Louie: Back
May 6, 2014 2:20 PM - Season 4, Episode 1 - Subscribe
Louie hurts his back while trying to up his self-love game.
The poker game chatter and sex shop visit were highlights, as well as the ending punchline of how Louie figures out how to fix his back.
The poker game chatter and sex shop visit were highlights, as well as the ending punchline of how Louie figures out how to fix his back.
Oh, I didn't know this was back on. Sweet!
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:58 PM on May 6, 2014
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:58 PM on May 6, 2014
The strangest bit in the whole episode was Louie sitting on the curb in pain, and the old woman who helps him up and into a cab and nothing at all happens and it just plays out slowly as a nice person helps him in a time of need. I thought for sure there'd be a goofy punchline like her screaming at a honking car near the end, but nope, just methodic slow story telling.
Hmm, I thought it was a visual gag in and of itself. The little old lady is spry and helpful and creaky, fat ol' Louie can't even get himself a cab.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:37 PM on May 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
Hmm, I thought it was a visual gag in and of itself. The little old lady is spry and helpful and creaky, fat ol' Louie can't even get himself a cab.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 5:37 PM on May 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
The point of the cab scene was that he was in such sad shape that the cliche of helping the little old lady across the street got inverted as she tottered (not so spryly, sorry PBWK) into the street to flag down the cab.
We're all used to seeing Louis playing cards with his fellow comedians but did anybody else catch the other well-known comedian with a role in the episode?
posted by scalefree at 8:16 PM on May 6, 2014
We're all used to seeing Louis playing cards with his fellow comedians but did anybody else catch the other well-known comedian with a role in the episode?
posted by scalefree at 8:16 PM on May 6, 2014
I have not seen it yet, but can someone fill me in on how the Sanitation Dept figures in the episode?
posted by mlis at 11:09 PM on May 6, 2014
posted by mlis at 11:09 PM on May 6, 2014
The sandwich-eating doctor is played by Charles Grodin.
posted by scalefree at 6:57 AM on May 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by scalefree at 6:57 AM on May 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
The show opens with trash guys making a racket while loading the truck, waking up Louie. The scene escalates into absurdity where the sanitation workers crash into his bedroom and rip the place apart.
posted by soplerfo at 6:59 AM on May 7, 2014
posted by soplerfo at 6:59 AM on May 7, 2014
I love the poker playing bit, which, if I remember right, also was featured in episode 1. Also, Sarah Silverman adds punch, spice, and bite to everything she's in.
posted by jasper411 at 8:11 AM on May 7, 2014
posted by jasper411 at 8:11 AM on May 7, 2014
I assumed the new season would be good, but the moment the garbage men scene started getting more and more surreal, I knew this show was coming back every bit as good as it's ever been.
I loved, loved, loved the meta standup bit about how he forgot how old he was and ended up feeling like he'd aged two years in a day.
The poker table stuff was great too. I always wonder how much those scenes are improvised. I can't think he writes all that material for such funny people. I'd think he kind of gives a general topic and then they just kind of go at it for a while... But I don't actually know.
posted by sparkletone at 5:26 PM on May 7, 2014
I loved, loved, loved the meta standup bit about how he forgot how old he was and ended up feeling like he'd aged two years in a day.
The poker table stuff was great too. I always wonder how much those scenes are improvised. I can't think he writes all that material for such funny people. I'd think he kind of gives a general topic and then they just kind of go at it for a while... But I don't actually know.
posted by sparkletone at 5:26 PM on May 7, 2014
Charles Grodin was awesome as the doctor. I hope we see more of him. (AMC ran Beethoven today. I flipped right on past it, but it was a funny coincidence.)
His explanation of the vertical vs. horizontal spine was a useful factoid that I got to use the very next day in a conversation about animal chiropractors. Yay!
posted by Sys Rq at 1:09 PM on May 8, 2014
His explanation of the vertical vs. horizontal spine was a useful factoid that I got to use the very next day in a conversation about animal chiropractors. Yay!
posted by Sys Rq at 1:09 PM on May 8, 2014
the old woman who helps him up and into a cab and nothing at all happens and it just plays out slowly as a nice person helps him in a time of need. I thought for sure there'd be a goofy punchline like her screaming at a honking car near the end, but nope, just methodic slow story telling.
I'm pretty sure the joke there is that she's an elderly woman of the sort that should be needing assistance from him. Like, when you're in so much pain that a hunched over granny cart lady has to help you into a cab, you're bad off.
I'm so glad they threw Sarah Silverman into the mix in the poker scene. Usually those scenes are OK, but are a little boyzone/just a bunch of similar dudes saying the same basic stuff, but putting someone different -- and confrontational enough to hold her own -- really makes them fun to watch.
posted by Sara C. at 5:40 PM on May 8, 2014
I'm pretty sure the joke there is that she's an elderly woman of the sort that should be needing assistance from him. Like, when you're in so much pain that a hunched over granny cart lady has to help you into a cab, you're bad off.
I'm so glad they threw Sarah Silverman into the mix in the poker scene. Usually those scenes are OK, but are a little boyzone/just a bunch of similar dudes saying the same basic stuff, but putting someone different -- and confrontational enough to hold her own -- really makes them fun to watch.
posted by Sara C. at 5:40 PM on May 8, 2014
Ummmm, or what everybody else said days ago. Yeah. Read the comments. I should do that.
posted by Sara C. at 5:41 PM on May 8, 2014
posted by Sara C. at 5:41 PM on May 8, 2014
The poker table stuff was great too. I always wonder how much those scenes are improvised. I can't think he writes all that material for such funny people. I'd think he kind of gives a general topic and then they just kind of go at it for a while... But I don't actually know.
Prety sure I've heard Maron talk about his appearance on the show saying it was extremely tight, a few takes, not a lot of riffing. Louis is just a brilliant writer.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 12:39 AM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
Prety sure I've heard Maron talk about his appearance on the show saying it was extremely tight, a few takes, not a lot of riffing. Louis is just a brilliant writer.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 12:39 AM on May 9, 2014 [1 favorite]
So . . . what about China? Nothing? That's a bummer.
Great episode though. I'm so happy Louie's back, I kept finding excuses to pause it and go do stuff because I didn't want it to be over.
posted by GastrocNemesis at 12:31 PM on May 9, 2014
Great episode though. I'm so happy Louie's back, I kept finding excuses to pause it and go do stuff because I didn't want it to be over.
posted by GastrocNemesis at 12:31 PM on May 9, 2014
Potomac, yeah, I think I just listened to that episode. They didn't talk a lot about it, but I was surprised to hear how scripted the scenes with other comedians are.
I don't know why I was so surprised, since no TV shooting crew has time to stand around and wait for people to improvise, and most standups aren't improvisational geniuses, anyway. It's a scripted show, which means, yeah, it's scripted.
What I really wonder is how much veto power Sarah Silverman had over her part of the conversation. It's got to be weird writing bits in the voice of another standup. With the exception of Todd Barry, I think most of the scenes where standups riff around it doesn't come all that close to specific comedians' specific styles, but that poker scene had Sarah Silverman written all over it. So either he has her style nailed, or she had some input.
posted by Sara C. at 3:16 PM on May 9, 2014
I don't know why I was so surprised, since no TV shooting crew has time to stand around and wait for people to improvise, and most standups aren't improvisational geniuses, anyway. It's a scripted show, which means, yeah, it's scripted.
What I really wonder is how much veto power Sarah Silverman had over her part of the conversation. It's got to be weird writing bits in the voice of another standup. With the exception of Todd Barry, I think most of the scenes where standups riff around it doesn't come all that close to specific comedians' specific styles, but that poker scene had Sarah Silverman written all over it. So either he has her style nailed, or she had some input.
posted by Sara C. at 3:16 PM on May 9, 2014
Charles Grodin was awesome as the doctor. I hope we see more of him.
I was a little sad it wasn't Ricky Gervais, who was so wonderful as Louie's asshole doc in previous seasons (one of my favorite recurring bits). Maybe Gervais wasn't available or Louie just wanted a different tone. Either way, Grodin was great as well.
posted by sparkletone at 3:16 PM on May 9, 2014
I was a little sad it wasn't Ricky Gervais, who was so wonderful as Louie's asshole doc in previous seasons (one of my favorite recurring bits). Maybe Gervais wasn't available or Louie just wanted a different tone. Either way, Grodin was great as well.
posted by sparkletone at 3:16 PM on May 9, 2014
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posted by mathowie at 2:46 PM on May 6, 2014