TV Recap: Louie - "Elevator: Part 6"

Left to right: Louis C.K., Yury Tsykun, and Eszter Balint

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.

After a few weeks, we finally reach the end of the "Elevator" saga with a very understated farewell between C.K. and his love for Amia (Eszter Balint). In the end, everything happened that you'd expect to happen. However, with that said, there was one more curve ball in the Louie cannon. That storm that killed LeBron James and millions of people is coming for lower Manhattan. Is it the storm of the century? In terms of continuity, likely not. However, it does sum up a lot of what the "Elevator" episodes stood for in one spectacular set piece that is if anything the most elaborate thing the show has ever done.

Upon having sex with Amia recently, C.K. tries desperately to appeal to her. He follows her to a church and then tries to speak to her. H eventually calls on Evanka (Ellen Burstyn) to help him translate. By this point, Amia is frustrated and throwing dishes on the ground. As C.K. decides to join in, he gets word that lower Manhattan is about to enter an immediate evacuation because of the storm. He remembers that Janet (Susan Kelechi-Wilson) and his daughters are there. He rents a Hertz car and drives through some dour weather to save them. 

Upon arriving back, he decides to have one last dinner with Amia with help from a translator (Yury Tsykun). In this conversation, the truths are made evident. While C.K. is a great father figure, she can't leave her husband for him. Also, as they realize that they're both 40, they need to accept their fates and live their own lives realistically. As the translator leaves, the two sit together enjoying dinner while not entirely understanding each other's languages.

Rating: 4 out of 5

I will admit that I like the idea of this show turning into a pseudo-sitcom with perverse outcomes. The results manage to hit all of the down beats that one would expect. C.K. does not get the girl despite being helplessly in love with her. The romance makes no sense given the language barrier, which neither make effort to fix. By the end, Janet (Hadley Delaney) doesn't actually have her problem fixed. The whole story has been about disaster and the impending storm. Romance feels minuscule by comparison. That is why the obvious thing that has been known since "Part 3" was restated in the conclusion.

It isn't that the show is beating us over the head with familiarity. It is actually detailing harsh realities of expecting things to work out. They won't. The storm is going to come and Amia is going to leave for Hungary while disappointed that she had sex with C.K.. There isn't much depth there beyond the fact that trying to recapture youth in order to maintain closeness with someone won't happen. You're screwed. All you can really do is carry on.

With that said, the real theme of the saga was that people need to communicate. Sure, Janet and C.K. may seem like they aren't the best couple. Maybe C.K. drove through the disastrous rain to save his kids. However, there is a deeper sense of love that comes with that. Unlike the man searching for his dog, he is out for something important. He wants them to survive, even if he is mad at them. In times of crisis, people will help each other and not maintain their bitterness. Even if C.K. has a lot of love for Amia at the beginning, his kids come first. It is a selfless act that sums up everything that the characters have been ignoring for the past five segments.

Do I think that the series was smart to focus so much time on this? I admit to wanting the show to expand onto longer self contained stories. I wasn't wild about "Elevator," even if it does have the tragic flair that makes me overall appreciate it. The Amia/C.K. romance was fine, but it began to feel too artistic and proud of itself to feel like raw Louie. He wasn't fighting any battles, but trying to hold onto what he couldn't. It may be more mature and delusional, but the story didn't really have much impact beyond watching C.K. go ballistic countless times. We don't get any closure and Jane being a mental case is never brought up.

Of course, the "Elevator" parts are over, but that doesn't mean that the plot lines aren't. Dr. Bigelow is back in the next episode in which he recovers from Amia's departure. There's clearly elements of continuity. However, if there was a grand statement that would finalize a six part story, there should've been one more clearer. I appreciate C.K. wanting to make this into the strangest show possible, but this took up over half of the season and there were whole chunks that didn't quite land.

Admittedly, the storm was rather impressive. Having not been to New York, I cannot comment on the authenticity. However, I did enjoy that it was one of the biggest stakes in the show's history. There were times where C.K. could have been ruined in his goal. Instead, things carried on in delightful fashion with the familiar absurd moments. It was grand and an artistic statement that I am glad that C.K. created. However, with "Elevator" being over half of the season, I can honestly say that this season has been somewhat disappointing for me. I still really like it, but the immediacy is lacking and I don't understand the intents entirely. Here's hoping that the remaining episodes will be stellar knockouts.