To be a comedian is not an easy task, and in many cases, it turns out to be one of the most thankless professions there are. There is an expectation from the audience that the material will keep coming out as fresh and in-depth as the thing you last did, and those expectations are often unrealistic and lead to instant disappointment, which in turn then leads to the public vilification of that individual, because the thing we like to see more than someone we like succeed, is to see someone we don't like fail. With this episode of "Louie," the glamor is removed and we get a deeper look at what it feels like being a comedian and having to balance that life with being a parent to their children, which is yet another hard task on top. "Louie" is not - and has never - been afraid to tackle the big issues and bundle it up with some social commentary, and this episode directly comments on allegations that Dane Cook stole material from one of Louis C. K.'s old comedy albums in the mid-2000s, adding another layer of things that comedians have to go through, although this may carry some weight. And once again, Louis C. K. manages to bring down the house with an episode that is a chillingly honest depiction of what it feels like to navigate through the issues of being a stand-up comedian, which we all expect to be an easy job, but really isn't, largely due to their personal life.
The episode starts out with a funny segment where C. K. is performing in his own sitcom, but gets too distracted by a single line to continue working on it. He then goes into a fit of rage about integrity and not sinking to the level of other shows. Whether or not this was a comment on the TV slate of the time this show aired, I'm not sure, but it felt like a nice meta-commentary from someone who had a show out like nothing else. And it also included themes of integrity, which played into the rest very nicely.
That leads into a very funny meeting between C. K. and Dane Cook, which continues to play on the theme of integrity. They can't agree on how to move ahead with an exchange because of the old rumors against Cook about plagiarism, and C. K., with his own demented sense of righteousness, can't get himself to actually say something that would mean eternal love from his daughter. With that comes a hilarious exchange that was brilliantly brought to life by the two comedians, and as someone who is not a Dane Cook fan, I will admit that he nailed it.
However, where the episode really gets its heart is from its depiction of the comedian's life, which includes a lot of time away from family. In the opening, C. K. talks to a young Lilly, sad about the fact that he won't be able to be there every step of her growth. In the present, he presents her with a gift he thinks she'll love, but he discovers that she has moved on. There's an inherent sadness to this scene that C. K. plays so beautifully, internally hating the fact that he has missed so much of her young life.
And C. K. continues to bring the laughs with him as well as the drama, seamlessly changing personas between the stand-up interludes and the actual episode. The awkwardness is completely thrown aside when he's standing on a stage and he is the most confident man in the world. But as soon as he gets thrown into real-life that changes. He tries to keep it up with his children, but even then, he can't hide the sadness that is lurking underneath. He's a great performer, and even though he doesn't think he's a good actor, this show definitely proves the contrary.
"Oh, Louie/Tickets" continues to strip away the facade of the comedian, showing him as an unhappy man trying to keep his hold on reality. It's not easy being away from your family, but it's also not worth giving up your integrity to make them happy, providing an incredibly truthful and sad depiction of comedians.
The episode starts out with a funny segment where C. K. is performing in his own sitcom, but gets too distracted by a single line to continue working on it. He then goes into a fit of rage about integrity and not sinking to the level of other shows. Whether or not this was a comment on the TV slate of the time this show aired, I'm not sure, but it felt like a nice meta-commentary from someone who had a show out like nothing else. And it also included themes of integrity, which played into the rest very nicely.
That leads into a very funny meeting between C. K. and Dane Cook, which continues to play on the theme of integrity. They can't agree on how to move ahead with an exchange because of the old rumors against Cook about plagiarism, and C. K., with his own demented sense of righteousness, can't get himself to actually say something that would mean eternal love from his daughter. With that comes a hilarious exchange that was brilliantly brought to life by the two comedians, and as someone who is not a Dane Cook fan, I will admit that he nailed it.
However, where the episode really gets its heart is from its depiction of the comedian's life, which includes a lot of time away from family. In the opening, C. K. talks to a young Lilly, sad about the fact that he won't be able to be there every step of her growth. In the present, he presents her with a gift he thinks she'll love, but he discovers that she has moved on. There's an inherent sadness to this scene that C. K. plays so beautifully, internally hating the fact that he has missed so much of her young life.
And C. K. continues to bring the laughs with him as well as the drama, seamlessly changing personas between the stand-up interludes and the actual episode. The awkwardness is completely thrown aside when he's standing on a stage and he is the most confident man in the world. But as soon as he gets thrown into real-life that changes. He tries to keep it up with his children, but even then, he can't hide the sadness that is lurking underneath. He's a great performer, and even though he doesn't think he's a good actor, this show definitely proves the contrary.
"Oh, Louie/Tickets" continues to strip away the facade of the comedian, showing him as an unhappy man trying to keep his hold on reality. It's not easy being away from your family, but it's also not worth giving up your integrity to make them happy, providing an incredibly truthful and sad depiction of comedians.
