For most families, the second biggest holiday of the year, aside from Christmas, is Mother's Day. The one time of year you have to show your mom how much she means to you, and how much it meant to you that she brought you into this world. It's a pretty big affair in the Anderson family as well, with Tommy boasting another adorable, heartfelt gift he was making for Ora, and Louie, well, he's got something big in mind too... translation: he's got zip. Speaking of which, Andy's mom calls up and tells her son she won't be able to come see him, as they took her license away. SO, Andy gets to drive up there to see HER. Oh boy. Naturally, he's anything but pleased, however she manages to guilt him into coming to pick her up. Friday was the big day, and Andy had to hit the road early as Minneapolis was 280 miles away, and Grandma Helga waits for no man. It will be a miracle if that Rambler even makes it across the state lines. It was nightfall by the time he made it, and while Helga packed, they go back and forth about how Andy's brother Eric is much more successful than he, and he's their mother's favorite, although she would be very quick to deny that. Even on the ride back to Cedar Knoll, she doesn't let Andy forget the time he accidentally broke her favorite rocking chair when accidentally tripping on Eric's trophy case. Yep, worrying about petty problems definitely runs in the Anderson family line. Speaking of problems, Ora wakes up the next morning feeling very under the weather. Without being told to do so, Louie jumped into a position of responsibility in making, or at least trying to make, breakfast. Sister Laura was no help, as usual. All the while, Louie was becoming mighty paranoid at what Tommy could possibly have up his sleeves for his Mother's Day gift. Looks like he's working on something pretty special in the basement. As he attempts to glue together a Happy Mother's Day sign with toothpicks, his selfish brother Danny tosses his baseball glove on it and tells Louie to make Mom's lunch. He can't do it because he has a game. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Louie's older siblings are completely worthless (Not his real ones, the ones in this cartoon).
Being the only one in the house who cares about his mother's wellbeing, Louie puts aside his own personal amusement and does Ora's housework so that she can stay in bed and rest, as per doctor's orders. So after being towed around the house by the vacuum cleaner (luckily this wasn't Mr. Mom or it would've chased him), Louie still can't make up his mind over what gift to get his mother, meanwhile worthless older sibling #3-Carol-comes in to tell Louie that Mom needs tissues, but she's too busy drinking soda to get them. Man, it is just mind-boggling how useless these guys are. I mean, I think that was the joke, and part of the reason why Louie Anderson's older siblings could be excluded from the series for the most part, because they contribute absolutely nothing. Why do they even exist here, other than for the sole purpose of making Louie look responsible and considerably much less lazy by comparison? Anyway, Andy and Helga come home after a very LONG car ride. Mother sends her son into the kitchen for some drinks, all while telling Louie and Tommy the famous rocking chair story. Determined to right this wrong and shut the old lady up, Andy decided to build her a new one. Louie is still hard-up for a Mother's Day gift, and Andy's suggestion of a crank shaft didn't help. Oh well, I'm sure he'll get her something really nice. In fact, I think he already has. Next morning, Louie cooks breakfast for the family, well the ones who count anyway, and suddenly, in comes Ora, good as new and well rested. That's not the only surprise; guess who else pays the Andersons a visit on this day? Good ol' Eric, the wealthy show-off. You remember Cousin Sammy from 'The Fourth Thursday in November'? He was pretty much a precursor to Eric. Naturally, jealous Andy tries to bar him from the house. I actually don't really blame him, because Eric is quite the obnoxious, mama's boy. Since it's his house, Andy gets to give Helga his present first, and she loves the rocking chair. What did Eric get her, a recliner? Nope. A new car. Um, yeah, if he was such the attentive son that he was, he would've learned Helga can't drive anymore on account of her eyes are shot. Give the new car to Andy... but oh, yeah, his Rambler is his BFF. Never mind. So, what about Ora's gifts? Louie still doesn't have a present. He tries throwing together a fruit basket, but Andy beat him to it. And here's what Tommy's been working on: A Lot's-o-Huggin' Bear. No, not the evil one from Toy Story 3, a teddy bear with arms attached to strings that can give hugs. Ain't that sweet. Eat your heart out, Hallmark. Then, Louie sadly comes clean about having no present, but he is informed that he gave Ora the best present of all: allowing her to rest and taking care of the house. So, all in all, Mother's Day was a success, and to celebrate, they all go for a drive in the new car Eric gave Helga, oh, and he's getting her corrective eye surgery too. Regardless, she loves her boys equally, so it worked out for everyone.
This is the series finale of Life With Louie, and it felt like it was the closing episode, as it ends with the family driving off into the sunset. However, I think the show might have been canceled because it was around this time that Saturday morning cartoons like Life With Louie were becoming extinct. The kids all wanted action, things blowing up, Japanese pocket monsters, robots fighting aliens. They didn't want to be educated, they wanted to see stuff blow up. Even during its initial run, Louie had some stiff competition from X-Men and Spider-Man, people in costumes fighting, no room for good old fashioned values. Though, maybe it's for the best that the series ended when it did, because Season 3 is undoubtedly the weakest season, as episodes were practically no longer based off Louie Anderson's material and were original situations fabricated for the series. In other words, the show became very far-fetched at this point. But, in retrospect, Life With Louie was a very good show, and it's a shame most people have forgotten about it. It needs to be seen by future generations, which is why I hope one of these days Louie Anderson will release the series on DVD or stream them from his web site. I'm sure the show means a lot to him and he put a great deal of work into it. So, in closing, I do recommend Project: Mother's Day, an episode with a very strong message and a terrific example to follow, and I especially recommend the whole series of Life With Louie: low-key, simple, didn't try to be more than it was.
Being the only one in the house who cares about his mother's wellbeing, Louie puts aside his own personal amusement and does Ora's housework so that she can stay in bed and rest, as per doctor's orders. So after being towed around the house by the vacuum cleaner (luckily this wasn't Mr. Mom or it would've chased him), Louie still can't make up his mind over what gift to get his mother, meanwhile worthless older sibling #3-Carol-comes in to tell Louie that Mom needs tissues, but she's too busy drinking soda to get them. Man, it is just mind-boggling how useless these guys are. I mean, I think that was the joke, and part of the reason why Louie Anderson's older siblings could be excluded from the series for the most part, because they contribute absolutely nothing. Why do they even exist here, other than for the sole purpose of making Louie look responsible and considerably much less lazy by comparison? Anyway, Andy and Helga come home after a very LONG car ride. Mother sends her son into the kitchen for some drinks, all while telling Louie and Tommy the famous rocking chair story. Determined to right this wrong and shut the old lady up, Andy decided to build her a new one. Louie is still hard-up for a Mother's Day gift, and Andy's suggestion of a crank shaft didn't help. Oh well, I'm sure he'll get her something really nice. In fact, I think he already has. Next morning, Louie cooks breakfast for the family, well the ones who count anyway, and suddenly, in comes Ora, good as new and well rested. That's not the only surprise; guess who else pays the Andersons a visit on this day? Good ol' Eric, the wealthy show-off. You remember Cousin Sammy from 'The Fourth Thursday in November'? He was pretty much a precursor to Eric. Naturally, jealous Andy tries to bar him from the house. I actually don't really blame him, because Eric is quite the obnoxious, mama's boy. Since it's his house, Andy gets to give Helga his present first, and she loves the rocking chair. What did Eric get her, a recliner? Nope. A new car. Um, yeah, if he was such the attentive son that he was, he would've learned Helga can't drive anymore on account of her eyes are shot. Give the new car to Andy... but oh, yeah, his Rambler is his BFF. Never mind. So, what about Ora's gifts? Louie still doesn't have a present. He tries throwing together a fruit basket, but Andy beat him to it. And here's what Tommy's been working on: A Lot's-o-Huggin' Bear. No, not the evil one from Toy Story 3, a teddy bear with arms attached to strings that can give hugs. Ain't that sweet. Eat your heart out, Hallmark. Then, Louie sadly comes clean about having no present, but he is informed that he gave Ora the best present of all: allowing her to rest and taking care of the house. So, all in all, Mother's Day was a success, and to celebrate, they all go for a drive in the new car Eric gave Helga, oh, and he's getting her corrective eye surgery too. Regardless, she loves her boys equally, so it worked out for everyone.
This is the series finale of Life With Louie, and it felt like it was the closing episode, as it ends with the family driving off into the sunset. However, I think the show might have been canceled because it was around this time that Saturday morning cartoons like Life With Louie were becoming extinct. The kids all wanted action, things blowing up, Japanese pocket monsters, robots fighting aliens. They didn't want to be educated, they wanted to see stuff blow up. Even during its initial run, Louie had some stiff competition from X-Men and Spider-Man, people in costumes fighting, no room for good old fashioned values. Though, maybe it's for the best that the series ended when it did, because Season 3 is undoubtedly the weakest season, as episodes were practically no longer based off Louie Anderson's material and were original situations fabricated for the series. In other words, the show became very far-fetched at this point. But, in retrospect, Life With Louie was a very good show, and it's a shame most people have forgotten about it. It needs to be seen by future generations, which is why I hope one of these days Louie Anderson will release the series on DVD or stream them from his web site. I'm sure the show means a lot to him and he put a great deal of work into it. So, in closing, I do recommend Project: Mother's Day, an episode with a very strong message and a terrific example to follow, and I especially recommend the whole series of Life With Louie: low-key, simple, didn't try to be more than it was.