TV Recap: Louie - "Pamela: Part 1"

Left to right: Louis C.K. and Pamela Adlon

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.

With "Elevator" now behind us, for the time being, it is time to see what the rest of the Louie season brings us. With two more stories supposedly going down ("Pamela" and "Into the Woods"), things are looking to follow int he continuity vein. Hopefully things will end up more ambitious than the "Elevator" story. However, it doesn't look to be the case with Louis C.K. trying to mix in some of his old tricks into the format in a way that isn't all that successful in "Pamela: Part 1." Along with a "rape" scene, the show continues to push boundaries, but the problem here is that it feels like all of the season's energy went towards "Elevator."

The episode opens with C.K. walking in the now barren apartment that belonged to Amia and Evanka. He is depressed and reminiscing on past moments. He suddenly sees Dr. Bigelow (Charles Grodin) out in the foyer walking his dog. He decides to seek advice from him. Bigelow claims that C.K. is the stupidest man that he has met and to enjoy the misery. Bigelow misses the feeling of misery and loss, which he hasn't felt since he was 35. With this in mind, C.K. decides to meet up with Pamela (Pamela Adlon) to try and rekindle some romance. It doesn't work, but she promises to watch her kids while he goes to a stand-up show.

Left to right: C.K.
 and Charles Grodin

During the set, he does a lot of material. He opens with an entire rant about how he doesn't know if people should deny the existence of God. He believes that humans are full of errors and shouldn't be so quick to deny things. However, he does believe that it would be funny if there was a god that only existed since 1982 and that he killed our mother. He then transitions into a routine about women's rights in American history. Since they couldn't vote until 1920, he believes that American democracy is only 90-something years old. He also believes that women used to control societies until one man decided to fight back.

On the way home, he gets stuck next to a man talking to himself (Michael Kostroff). He is talking about how he shouldn't take any flack from people and do what he wants. Feeling like it is a sign, C.K. applies that advice when he arrives back to relieve Pamela of her duties. Unfortunately, the lines are crossed and C.K. tries to kiss her against her will. She accuses him of rape and feels uncomfortable as she exits. On the bus the next day, Lilly (Hadley Delaney) and Jane (Ursula Parker) asks C.K. if Pamela is his girlfriend. He doesn't justify the statement with an answer. During the same ride, he gets accused of spitting on the bus by someone who was doing said action, which causes him to shut up.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Left to right: Ursula Parker, C.K., and Hadley Delaney

I feel like I am being gracious when I give "Pamela: Part 1" a three. In truth, I don't entirely enjoy this episode because it feels like a bunch of segments thrown together. Yes, there was some continuity between the opening and the closing, but there was a drastic amount of filler here that reflects the downside to the overarching stories. While there are some great points made during the stand-up routine, it goes on for a considerable amount of time to the point that it begins to drag. C.K. has always been an engaging performer, but on his show, the comedy usually works either as closing segments or momentary interludes. Here, there is a point to it, but it feels too overbearing.

Admittedly, the ideals can be applied to what has become the notorious "rape" scene that follows that moment. C.K., who has been rather progressive in his gender politics, seems to be commenting on something greater. Does he do the actions out of fear that Pamela will never accept him? Is it just compensation for Amia's departure? There's plenty to it that is infallible and human, but what does it all mean? I believe that the scene serves a purpose and that the stand-up informs the moment. However, we won't get to know C.K.'s true motives for this until two weeks from now when "Pamela: Part 2" drops and we get some conclusions.

It is a shame because C.K. and Pamela have always been an endearing duo. The way that she insults him brought out some great moments earlier this season. Maybe this is a fear tactic after all and that while many will get caught up in the rape of it all, that it is the misunderstanding of the friend zone. That is how they have agreed to view each other, yet C.K. doesn't want that without communicating it clearly. It is desperation.

I also feel that it is evident in the bus ride that follows. Realizing his ways, he feels overprotective of his daughters and want them to be self reliant to avoid types like him. They need to know how to manage the streets. However, as evident in the final moments of the episode, he cannot defend himself against a man who falsely accuses him of misconduct. Dealing with Pamela is a lot easier because of her size and implied weakness. He has to tilt his head in shame for the other one because he can't risk it as much.

Yes, many will think that "Pamela: Part 1" crossed a line, but that is if the moment is isolated. C.K. is at very least trying to make the moment more constructed where each segment informs the next. That alone gives the show some credit for challenging audiences. I just don't know where the "Pamela" arc can possibly go. Is it yet another falling out? That would be too redundant given "Elevator" and its inevitable crescendo. Louie is a depressing show a lot of the time, but it can't just be C.K. falling out of relationships. Maybe this moment will be cleared up somehow. Of course, I just want Jane's story to play out so that we know what's going on with her.

For the most part, Louie season four has reflected ambitions to higher callings. In the process, I think it has marvelously become a challenging series. I don't know that it necessarily means better. I simply think that its audacity to blur the lines between good and evil in humans is more honest and eye opening than any series has done so far in 2014. Maybe this season will fall a little short, but that isn't from lack of trying. I still believe that as a story teller, C.K. is working on a platform higher than most other comedians. We just don't know what the base of it is yet.