The “Elevator” series is a brilliantly crafted six-episode arc about ideas of loneliness, love, disappointment, and the Miami Heat perishing in Hurricane Jasmine Forsythe, and it concludes with an emotional and beautifully directed episode that transitions into the final arc of the season.
“A small bird died today from sadness. It was six years old.”
At first, it comes across as a funny one-liner to end the episode with, but we slowly realize that it’s Louie–and this elevator arc as a whole–in a nutshell: it’s the story of a sad man, a small man, someone who seems to be losing himself in a surreal environment.
The interesting thing about the character of Louie is that, for all his troubles with women, he’s constantly talking to them, constantly living in a world surrounded by them. Whether we’re talking about his daughters or his mini flings or his blasts from the past, we see a man who essentially constructs a barrier of his own doing, one between him and the very women he interacts with.
“Look, if you were over there, looking at us, what you’d see is that we’re a perfect match.”
There’s always been an emotional truth to Louie, an honesty that’s truly a marvel to watch unfold; CK is a masterful writer, whether it be for a cringe-worthy comedic scene or a serious, genuine conversation like the one we get at the end of “So Did the Fat Lady”, and here, he continues to craft what is looking like an excellent season.
“Lots of stuff happens after you die. It’s just that none of it includes you.”
Louie has always been a simultaneously hilarious and a bit depressing, portraying a man pretty much just living his life, performing sets at the Comedy Cellar and taking care of his daughters and dealing with his myriad problems. In the fourth season premiere, it’s all about age, and from the show’s simplicity comes some rich, compelling television.
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