Louis C.K. made it a point to change the way we view comedy on television when he struck his deal with FX. He was on TV once before, in the form of Lucky Louie on HBO, except this time he was the man in charge. Louis C.K. writes, edits, directs, stars and chooses the music for his show Louie, grabbing the reigns from word “go” and never looking back. Tonight’s episodes will be his ninth and tenth of the currently still ongoing 4th season, and the first one serves as the finale of the six episode arc titled Elevator. Elevator has brought us new characters, such as Evanka and Louie’s current love interest, Amia. It’s brought us some new recurring characters, like Dr. Bigelow and Bobby, as well as the familiar  cast of  characters, comedians and family members alike, to guide Louie on his confusing journey. C.K. weaves multiple story lines into this season within a season: his daughter Jane’s troubles at school (who is becoming more and more like Louie; see her speech about drawing Christopher Columbus smiling), his never ending struggle with his ex-wife Janet, his new found affection for Amia, Pamela’s surprise reappearance, and a million little other things we never see buried under the surface. The heart of Elevator lies within the relationship between Amia and Louie. It’s interesting that C.K. chose this relationship to be almost entirely nonverbal: Amia does not speak English; I can’t help but think that helps Louie, who’s words have gotten him in trouble countless times in seasons past. Amia is returning back to Hungary soon, and after last week’s final scene, it looks like Louie will be anything but lucky, as Amia seems destined to fall in the long line of beau’s Louie never could court. After tonight’s Elevator, the final 5 episodes of season four weave together a three part episode titled Pamela with a two part episode titled In the Woods. With Amia leaving and Pamela clearly coming back into the picture, Louie is clearly coming towards a huge crossroads, which in the past has almost always resulted in some kind of disappointment for his character. Louie himself summed it up in perfectly in Elevator part 4, when he discussed Amia returning back to Hungary with his ex wife Janet:

“You know, Janet, people — sometimes you’re supposed to be sad. It’s okay. It’s the flip side, and it’s actually good,”

At this point, I should know better than to root for Louie, especially when the outcome is predictability bleak, but here I am, giving my favorite lovable loser one more shot. No matter the outcome, I know he won’t disappoint.

– Ryan