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Woody Allen

Louie – Season 4 Review

by Peter Foy

Louie-Season-4-Portable

Ever since Breaking Bad ended last fall, it’s been a hot-button issue among TV heads to ask what the best show on television currently is. Alright, so this is frequently discussed no matter what the television climate, but Breaking Bad’s premiere turned out to be somewhat prophetic, as it aired during the near end of The Wire’s final season. Therefore it would only feel systematic that another show would crop up around now that could take on the title of torch-bearer. Many will say Game of Thrones is, as its most ardent fans will make a case that besides the unbelievable scale of its production values, it carries a mythology and story to it that truly makes it masterful. Those less inclined to fantasy, however, might argue that Orange is the New Black is a valid contender, having just released it’s excellent second season all in its entirety, and shown viewers that the series isn’t afraid to shake up formula from time-to-time. Others would also point out that True Detective’s freshman year was both stellar and unique for the TV landscape, and it will be intriguing to see how it will make its mark on anthology-format shows.

Still, as great as all these shows are, there’s one ostensible factor that causes them to automatically jump to the top of people’s must-see lists: They’re all hour-long dramas. Keeping that in mind, that’s probably a good reason why FX’s Louie isn’t brought up as much it should be, in regards to discussions of contemporary television’s most elite. We still live in an age where the dramatic is considered more prestigious and weighty than the comedic, but that’s why my personal choice for “best-show” on television is so relishable. Not only does Louie flip that distinction on it’s head, but it also finds humor in the melancholic, and vice versa. It’s the type of film-making and writing you usually find in independent and foreign cinema, certainly not for a show on cable, but Louie is just the sort of bitter-sweet stroke of brilliance that television has just never aired before-hand, and in its fourth year the show has only gotten better with age.

Charles-Grodin-in-Louie-Season-4-Episode-1

Ever since the show premiered back in 2010, much consideration has been giving to how much the series resembles Woody Allen, and I don’t think there’s still any reason to argue with such. With it’s “New-York-for-New-Yorkers”-vibe, jazzy soundtrack, and musings on philosophy, Louis C.K. is every bit the heir to the king of neuroticism (only with more dick jokes), and in a sense the show is funniest when it is at its most derivative. Episodes like “Model” and the six-part “The Elevator”, adopted a format that was almost European, coming off as both whimsical and dreary, but Louie never lost his own voice, with his singular comic timing, and relatable sad-sack stories. Still, the show also plays as something of a satire for city life, with this season opening with a hilarious scenario, that involves Louis C.K. trying to explain an unfunny joke to a stereo-typical working-class New Yorker. Better still, the show remained as intellectual as ever, with some of the season’s  best lines coming from new-comer Charles Grodin as Louie’s new doctor. Replacing Ricky Gervais’ cheerfully sadistic Dr. Ben from previous seasons, Dr. Bigelow proved to be an even more hilarious allegory for Louie’s personal woes, giving him advice both sound yet abstract (“Know what’s the only thing happier than a three-legged dog? A four-legged dog.”) fittingly for his dead-pan stance.

Still, the most impressive moments in Louie come from those that stem from Louis C.K.’s personal experience. One of the most endearing running gags for Louie is how his character is always so eager to meet and elope with beautiful women, but his un-attractive body type and neurotic sensibilities usually keep his success rate low. For this reason, this season’s third episode, “So Did the Fat Lady”, came off as particularly memorable, as it involves an overweight girl (played by Sarah Baker) showing strong interest in romantically pursuing Louie, yet he shrugs her off. When the episode climaxes with a torrential outburst from Baker’s character (complete with what I think is the first case of “fuck” being uncensored on FX) about her life long struggle with being a “fat girl”, then you realize that this season has entered a whole new realm of provocation previously unexplored by the series.

Louis C.K. as Louie.

 

Even more impressive though, comes in the season’s mega-episode “In the Woods” which looks at Louie’s formative years as a teen. Delivered with virtually no laughs, and running at 90 minutes with commercials, this episode takes a sentimental look at youth, exploring Louie’s problems with his parents, peers, and marijuana (in real life, Louis C.K. had said that he had dabbled with even stronger drugs than pot), all while being a good student, and narrowly escaping a prosecution. While the show has always been so affable for how it’s been able to tell thoughtful and satisfying stories in brief increments, you can tell that this very personal episode necessitated having a feature-length running time to it. Topped with  guest appearances from the likes of Skipp Sudduth and Jeremy Renner, it was the season’s biggest surprise, and the fact that it ended with a dedication to Philip Seymour Hoffman (who was supposed to have a role in the episode as well) made it all the more heart-felt. This might very well be the show’s finest hour to date.

Honestly, I could just go-on-and-on about how special this season was. To the guest appearances of Louie’s comedy pals Sarah Silverman and Todd Barry, to the growing chemistry that he has with his children, to the three-part concluding arc that ends on a note between Louie and his love interest Pamela that verges on the serene, this is what all comedic television should aspire to. Throughout it’s run, people have compared Louie to previous off-beat comedies such as Seinfeld, or Curb Your Enthusiasm, or The Office. Louie may very well have garnered plenty of influence from those series, but by now it’s amassed an identity far more transcendent. If anything, I would compare Louie to shows like The Sopranos, The Wire, and Breaking Bad, not just because they are in vogue, but because they’re all series that have broke out of any genre base they might have had, and formed into something far more qualitative.

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Filed Under: ENTERTAINMENT, TELEVISION Tagged With: Dramedy, Jeremy Renner, Louis C.K., television, Woody Allen

Philip Seymour Hoffman Proves Heartache of Stigmas

by Blair Kaplan

Credit: raindance.org
Credit: raindance.org

 

Our movies are filled with violence; our songs are filled with sexual innuendo; our television shows with mindless drama and endless materialism. We have no problem watching shows such as The Jersey Shore where topics ranging from one night stands to STIs flow like the amount of alcohol we see on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (or any Real Housewives franchise for that matter). Yet in an age and in a country where very little is taboo, there are still things we choose not to talk about. And the lack of conversation and exposure to these topics continues to hinder the progression of our society.

The death of actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, is an unfortunate example of the cost of our silence. Hoffman’s death at only forty-six years of age on Sunday February 2nd appeared both unexpected and devastating. But for those who personally knew the actor, it was the tragic culmination of a lifetime struggle. A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Hoffman won an Academy Award for his role in the acclaimed movie, Capote. After struggling with drug use in his youth, he relapsed at the end of 2012 after 23 years clean, seeking treatment for ten days in May 2013. Hoffman’s longtime partner and mother of his three young children, Mimi O’Donnell, was said to be both shocked and inconsolable when she learned of the actor’s untimely passing, as she had still believed him to be in recovery. Hoffman was found by a friend in the bathtub of his New York City apartment with a hypodermic needle sticking out of his arm.

According to Tracey Helton Mitchell, a recovering heroin addict and author of the soon to be published book, Black Tar Heroin and Beyond, “the underlying cause to the use can be nearly as painful as the use itself…The lifetime commitment to abstinence from drugs is what kills many people. When they have cravings to use, the stigma attached to heroin use forces them to deal or not deal with their affliction in private. If we were courageous enough to try to conquer our insatiable desire for heroin, we feel weak telling another person that we feel like using is once again a viable option,” she wrote in a special article for CNN.

Often it is common for addiction to co-occur with mood disorders such as depression or anxiety. But the stigma attached to mental health disorders and treatment makes it difficult for those dealing with such issues to seek treatment rather than using or self-harming.

Unfortunately Hoffman is not the only celebrity to recently succumb to his drug addiction. Actor Corey Monteith, best known for his role as Finn on the Fox hit, Glee, died on July 13, 2013 at the age of 31 from a heroin and alcohol overdose. Hoffman and Monteith are among countless other talents gone too soon. And although the media loves to sensationalize most issues involving celebrities, addiction is something very real that affects millions of “every day” people. Regardless of whether you believe that addiction is a medical illness or a self-inflicted harm, it cannot be denied that it is a topic often looked down upon and difficult to talk about. After all, those fighting to overcome addiction need to want to get better in order to be successful. But there seems to be a level of shame attached to addiction, unlike physical ailments such as diabetes or high cholesterol, which doesn’t allow for those struggling with it to speak as openly about their problem. The problem becomes worse when we cannot begin an open and honest dialogue where that shame is left at the door.

Addiction is not the only topic in our society that is repeatedly stigmatized. Dylan Farrow, the adopted daughter of Woody Allen, is another example of an individual at the forefront of media attention this week, for the struggle she faced in private. Dylan, who now lives in Florida under a different name, wrote an open letter featured on The New York Times after Allen was recently awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award at the 71st Annual Golden Globes. In the op-ed Dylan speaks for the first time about the alleged sexual abuse that took place at the hands of Allen when Dylan was just seven years old. Allen vehemently denied the allegations at the time and continues to deny them now, claiming that Dylan’s mother, Mia Farrow, placed the horrific memory in Dylan’s mind as part of their contentious split and subsequent custody battle. Despite findings of probable cause by the state of Connecticut, Allen was never charged or convicted of any crime, as the prosecutor felt that Dylan was too fragile.

“That he got away with what he did to me haunted me as I grew up. I was stricken with guilt that I had allowed him to be near other little girls. I was terrified of being touched by men. I developed an eating disorder. I began cutting myself. That torment was made worse by Hollywood. All but a precious few (my heroes) turned a blind eye. Most found it easier to accept the ambiguity, to say, ‘who can say what happened,’ to pretend that nothing was wrong. Actors praised him at awards shows. Networks put him on TV. Critics put him in magazines. Each time I saw my abuser’s face – on a poster, on a t-shirt, on television – I could only hide my panic until I found a place to be alone and fall apart.”

Dylan says that her reason for going public with her side of the story is to encourage others – those with fears of coming forward or being called a liar – not to remain silent.

While we live in a country in which Woody Allen is innocent until proven guilty, it’s extremely disheartening that the claims of a seven-year-old child were subdued by the roaring power of the entertainment industry. It often happens that the victim who decides to speak up, does so only to be re-victimized by those who should be supportive.

Similar to addiction, we tend to sweep the discussion of sexual abuse and child molestation under the rug. And although it’s certainly not the type of thing we find easy to detail as a society, it is so important not only in the treatment of those who have experienced such awful, life-changing events, but in the prevention of those same events as well.

Though the subjects of mental illness, addiction, and sexual abuse are difficult to talk about, if we can begin the tough discussions of these topics, the discussion will eventually get easier and we have the capability of changing lives for the better. And lets be honest: there is absolutely nothing shameful about that.

Filed Under: OPINION Tagged With: addiction, child molestation, drug, Dylan Farrow, heroin, Mia Farrow, overdose, Philip Seymour Hoffman, sexual abuse, stigma, Woody Allen

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