progressive politics and regressive entertainment. like peanut and butter.
October 9, 2012 Leave a comment
(Warning! My TV reviews tend to have spoilers…)
I’m a little late recapping the season finale of Louie, but then again, they’re a little early with the whole “New Year’s Eve” thang, and I resent them stopping for a breather. Louie shouldn’t ever be allowed to stop. Does this man really look like he needs a rest?
September 27, 2012 Leave a comment
(Warning! My TV reviews tend to have spoilers…)
So Louie’s Late Show three-parter came to an end last week with the proper amount of expected surprise. Any regular viewer would know that Louie can’t get the job as host of The Late Show. It’s not because getting the job would be unrealistic, as Louis CK is happy to upset the applecart when it comes to viewer expectations of realism.
In a way, it would have been fun to see Louie get the gig just to follow how depressed and oppressed it would make him, week after week. Louie is an heir to Letterman in the sense of their perpetual dissatisfaction, although Louis has a sweetness that Letterman lacks. But no, The Late Show starring Louie would derail the story arc too much. Louie has to fail, but at its best Louie fails in a way that isn’t predictable. Louie fails in a fashion that makes us question.
Here’s my recap, mostly in pictures…
September 20, 2012 Leave a comment
In a stereotypical sitcom, when the lead tells his ex-wife that he has a shot at replacing David Letterman on the teevee, but that it would mean less time taking care of their kids, the ex-wife would berate the lead for putting career ahead of family. Don’t worry that Louie abandons all of that. Louie still gets berated, but it’s from a different angle. Janet wants him to advance his career.
JANET: Forget the kids. The kids. I got the kids. You go do this. You go get this job. You go get this job.
September 13, 2012 2 Comments
I’m lucky that Louie took a week off last week, so I can run late and yet still post this hybrid review/recap just before they air Part 2 of “Late Show” tonight.
Part 1 of “Late Show” had Louie doing his stand-up in Los Angeles, showing off the depth that makes him different. How many observational comics actually notice that we’re, you know, at war? And not the center of the universe?
LOUIE: Only in America do we have this luxury. We get to decide when they find out that there is — Kids in Afghanistan don’t have, just — they find out. They find out. They find out when they ask “How come Uncle Henry’s head is gone now? How come that happened? Oh, because of the war.”
August 26, 2012 Leave a comment
Last Thursday’s Louie returned to its standup roots at the start, opening with Louie performing at the Comedy Cellar.
LOUIE: I, uh, I actually, I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping – as we all should.
Some semi-spoilerish reactions after the jump…
August 18, 2012 Leave a comment
Last week’s Louie moved me because of the insider comedy interactions between Louie, Sarah Silverman, and Mark Maron. This week’s Louie moved me because of the poignancy and the ridiculousness of his flight from dad, and how committed Louis is to following his ideas above and beyond their logical conclusions.
August 10, 2012 2 Comments
This season of Louie continues to be a comedy nerd’s dream, and last night’s episode has got to be the pinnacle of that. If you want to be surprised, please run off and watch the episode before reading on, as I can’t contain the spoilers for long. I can already feel it bubbling over…
August 6, 2012 Leave a comment
Pretty much every episode of this season’s Louie gives us something new. Last week, Louis CK chose not to open with any stand-up, but with a black-and-white sequence of an open grave. There’s a guy who has eyes like Robin Williams. And you know what? It’s Robin Williams. Or rather, it’s the character “Robin,” played by Mr. Williams.
August 1, 2012 3 Comments
Two weeks ago on Louie we were treated to appearances of Maria Bamford (yay!) and Parker Posey (yay!). Last week on Louie we were only treated to Parker Posey, which was as expected, and I was determined to think of it as a glass half full.
LIZ: Can we walk? Let’s just walk!
July 24, 2012 Leave a comment
Part I of “Daddy’s Girlfriend” had me in its corner from the moment that Maria Bamford appeared on the small screen. Maria Bamford is one of my favoritist comedians, quirky and original, and a comedian’s comedian. I’m not sure how those outside the comedy community regard her, but within that world of humor aficionados, it’s not uncommon to have veterans like Marc Maron who are simply smitten by the Bamford. (She was on her own episode of Maron’s WTF podcast and also appeared as a live guest not once but twice.)
MARIA: I hope nobody here is deeply religious. If you are, please just rest in the glory that I am wrong.
July 14, 2012 5 Comments
Louie goes to Miami, and it’s just as you (and he) might imagine. Going to the beach, he encounters enough fun-in-the-sun to make a middle-aged man gag…
July 5, 2012 1 Comment
Season Three of Louie arrived last week with “Something Is Wrong” — the very title of which signals that something also must be right, because we expect (we want and desire) Louis C.K. to give us comedic insight into everything from the awkward to the horrible. He starts the season off by talking about how, as he ages, he now has to masturbate while wearing reading glasses. It’s difficult to explain to people who don’t know the show how this humor is poignant, no matter how far he pushes it…and he does.
