Louie (TV Series) New Year's Eve (2012) User Reviews

Translation

[avecverve · 9/10 · 11 October 2013]

To help my fellow viewers, here are translations of some of the Mandarin spoken in the episode as well as background info:

1. The English name for the river is "Yangtze". That name, phonetically translated (which is how nearly all Chinese names are translated into English) back into Chinese, is the ancient name of the river. In fact, most Chinese people are not familiar with that name. Instead, the much more common name for the river is "Chong Jiong" (literally, "long river"). Therefore, as Louis walked around Beijing looking for "Yangtze", is it any wonder no one knew what he was asking for?

2. Asking for Yangtze in Beijing is like asking for the Mississippi in Manhattan, geographically. The Yangtze is at the opposite end of China from Beijing. In fact, "Beijing" literally means "northern capital"; and Yangtze, an east-west river, passes through "Nanjing", which literally means "southern capital".......

3. The duck farmer thought Louis wanted to see a "creek" and brought him to see a "creek".

4. Man One asked Louis what was his nationality. Man Two asked him what country he was from; America, England, or France.

5. Man Two told Louis to visit Beijing often and to come to his home as a guest.

6. Louis' tone when repeating that Mandarin phrase was nearly perfect!

New Year's Eve

[lassegalsgaard · 10/10 · 8 July 2023]

Why is it that we love watching someone go through the worst life imaginable? I don't think there has ever been an episode of this show that would have made me feel like Louie actually had a life that was in any way better than my own. However, at the same time, I don't feel like he's doing worse. He has two great kids. He has a job that may not give him exactly what he wants out of life, but at least he likes it. In summary, he has everything that he needs to have to be happy. Right? Well, Louie is a man who doesn't want a lot in life, but he has always been plagued by this incredible loneliness, which has been a big issue for him ever since the first episode where he tried to get back into dating. That has then become a common theme throughout the show and it has lead him to this point in his life where he really doesn't have anything. He's not able to get anything that he wants, and even when it seems like something is knocking on his door, it still finds a way to get swept underway. That's why this episode felt like such a nice breath of fresh air; not because it did something to put Louie on a different path, but because it ended the season on a positive note that may be over as soon as he returns to his daily life, but the moment is worth so much.

What would an episode of "Louie" be without a midlife crisis. He's been having one throughout the show, but in this episode, it really seems like he's coming to terms with the idea that life is passing him by. Even a moment of peace with his daughters can't be peaceful to him because of all these other thoughts in his head. In the end, he simply wants to be in bed and not focus on anything. It's clear signs of depression to anyone but Louie who makes the ultimate decision to try and get some inner peace of the mind.

Before that, it finds a way to push the knife into Louie's back a little more. He meets Liz again, very randomly on a train... and then she dies. Not really a moment that anyone would have expected, but in hindsight, it seems like a perfect moment for "Louie." And it's very sad, because it really means that Louie can't have anything that he likes, as it will literally die. It's also very funny, because it's handled with such showmanship as in classic "Louie" fashion, he's so weirded out by the situation, that he seems confused about how to feel.

It then leads to a third act that takes place in China, that's all about Louie finding some inner peace. And while it's weird to see him out of his comfort zone like this at first, it suddenly makes sense, also thinking back to "Duckling" in season two, which was essentially an episode of pure character development for Louie. That isn't the same here, but it certainly feels like it's mirroring it. He feels more happy when he's surrounded by people that he doesn't know, which leads to a very sweet and heartwarming final scene up in the Chinese mountains.

As usual, Louis C. K. is just a revelation in this show. I'm constantly surprised by his abilities, because he's constantly tearing himself down. He's great, and on this show, he's free to do whatever he wants, which opens the door for him to have a moment like this at the end, where his demeanor completely changes. For once, he seems genuinely happy, almost like he did while he was performing the show in the last episode. Hopefully, this signals happier times for Louie coming up, but knowing C. K. and his show, this is probably a fleeting moment at best.

"New Year's Eve" is another great finale for this show, that ends it all on a happy note, which feels very deserved and very earned. The episode is a great visualization of Louie's mind and the fact that he can't have anything that makes him happy, which makes the ending so much more effective.

Fantastic end to a fantastic season

[Red_Identity · 13 October 2012]

Louie has turned into something really special. The show has dealt with Louie's loneliness before, and there can be arguments made that he's going over the same material. But is everything in real life new? Even though we ponder over problems we have, does that mean they go away? Louie isn't the same comedy it was in its first season, and it's been clear for some time now. New Years Eve is a fantastic finish to a fantastic season, but that doesn't mean the season was perfect. It hit a few rough spots around the middle, and I personally wasn't a huge fan of the three-parter Late Show, although I loved it infusing Lynchian style and humor. Saying that however, once again looking at the overall season, it's yet again a carefully crafted, meticulous chapter in this amazing series. It's going to be hard to wait more than a year for it to come back, because I just started watching it two months ago on Netflix and finally have concluded it for now.

Last episode - Liz - spoiler

[Hut_Syndrom · 7/10 · 19 February 2015]

I heard about Louis CK for quite a while ago but I only started to watch the show recently. From the first moment I knew that this will be one of these shows that will me regret that I never really lived in NYC, later I was surprised to discover a sensitive, moving and smart show that is lead by a someone who really knows what he is doing. As a spectator and as a filmmaker I am so inspired by so many aspects in the show. One of my favorite moments in this season and perhaps in the whole show was Daddy's girlfriend. Why I liked it so much? from the same reason I liked Before sunrise of Linklater. This human fantasy of meeting this person and spend with this one night experience that feels like it will change your life for now on. Louis CK did it in such a sincere and sensitive way that does not fall into cliché and finished it in a bittersweet away. When we see again Liz in the closing episode of the 3rd season we don't get to see her enough. I mean yeah, that's life and they suck. They don't care if you got your moment or not, they are just are and you have got to accept it. But CK manipulated and bends reality in favor of dramatization, than why couldn't he give us 1 more minute with her? Which will make the tragic end feel like a punch in stomach as it should have? Then the Beijing sequence would have been much more justified. Like breathing after suffocating from sadness. I read some reviews about this season that criticized the uneven quality of the seasons episodes. And to be honest, yeah there were some episodes that were more forgettable than others but as I said before – this is life, and they were not engineered to our selfish need to see everything as our big journey in the universe. But I will miss this one tiny moment that should have been longer. Whatever if it was in the ambulance, hospital anywhere, He could have shown it if he wanted to but he instead accelerated the whole this as like he didn't want to integrate Liz in the show.

But I love you CK, Thank you so much for everything you do.

Louie New Year's Eve

[dalydj-918-255175 · 28 September 2012]

It's Christmas and while the girls are opening their presents we the length's Louie will go through to make his daughters happy even cutting the doll in half to make her just perfect. The way he fixes the doll almost seems OCD to me. Then we hear the story of Ping the duck and his many family members. His ex-wife then appears at the door to take his daughters on a trip aboard which means he will be all alone till January 14th. We then get to see Louie's sister Debbie (Amy Poehler) who invites him to Mexio with her family. Louie had a dream where we see 20 year old Jane and Lily talking about how there dad is always alone. When Louie decides to go on a trip he runs into Liz who is then taken away in an ambulance because she may be dying. She then says bye to Louie which is so sad as it is her last words and Louie was there to probably watch the love of his life die but at the same time of this sadness the hospital staff is celebrating new year's eve. After Louie wakes up in the airport he skips the trip to Mexio and instead follows his heart to China looking for the River from the children's story. When he gets some help from a man with ducks in his truck he is taken to a river which is not much for a river. When walking around he is taken into a Chinese restaurant. This episode was very well made with the direction top notch how it mixed into the music it almost felt like I was watching a movie by one of our best film director's working today. Great to see Amy as Louie's sister which makes me hope she can come on the show again and again. Also sad to see Parker's arc end with the death of her character because she was so great in her episodes this year. The third season maybe not as good as season 2 but the last couple of episodes especially the arc of Late Show.

EPISODE GRADE: A- (MVP: Louis C.K.)

Season 3: Has moments but is below the high standard of the previous seasons

[bob the moo · 10 November 2012]

There is little I don't like about Louis CK; the last two seasons of this show were great and his friendly and direct way in which he sells his products is really a model that others should consider. This season returns him to the screens with a lot of critical praise and I was looking forward to it. On the whole the show did deliver what I was used to, which was mini-stories of weirdness, tragedy and the occasional actual joke, but for some reason this season just didn't seem to work quite as well for me as the previous ones.

The season has some very good episodes where the characters are compelling, the acting is strong and the episode is quite engaging. Examples are the Late Show thread, which I really enjoyed because it produced quite a battle within Louie as well as having good guest stars. The particular high-point was the main episode with Parker Posey, it worked because the characters were so vividly created and delivered and there was real heart behind the excess of the actual events. On the flipside of that the episode in Florida was colourful and upbeat but all came down to rather one awkward point which it could have made just as well with half of the episode given over to it. There are several other episodes where the scenarios didn't work for me and it was more than one or two.

The performances throughout are all good though and in many cases the weaker, less interesting/funny/engaging/compelling (whatever way it is) scenarios are mostly helped by this. Louis CK himself is strong at the core of the show and I like his awkwardness, his sense of fatigue and the like – it isn't like he things he is always right and society is always wrong, it is often that he can't make sense of things and wishes it was all just easier or would go away; depressingly I find that relatable. In this season the relationship with his kids worked very well and I liked his chemistry with Delany and Parker, both of whom were really good throughout. The addition of Susan Kelechi Watson as Louie's ex is a good one in that she gives a natural performance but also her race is a non-issue in a rather pleasant way. Of the guest stars F Abraham Murray and David Lynch are great for color but like I said, it was Parker Posey who really commanded her episode totally.

This third season is a little disappointing though. It lacks the consistency of the previous two and while a lot of it does work, a lot of it simply doesn't have too much behind it and makes for rather dull or flat viewing. There is enough to make me glad I watched it and come back for any fourth season, but it does feel like it is a little off target and it only exceeds the previous seasons in terms of the number of famous guests it has in it.