THE PLOT THUS FAR
Louis C.K. writes, directs and stars in this show about a stand-up comedian, mostly performing late night shows at small clubs and restaurants.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
There is no continuity from one episode to the next, or even from one vignette to the next. Each episode is comprised of usually two scenarios book-ended by stand-up sets by Louie, which may or may not turn out to be part of one of the scenes. It’s the direct inversion by an observant everyman’s misanthrope of the TV sitcom. Whereas every sitcom we’ve ever seen has one essential soundstage, an ongoing play-like farce that runs before two cameras, all the same characters show up and everything not only works out but is just the same as before by the end, each week Louie will give a stream of consciousness an unsystematic narrative silhouette almost invariably a sequence of encounters with characters who enter and exit, yet very few ever return.
The second season of “Louie” actually builds on the emotional factor over the freshman offering. It’s overpowering in the “Duckling” episode where you feel for Louie, as he tries to protect the Duckling that his daughters put in his luggage. It was a class pet, but the girls thought the water fowl would protect them. They were too young to understand that he was going to Afghanistan. Other than that, it’s more of the same from the first year. Since “Louie” uses little vignettes, nothing is really tied together. It’s not like “Curb” where everything that happens in the show has a direct and distinctive purpose and connects somehow to something else that’ll happen by the end of the episode. “Curb” uses a sort of a “nothing is incidental/all loose ends tied up” format.
The Blu-Ray comes with select commentaries and a FOX Movie Channel promo featurette. I would’ve liked to have had commentaries on all of the episodes, plus I would’ve liked to have seen how Louie creates an episode. But, is it truly our place to understand comedic genius? The A/V Quality is strong with a 1080p transfer and an amazing DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to all.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
