Louie always walked a fine line between high art and everyman humor. Creator Louis C.K. is certainly more high-minded than your average comedian, but at the same time he knows not everyone is a fan of thoughtful commentary, and that includes him as well. This balance between sophistication and simplification comes well into play in “A La Carte.”
At the heart of this second episode is accepting disappointment. Whether it’s our titular character accepting he must poop his pants in public, or telling an up-and-coming comedian he wouldn’t make it or knowing he can never truly have Pamela (Pamela Adlon) all to his own, Louie (C.K.) is constantly at odds with himself and his ever hyper-thematic New York City. It’s a bit of a discombobulated episode, with no linear plotline and only this loose thread of a continuation. It still, of course, strikes a chord.
Whether Adlon is on the scene, “A La Carte” carries a heightened sense of assurance. Ever brash and forthcoming, her blunt moments towards Louie’s self-acceptance also help process his life-struggles in the most simplistic of fashions. No flashbacks—Pamela even stops him from starting one this week—and no artsy-fartsy looks at the world. Pamela has always been one to celebrate the moment, and accept what she has in the now. And while the ever-pouting Louie prefers to live in the past, he in time comes to understand that his “whatever-y sex couple thing” partner, as Pamela calls it, has a point.
What’s most interesting in “A La Carte” is how it continues the poking fun of last season’s drama. Much like how Louie came to the realization that he’s “a boring asshole now” after he confused his woes to a half-slumbered therapist last week, C.K. continues to play into his love of theatrics here by having his main character unable to appreciate a super artsy, drama-heavy foreign art film without sexual hysterics in the way. It’s comical, but it has a greater point, and that’s what so great about this eight-episode new season so far.
With season five, C.K. finally seems assured in how to balance thoughtful dramatic meditations with his oddball and occasionally lowbrow sense of humor. If the man can make one give a thoughtful commentary on him crapping his pants in the middle of the sidewalk, surely he’s accomplished this task in some shape or form. As a performer/showrunner with perhaps more freedom than anyone in television today, he lends himself both to more risks and opportunities. What’s been so gratifying about Louie so far is how C.K. has taken full advantage of this, while still willing to push himself and experiment in creative and engaging ways.
“A La Carte” is, just like last week’s “Pot Luck,” among the most breezy and assured Louie's ever been. Never too high or lowbrow, C.K. may very well have found his sweet spot. It’s hard to tell if this is most definitely the case, as future episodes this year will have to put claims to test. But C.K. is very confident as both a filmmaker and actor, and he seems more eager to please than he’s been in years. Perhaps humility is not the right word here, but it certainly feels right. One must feel some sense of morality should you start an early episode with your defecating against his control.
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