TV Recap: Louie - "Elevator: Part 4"

Louis C.K.

Welcome to the return of TV Recap on the FX comedy series Louie. After over a year off, Louis C.K. returns to TV with one of the most innovative, funny, and disturbing shows on TV. Join me as I chronicle season four's highs and lows and see just where he winds up next. His irreverent take is sure to keep you laughing and with back-to-back episodes, double your pleasure on a weekly basis with recaps every Tuesday and Wednesday unless specified. So join the fun, watch some of the most innovative TV out there and bring your own thoughts into the discussion.

Upon doing actual research for this week's entry, I have come to the realization that while "Elevator" may be the most elaborate and grand experiment that Louie has ever pulled off, it isn't going to ride out the rest of the season. After this week's two episodes, it will wrap up nicely next week and pave the way for two additional stories called "Pamela" and "Into the Woods." Who knows what those will entail, though the promise of more Pamela after the underwhelming appearance last week would be great. As for these episodes, more and more is making sense, though with the structure being what it is, I cannot entirely comprehend what is going on with the narrative other than Louis C.K. is coming to terms with a lot, including a look into his past.

The episode begins with reporters talking about a hurricane that is wiping out large portions of area, including Cuba. The newscast is done rather poorly and with very vague descriptions of people. C.K. is sitting in his apartment with Amia (Eszter Balint), Lily (Ursula Parker) and Jane (Hadley Delany) who is playing violin. Things are at peace and C.K. couldn't seem happier. He takes Amia to a hockey game and life is wonderful. 

That is until he meets up with Janet (Susan Kelechi-Wilson) with a counselor (Denny Dillon) to discuss Jane's recent outbursts. Janet wants to send their child to a private school so she gets better learning. C.K. takes the blame for not fully appreciating his daughter's talents. The counselor claims that Jane is acting out because of a disorder that causes her to feel unchallenged and restricted. Upon walking out, they feel embarrassed that they spent $800 on the session and decide it would've been more cost effective had they just hired an assassin. While saying goodbye, C.K. talks to Janet about Amia and her situation. At first, Janet is enthused though quickly gets confused when C.K. claims that he won't date her because she is heading back to her own country.

Upon arriving home, he sits in his apartment looking at the ceiling. He flashes back to several years before. They are in a hotel and much younger. C.K. (Conner O'Malley) and Jane (Brooke Bloom) are about to break up. They try talking it out but decide that there isn't any spark there to keep the chemistry going. They decide to have one last round of sex before separating. It is the best that they have had. While in the shower, Jane jokes with C.K. about the possibilities of her being pregnant. It is brushed off as the episode flashes forward to C.K. still in bed. The episode ends with him telling stand-up about what he would do to give up drinking lemonade for two years.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Left to right: Susan Kelechi-Wilson and C.K.

And so the plot thickens. While I do believe that this is going to become a central story around understanding Jane's problems, I do also feel like there's some deeper issues being explored. For the first time, we get a look into C.K.'s past with Janet and we understand that there was a sense of boredom among the two. They didn't want to be together, yet here they are in a counseling session talking to someone about their problems. Whether or not we will see more of C.K.'s past in this series is questionable, but it does help to establish a lot of deeper themes. We get to understand Janet and the belief that she is fine with C.K. seeing Amia, even if he doesn't want to keep her from moving back to Hungary. When it all boils down, I do think that Jane is going to be the one who gets hurt. C.K. could leave or take Amia and nothing will happen. Jane needs a positive female role model on the other hand.

This episode features very little of the story that has been developing over the first three parts. Amia is in it briefly and not for a significant part. She is there to depict C.K.'s happiness and litle else. This is all about the origin story of Jane and what Janet and C.K. did to get there. In a way, she was built on depression of bad decisions and this all makes some sense now. We don't really know much about Janet's personal relationship with Jane just yet, but we do get some fun banter between the divorced couple. They may be hostile, but it is because they want what's best for their daughter.

So where do things stand on this issue? They seem rather leveled to me. C.K. remains too blue collared to allow his daughter to have a privileged life. Also, with "Model" now seeming like a strange moment of non-continuity, how is he going to pay for it? Maybe a scholarship of some sorts? There is a lot of brooding in this episode and the belief that Amia is the perfect woman for C.K. and that she shouldn't be let go. If anything, she makes the kids happy, and that may be one of the lasting impacts that she has.

I am glad to see that the series continues to expand on what it continues an arc, but I am not entirely understanding the through line. These are still smaller moments in a season. Season three had many running stories that were visited at random moments. With the unfortunate news that I have yet to see "Part 5" due to scheduling conflicts, I cannot even predict based on given information. Still, I am enjoying these moments as the show falls into a more familiar rhythm of actions. While I don't feel that the story quite clicks in small doses, it does feel like it has built upon itself. Maybe sometime next week (and that is a strong maybe), I will do a bonus recap highlighting everything that the "Elevator" stood for. We'll have to see if things mesh by then.