TV Recap: Louie - "Pamela: Part 3"

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.

Here we are at the final episode of this season four of Louie. After the hiatus, the series has turned in its most ambitious season yet. While it found the series evolving into a more intricate machine, it also did seem to collapse upon itself. It did explore themes, but when it comes to the spontaneity and liveliness that has made the series so great, this season was lacking it. However, what we do end up with is something a little bit interesting and an actual culmination of a lot of themes explored in this season, some better than others. Overall, the effort outweighs the overall opinions, and that may leave me skeptical of the show's future.

The episode begins with Louis C.K. arriving at his apartment to discover that Pamela (Pamela Adlon) has decided to move out all of his old furniture. Growing upset, he tries to find out why to which she simply states that it was all ugly. While dropping off the kids with Janet (Susan Kelechi-Wilson), Pamela decides to comment on why C.K.'s children are so white and their mother is black. There is no explainable answer, to which they shrug it off. They decide to go buy new furniture and have sex in the empty apartment.

Later on, after finishing a comedy set, C.K. runs into Marc Maron. He has had his show picked up and wishes that C.K. would've been a better friend in the process. This gets to C.K. as he leaves with Pamela, who insists that he take initiative and just appear on TV instead of complaining. Upon returning to the apartment, Pamela surprises C.K. by sitting naked in a bath. She insists that he, who is uncomfortable with his body, strip naked and sit in it with her. The two end up sharing stories about their first kisses and spend the rest of the time sitting peacefully.

Rating: 3 out of 5

That is what everything has been building to. This shot above this writing is the final message that C.K. wanted to insert into the season. In a season that has focused on body issues, rape, misbehaving children, and communication issues, the idea of seeing the protagonist naked in a tub with someone who playfully calls him stupid is a little much. Admittedly, the "Pamela" arc has multiple interpretations, but with it being the season closer, there had to be more weight applied to it. In a sense, Pamela was the wrecking ball to the entire season, choosing to show C.K. that life didn't revolve around him. He could lose his furniture at any minute and everybody be damned if he's ashamed of his body. Not everything makes sense by the end, but we get the general idea of what he was going for.

As standalone episodes, it is hard to really appreciate season four of Louie. After starting strongly with "Model" and "So Did the Fat Lady," the series' derision into episodic arcs really made a problem at points. "Elevator," while featuring a lot of good moments, had an anticlimactic finale for the general themes. We still don't know if his kids and their misbehavior is in any way resolved. C.K. is the central focus of this season and while it is evident by the show being called Louie, I do feel like it was one of the bigger issues.

I loved season three because it pushed boundaries. It made the typical episode into a fully realized event. It could even go back to season two's "Duckling," which was the first dive into longer programming. I was enthusiastic to see if the series could turn more into an hour-long series. My intention was that it would take average stories and give it more time to grow. I felt that season four was too excessive in that regards. This is mostly because it built on themes that were overall insular and while controversial, seemed to exist solely to poke fires and buttons. I can't quite condone "Elevator" because it did meander an awful lot.
Is Pamela anything like Amia? Only in the sense of communicating love. Where C.K. had issue with Amia's lack of English, he could clearly speak to Pamela, just not on specific subjects. Also, if you didn't care for the stories, it was a long slog to the next one. I feel that it is ambitious and FX definitely deserves points for trying new things, but by the time that "Pamela: Part 3" ends with C.K. naked in a tub, it doesn't feel like this grand statement, but the idea that he can do anything, and he does. Yes, he does get reprimanded, but I don't feel like there was much focus on it. 
"Part 3" was fine, but I don't feel like it added much to the overall series. We have seen Pamela hang around quite a bit in the series (in fact, there's another "Pamela" episode in a previous season) and this grand gesture didn't feel as sweet. In fact, considering that the "Daddy's Girlfriend" arc of season three still exists, it seems a little rehashed in a less exciting way. Maybe the series is doomed to get more singular in narrative, which I do worry will diminish its appeal to me. However, it does have some charm while it lasts. However, can one thing happen and C.K. simply not be a "failure" next season? That would be great.