After last week’s stellar episode storyline, I was a little disappointed by the seemingly lackluster entry. This was saved by a last-minute twist connecting the week’s two disjointed stories. Part 1 of the episode deals with Louie having to host an open mic night, which again has a surprising lack of laughs. We meet Bart Folding, a young man who asks Louie to criticize his actions, to which Louie reluctantly agrees. What follows is a really uncomfortable standup section that involves peeing and spanking with a really understated punchline. The next dinner Louie shares with him is not far better, in fact just as awkward as a standup, and Bart forces Louie to come out and say that he does not see a future in the business for him. This leads Bart to declare that he will die first before surrendering, which leads Louie to half-heartedly tell the child to maybe try making a funny noise.
Then we get to the next chapter, which finds Pam and Louie going to a really strange French movie involving a lady who gets yelled at by a male colleague off screen. I enjoyed Louie opening up to Pam about why he loves going to foreign museums and films, because he feels like he is getting a taste of the culture he is missing by never going to college. This leads to what appears to be a flashback to Louie in third grade, but as soon as it starts, we cut back to Pam telling Louie she does not want to hear it. That moment perfectly encapsulates this episode; it is all a few false start. When we see Louie talking to Bart, we expect him to take the child under his wing and help him with his act. Even the chill opening about Louie finding a toilet to be number 2 in public restrooms, a few times we have incidents that should lead to some sort of plot point but every time it closes and we keep moving forward.
Later in the episode, Louie weakly asks Pam to move in with him after the “kind” relationship they have been in since Season 4. Of course, he somehow gets Louie to agree that it is best for them to keep doing what they’re doing. do it, so they can both be free and have fun (“it’s scary that spoils the fun. And I love fun.”). We ended the episode with Pam and Louie enjoying their sleepover, as Bart Folding ended tonight’s show by doing the same thing from the previous segment, but this time in a hilarious voice that elicited thunderous applause and laughter.
This last minute addition to “A La Carte” was the saving grace of an episode that felt too disjointed and without major laughs. There was plenty of potential and that I can appreciate that they tried to use a tone you do not generally get from network comedies, but the episodes never lived up to anything that could have been aspired to. Here’s hoping Louie can make a better episode next week, maybe try doing it in a funny voice.
B-
