A quick review of tonight’s “Louie” coming up just as soon as I take a knee…
Tonight’s episode offered a little something for everyone within the subset of people (myself included) who enjoy Louis C.K.’s worldview and sense of humor. We got a broad, mortifying, R-rated, hilarious guest spot by Ricky Gervais as Louie’s inappropriate doctor friend. (“This is the worst thing that’s ever happened to me, and my dad hung himself in front of me, while masturbating.”) We got some politically incorrect humor in the scene about how black people don’t tip. We got a bit of slapstick in Louie’s pathetic fight with Nick DiPaolo (the homophobic comic from last week’s memorable poker scene). We got some straight-up drama (or, at least, wistfulness) in Louie and Nick’s talk about aging and dying (or, worse, your loved ones dying before you), and we got two great stand-up bits at the front and back about Louie’s aging body and then about the encounter with the “particularly” homeless man at the Port Authority. Lots of flavors there.
Of course, the flip side of the show’s eclectic approach may be that it may only work in bits and pieces for you. You may like the stand-up but not enjoy Gervais at his smarmiest. Or you cackle at Gervais (even as he cackles at his own jokes) but get uncomfortable with the more serious moments. Etc.
At the moment, I’m loving all of it, and part of that is because it’s such an unusual collection of styles, all of them somehow fitting together when filtered through Louie.
What did everybody else think?