TV Recap: Louie - "In the Woods - Part 2"

Devin Druid

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 the first half of "In the Woods," it is time to see how things have played out. With Young Louie (Devin Druid) stealing scales for Jeff Davis (Jeremy Renner), the question is where can things go? Is he going to end up doing something so traumatic that it ends up influencing Louis C.K.'s current problem with Lilly (Hadley Delany)? There's plenty to wonder and a lot gets answered in the second half, which may play like an after school special, but with more crass humor and a lot higher stakes.

After selling the scales for weed, Louie gets a massive amount that he decides to share with his friends. When impressed with the massive quantity that they have received, they begin considering selling it around campus. Meanwhile, Louie is starting to become a burnout with very little focus or energy. He can't stay awake in class and despite being defended by Mr. Hoffman (Skipp Sudduth), when he is accused of vandalism and other crimes around campus by the principal (Tony V). 

It becomes so surreal that Albert (Logan Rush) decides to stop messing with drugs and rat his friends out. When this happens, the principal immediately blames Louie. Mr. Hoffman is quick to defend him and they arrest Brad (Cory Nichols) for the entire thing. When Louie decides to to go Jeff to get the scales back, he gets a harsh lesson that Jeff sold the scales. With no way to pay him back, Jeff leaves him no choice but to man up. It is twisted stuff stealing from your own school. 

When Louie confesses to the principal, he reveals his true feelings. He feels that Louie's class is the worst one on record. He feels that everything that he has done is wrong. However, he won't apply charges and lets Louie finish the rest of the semester unscathed. When he meets up with his mother (Amy Landecker), who sent his father (F. Murray Abraham) to try and convince him to stop doing drugs, he tries to be reluctant.

Feeling guilt, his mother tries to talk some sense into him before he runs away. He eventually gets stuck with a social worker as well. As things are starting to recover, he talks to his neighbor about the habits. The neighbor thinks that Louie is lucky that he didn't get caught. He says to consider this a step in growing up and that it doesn't matter. Find more fruitful paths and everything will work out. In the present, C.K. attempts to have a conversation with his daughter before deciding to simply hug it out.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

Left to right: Logan Rush and Cory Nichols

After the lackluster "Elevator" arc, "In the Woods" sort of captures some deeper magic to the season. If you follow the themes between these two series of episodes, you'll find that they compliment each other rather effectively. The reason that Young Louie smokes is because of his parents divorce. He is a rebel that doesn't care. Now consider Jane's story from "Elevator" where she acted out. It was largely considered to be because of Janet and C.K.'s own divorce. If anything, the series is starting to reveal something bigger in their mechanics. These may be individual stories, but they are connected by tissue.

We haven't gotten to see too much of Lilly this season by comparison to Jane. She has been a secondary child who simply has existed. Maybe that is why the revelation that correlates between Young Louie and Lilly's decision to start smoking makes perfect sense. She is essentially him. Of course, the real fear is in those transition shots of C.K. looking at his daughter and thinking of his past. He wants what's best for her and ends up wanting to be overprotective. He doesn't want her to meet a Jeff Davis type or become disconnected with her parents. This episode's lingering theme is that C.K. wants to rewrite history by changing Lilly's future. He is paranoid that time is a flat circle that repeats itself.

What is likely to happen from here? With all of this knowledge, I do feel like next week's two "Pamela" episodes are likely to culminate in themes as opposed to a general story. While I'd like to think that we aren't going to experience any more rape, there has to be something more to it. Is the resolution between C.K. and Janet and Jane going to have some payoff? Is Amia going to be around? I do believe that stuff from these past few episodes will come up, though I am not entirely sure what. Though I do feel like Pamela isn't going to be the positive answer.

As for the actual episode, it is rather phenomenal what was done here. C.K. crafted a story that is slight, but reflects the general feeling of regret that parents have. How do you teach kids not to do what you did? It isn't explained to Lilly, but C.K. does manage to bring the point home. While doing so, it does make for a tragic story where Young Louie lost emotional contact with his mother and the one teacher that really liked him: Mr. Hoffman. He gave it all up for drugs and a dealer who could care less about him. 

Did the episode need to be longer than normal? The question is more debatable when considering that "Elevator" was cut up into six parts as opposed to slightly longer episodes. Could "In the Woods" have benefited from being split into three? I don't see a cutting point, but it did seem excessive. Running at 68 minutes, it is definitely the longest episode that Louie produced. It should mean that there's something grander going on. It is even audacious that they threw in a lack of C.K. into it. If anything, I appreciate this episode for what it did narrative-wise. The only question is if it is self indulgent. I'd say yes, and it may be hurting it a little.

However, "In the Woods" may go down as one of the better episodes of the season. It captured so much realism of school along with drug culture. It felt like there was stakes, though ones that were more emotional than legal. By the end, we aren't hurt by Louie's fall for stealing scales, but from disappointing everyone he loved. In a way, that would hit harder than had he been arrested. Most of all, it even suggests why C.K. tries to be a loving father and how it ties into regret from his past. The rape stuff doesn't make sense yet, but who knows what lies in next week's finale. Maybe it will all make more sense.