It's been apparent for a long while, but just so everyone's clear about it, I think "In the Woods" clearly plants "Louie" in the realm of tv drama, not comedy.
So many moments of this super long episode spoke to me. That's the great thing about Louie, he creates stories that feel realistic and speak to personal experiences and emotions and mistakes that we've all had, or come close to having. There's a tender universal relatability in this episode that reminded me of similar coming of age stories like Stand By Me.
I loved the teacher, Mr. Hoffman. So often, you run into burnt out, bitter teachers in public school. Old teachers who've simply been ground down over the years and no longer give a rat's ass about the kids. It happens way too often in America's public education system, unfortunately. But every now and then, you get one of those good ones. They might not be hip and cool and with it, but you can tell that they still like what they do, and they do form a connection to their students. They still believe in what they're doing and there's a sense of fun as well as respect in the classroom. I've certainly had a few in my life, and Mr. Hoffman happens to be one of Louie's. He's a fleshed out, believable teacher, as opposed to a patently absurd one like Robin Williams. Which makes it all the more disappointing and painful when we see how Louie betrays his trust.
But seriously, 10 scales? WTF Louie? You steal one, and nobody probably notices. But 10? Jesus Christ, young Louie was dumb.
Then there's the teacher's daughter, a shy girl who nonetheless seems to like Louie. And Louie seems like he might like her. The moment when he's walking up to her but gets dragged away by his friend before he can manage to talk to her is one of the many tiny tragedies of the episode that probably haunts Louie as an adult. What better moment to symbolize what might have been? The road not taken. Again, this is stuff that we've all gone through in life, in one form or another. Regret for the actions in our past... that's part of living life as an adult, I feel.
So many aspects of the episode rang true for me. You watch the interactions between Louie, his little dwarf friend, and the bully kid, and it feels like what actually happens to real kids. Hollywood movies and tv shows often portray school as a battle of factions, between the jocks and bullies on one side, and the nerds and loners on the other. With a strict line dividing the two. But in real life, the lines do get blurred, and bullies and the bullied can mingle and interact in a much more fluid and dynamic relationship. Someone who might've been a nemesis yesterday might just change and become a casual friend the next. School is a time of learning and growth, and part of that's learning what friendship is actually about.
Comedians are often described as astute observers of human nature, and while the show Louie itself can't really be classified as a comedy anymore, it does do a great job of showing us Louie's observations on human nature.
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