LOUIE - "Subway/Pamela"

Last night's episode of LOUIE was, oddly, one of the most romantic things I've seen in a long time. But only in the way that this show could be romantic, which means undercutting it with a healthy dose of pain and rejection. This is, after all, still LOUIE.

The episode started with a lovely little vignette that showed New York City in all it's beautiful, disgusting glory (something this show does often and well), setting the tone for the entire episode. A man in a tux plays his violin in the subway station, moving Louie almost to tears-- but any enjoyment is soon obliterated by the fat, homeless man taking a hobo shower right behind him. Perfect moments don't exist in Louie's world.

Once on the subway, Louie fantasizes about cleaning up a puddle of liquid on a subway seat everyone is staring at, becoming a hero to his fellow passengers. These are the types of fantasies I think everyone can relate to having on a day-to-day basis. Not grand gestures, just little things. But we don't do them, because what if no one noticed? Then you're just the asshole with a wet sweater. It's a common theme in Louis CK's stand-up, the desire to be better than you are, and this may have been the best manifestation of those themes on the show to date.

This led into Louie's "date" with Pamela and one of the most remarkable moments this great show has achieved so far. After a lunch filled with conversations about Pamela's asshole and perfect soup (yes, you read that right), the two take a stroll through a flea market and Louie begs Pamela to get the chance to express his feelings for her. The following speech is, in a word, perfect. And I don't mean perfectly eloquent or perfectly delivered, it is quite imperfect in both those respects. But that's exactly why it feels so right, because it feels real and raw. Pamela's inability to reciprocate those feelings actually makes it more perfect, because romantic speeches don't solve everything. It's a bummer, and I couldn't help but want her to tell Louie she's loved him all along, too. But that's not this show, and it would've felt totally wrong.

The episode ends with a bit of a cruel joke, naturally. Louie leaves Pamela's apartment, only realizing once he's left that she offered for him to take a bath in between offers of food and drink. When he calls to make sure he heard right, she informs him he did but that the offer is rescinded. So Louie leaves, frustrated and dejected. I'm not sure where this leaves Pamela and Louie, but I know that I can't wait to see her pop up in the future and break Louie's heart all over again.

Grade: A

RANDOM THOUGHTS
- Pamela Adlon is perfect in this episode. I know I've used that word a lot, but, dammit, I don't know what else to say. She's funny and vulgar and sexy and mean but somehow still totally likable.

- "The constant flow of penises into your asshole just tapered off?" "Yeah, just died out"

- "Kick a Jesus in the face, this is delicious"

- "I can't wait to eat the shit I take from eating this"

- Pamela's response to that last line was so sweet.

- "I went on a Ferris Wheel one time, and I screamed like a little girl who just saw a spider in her vagina"