wrong. Some segments landed nicely. While the latter half of "IKEA/Piano Lesson" felt like five stories in one, it essentially was a nice wrap-up segment that put to bed the story about Maria Bamford (she got crabs from "Daddy's Girlfriend (Part 1)"), gave some personal time between C.K. and Sarah Silverman, and gave Marc Maron a chance to play himself in a satirical fashion. If anything, I was just glad that all of these segments had continuity. I was mostly proud of when the motorcycle purchased in "Something Is Wrong" made a return at multiple points in the season, including "Telling Jokes/Set Up." I felt like this show was finally forming a continuity that made this sporadic world into one realized vision. Even in "New Year's Eve," we get an understanding that "the Late Show" arc effected C.K. greatly and therefore almost leads him to a terrible fate.
Still, while gold nuggets were scattered throughout, the segments feel like they need to be more limited. While I love seeing small moments of C.K.'s life unfold, they feel like they are just half-baked ideas sometimes and need whole episodes to get the points across. I imagine that the latter half of "IKEA/Piano Lessons" could have been a full episode with a few revisions.
My biggest proof of why I believe this show needs to work on longer stories came in two examples this year. Both of these earned five star reviews from me, and made me ponder if the show should graduate to an hour-long format. It all started with "Daddy's Girlfriend (Part 1)," which saw C.K. try to find the right woman. It was awkward, but at the same time, it almost made it seem like C.K. was a modern, lazy Woody Allen with the way he mixed artistry with crass jokes and profound moments of lust.
 |
| Parker Posey |
The biggest revelation this season came in the form of this episode in which we are introduced to bookstore employee Liz (Parker Posey). She is everything bizarre and messed up wrapped into a nice package that almost compliments C.K. in ways that the increasingly cynical Pamela Adlon character was the last two seasons. She almost seemed perfect, and by breaking that into two episodes, we got to see the build-up and the pay off to a date that was so endearing that it is a shame that it wasn't a three part episode like the other arc of the season.
Liz and C.K. together was my dream couple of the summer, and I was saddened to no end to see her die of cancer in "New Year's Eve." I felt like something needed to go right for C.K., and this was going to be it. Liz may have only interacted with C.K. in two episodes, but she was a constant motivator to the season, popping up in small portions here and there. Like Jeanie (Chloe Sevigny) implied, she was the one. She could make a difference in his life. She could make him happy. And then the tragic twist ruined everything.
I almost felt like Liz was a driving force for every episode after "Daddy's Girlfriend (Part 2)" because this was the time that we saw C.K. seem to find an improvement in self-esteem, and as the episode said, he wasn't afraid of jumping off the ledge. Liz was the hopeful anchor to the show and I really wish that they made her a regular, even if it fell into traditional sitcom fashion. I had faith, because Bamford appeared twice and even Delores (Maria Dizzia) showed up after a memorable cameo in "Bummer/Blueberries." We were teased with mere seconds of Liz, and it was enough to carry my hope.
 |
| Left to right: Melissa Leo and C.K. |
Probably one of the biggest surprises this season was the guest star list. I contemplated if this was a good or bad thing for the show, but after "the Late Show" arc shoved everyone in, I decided that it was a good thing. Nothing was more shocking than inviting Oscar winner Melissa Leo onto the show. While I was not a fan of her story, it gave me hope that the show was going to update its cameos to include other high profile names. And they sure did.
This is an incomplete list of everyone who was on the show this season: Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Marshall, David Lynch, Leo, Jim Norton, Sarah Silverman, Nick DiPaolo, F. Murray Abraham, Posey, J.B. Smoove, Robin Williams, Sevigny, Jay Leno, Artie Lang, Marc Maron, Amy Poehler, Maria Bamford, Paul Rudd, Susan Sarandon, Amy Schumer, etc.
The thing that I have loved about the Louie universe is that they manage to give everyone a fitting character that seems plausible in a way reminiscent of the Simpsons. While some ended up playing fictionalized versions of themselves, there were those that embodied characters that worked. Will we ever see Poehler as C.K.'s sister ever again? I sure hope so. This is a rich cast of supporting characters, and I cannot think of any other sitcom that could pull it off so effectively, and notably leave you surprised that they're even there. This is a low key show and you are expected to figure out who is who on your own time. It also doesn't overpower the show for the most part that causes you to say "that's Garry Marshall!" (who wins best supporting actor for the season).
This is why I love Louie. It may be an ever expanding universe, but that doesn't mean there are continually surprises that makes the ride worthwhile. Sure, some get wasted with inconsequential parts, but they are there for future use. Fans will recognize that Abraham played a different character last season in "New Jersey/Airport." Maybe we can bring Leo back in some way.
 |
| Left to right: David Lynch and C.K. |
And then there is the big, triumphant moment when the season went from being just another season of solid episodes to possibly surpassing the show. "The Late Show" arc will go down as one of my favorite arcs from a TV show, if just for how it handled the process of a small name comedian going from working clubs to possibly dethroning David Letterman. That is a realistic scenario that I almost felt was going to be tied-in with reality. Imagine that. This show becoming a Larry Sanders Show type gig where we get behind the scenes with C.K.! That is simultaneously the greatest and worst idea that I have ever heard.
First off, it would give a new spin on the show, and who knows what guests that he would land? Leno did a brilliant job of parodying himself, and I could see a war starting between the two (though Leno wouldn't probably appear in every episode). Then you realize that it takes away the every man angle that makes Louie such an accessible show. Sure, we may get to see him struggle to raise a family, but he will have problems on a new level that may not be all that relate able. So the choice to approach it like a job interview format was excellent, especially Marshall's tear down in the first episode.
Most of all, it proved that this show effectively can show C.K. struggling and can make any story, no matter how simple, into something amazing. In fact, the way that the episode ending was genius unto itself in that it let C.K. have his moment, but he made David Letterman take a pay cut. How brilliant is that? Part of me is still disappointed that we didn't get Letterman in to read a few lines, but what are you going to do? We got all of the other big names, so it isn't a total shame.
I would love to see this show become an hour long, even if it is a significantly smaller episode output. C.K. has it in him to make the characters work. This season showed him maybe toning down on the fart and sex jokes, but it saw him develop as a character. A lot of the angles of his life became more realized and it almost seems like the show is maturing. Whether or not season four will be conventional is to be seen, but for now, Louie is one of TV's greatest comedies because it feels real and tests you to find a less formulaic show.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5
*Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 2 of the Retrospective in which we look at each episode and determine what worked and didn't this season.
Comments
Post a Comment