Note: Full spoilers for the episode follow.
The conclusion of Louie’s journey towards potentially becoming a late night host ended in Late Show Part 3, and while it didn’t quite offer as many new turns as the last couple of episodes, it still was incredibly entertaining.
There was an obvious Rocky homage last week, with Louie running in the middle of the street, trying to get in shape, but here it became solidified that this entire storyline was Rocky – the original Rocky, that is. This was a story about Louie going the distance. He didn’t beat the champ. He didn’t become the champ. But he proved he could go toe-to-toe with him.
That would of course make David Lynch’s Jack the Mickey character, and indeed, Jack turned out to be the tough bastard who constantly harped on Louie, but ultimately was trying to help him and saw his potential.
Lynch’s appearance on these two episodes has been amazing. Again, we were in clear Lynchian/Twin Peaks territory here – close your eyes and listen to Lynch delivering the line, “Here’s the thing with that, champ – it’s short for champion” and you can just hear Gordon Cole saying something like that to Albert Rosenfeld. Lynch and Louie were a pairing I never would have thought of, but it completely worked and it would be great if somehow, they could bring him back at some point.
Louie’s practice interview with a cleaning lady was a wonderful disaster, as she broke down crying over the mother she lost when she was eight. All of Louie’s attempts to hone his skills were that great combination of awkward and funny, including an hysterically random array of curse words Louie let out at one point when practicing a monologue by himself.
After last week’s episode ended with the reveal that Chris Rock was also in the running for the Letterman job, it was odd to not have that brought up at all here or to at least get some mention of it. But that was balanced by having Jerry Seinfeld himself appear, as yet another celebrity willing to play a rather dark version of themselves – with Seinfeld attempting to trick Louie into believing a deal for Jerry to take the Letterman job was already signed. I’d already chuckled at Lynch’s parting words of advice -- “If someone asks you to keep a secret, their secret is a lie, you got that?” -- but it was even better when it turned out to be setting up Seinfeld’s scene.
Having Louie’s oh-so youthful manager Doug not speak at all the past couple of episodes got a great payoff here, as he got to exclaim, “If somebody asks you to keep a secret…!” and give Louie the eureka moment that would allow him to go out and nail his test show.
It’s interesting how negative a light this episode painted Letterman in at the end. Not only did we learn he signed a new 10-year deal to stay on the show, but we learned Louie had been banned from ever appearing on Letterman again. Hell, the episode ended with Louie yelling, “F**k you!” at the Letterman studio. (Though in a victorious way!) This show involves Louis C.K. using real life as a springboard sometimes while completely creating scenarios other times. Do he and Letterman have a beef? Are they good buddies and this will be laughed about between them? Either way, the scenario had a satisfying conclusion, with the unseen Letterman still making an impact.
In the end, this was a nice bit of validation for Louie, who had certainly wanted that job, but seemed to take heart in his friend telling him, “You took 20 million out of that a**hole’s pocket - that’s how good you are.”
Requisite awesome Jane line of the week: “You’re not skinnier. Daddy, you’re fat, Daddy.”
Eric Goldman is Executive Editor of IGN TV. You can follow him on Twitter and IGN.
Source : ign[dot]com
This was one of the most out there and odd stories this show has told. It felt more purposely “unrealistic” than most Louie stories, from the moment that woman said she was having her vagina removed. But that didn’t make it any less compelling, fascinating or funny.