FX's Louie - Episode 4.11 "In the Woods"
Louie remembers his past.
So, I really liked this special 90-minute episode of Louie. And yet, I'm having difficulty really articulating what about it really worked. It's essentially "A Very Special Episode of Louie." He's showcasing how a young kid's life can completely change for the worse because of drugs. Because don't do drugs kids! That's the motto from the '80s which appears to be the background period of the young Louie's life.And yet, there's two very distinct narratives throughout "In the Woods" and two very different takes on drug use. The episode opens with Louie catching Lilly smoking some pot for the very first time. It's this moment in life that makes him very reflective of the past. It's in the past that we get this very elaborate tale of self-destruction. Louie is a smart and friendly teenager. But we just watch as he gets his first taste of marijuana and then becomes addicted to it and then searching for an opportunity to get more and more of it. And he just wants it to smoke and share with two friends. He's digging up some real life consequences. Things are slowly spiraling out of control. We watch and realize how bad he is missing up his own life but can't do anything to get him out of this spiral. He ultimately doesn't face any off those consequences but he has the fear struck into him. He's so afraid of everything in his life. He can't replace the scales. His two best friends are gone. His father literally doesn't care and his mother is fed up. But then, he gets away with everything. The social worker is fine just calling it as him acting out after his parents' divorce. That doesn't explain things at all and Louie recognizes that. Sometimes people are just willing to give an explanation just in order to move on in life. But Louie ultimately does own up to what he did to Mr. Hoffman. He's a pretty cool science teacher who stuck his neck out for Louie when he was accused of stealing the scales. All Louie can do to face his actions and apologize and he can't even stick around to see how his teacher will react. It's all very disappointing but those are the stakes of this story.
And then, there's grown up Louie's issues with Lily. She's slowly getting older and thusly getting into her teenage years where she won't likely be as dependent on her parents. She's 12 now - a year younger than when Louie first tried pot. She's growing up but she's still very confident with calling Louie 'daddy.' And Louie has no clue what to do with her. It's the simple take on this story. He catches her. She denies it. He makes her some food. And the only real discussion they have is when he says he loves her and they hug. He's supportive and there for her. It's a very Louie take on the story. When the biggest moments can have the simplest solutions.
So a wonderful episode that I found difficult to respond towards. What did everyone think of it?
Some more thoughts:
- "In the Woods" was written and directed by Louis C.K.
- So many great guest stars. Jeremy Renner! F. Murray Abraham! Amy Landecker! Skipp Suduth! But those teen actors carried this extended episode wonderfully well.
- It's interesting how the episode is titled "In the Woods" and yet so little time is actually spent there. It's where Louie retreats to once his whole live has caved in. But then, he's able to return to life without any big repercussions.
