‘Louie’ Recap: The 8 Most Soul-Crushing Moments From ‘New Year’s Eve’

“Bye.”

I’m tempted to begin and end this review with that one word, which works both as a reference to an unexpectedly tragic scene midway through “New Year’s Eve” that left me speechless and as a way of saying farewell to the ultimately optimistic third season of Louie, which ended with four brilliant episodes in a row. But then I’d have to leave out Amy Poehler’s guest spot (Amy Poehler, the Best Lady Around Award winner, not existing in the Louie universe upsets me, however), or how the holidays are an awful time to be alone, or how nothing paints sadness like half-eaten Hostess snacks, or the fantastic music choices used throughout the episode, or how everyone should handle their Christmas trees like Louie did, or how one of real surprises of this season was its fondness for continuity, or how shocking it was for the show to go to China, or how a friend told me the villager at the end was saying, “You are here from a distant land, in my house, to be my guest!”

But “bye” works, too. Season grade: A-

But I can’t have THAT be the last slide. Here’s a more optimistic one.

Thumb’s up, indeed.