Louie recap: Season 1, episode 11 "God" (8/31/10)
Our hero enters a shabby public restroom. He spots a glory hole with the word "heaven" written beside it. He chuckles, shaking his head. Another man enters, notices the hole, and approaches it. Louie is incredulous. "You gotta have faith," the guy says, pleasantly.
LOUIE - It there is a God, he's an a**hole.
This is his theory. Our Lord is always bothering people, like Abraham, for example. Ordering him to kill his son and then acting all shocked when he's about to go through with it.
LOUIE - God is like a sh*tty girlfriend.
Flashback to 1977. Young Louie is in Catholic school. He and his pudgy friend snicker in the back of the class.
NUN - Who is amused at the suffering of Christ?
She hatches a plan to stifle their rabble-rousing once and for all. The next day, the class meets in the church. And who should walk in but go-to-creepazoid Tom Noonan? Tom, playing a doctor, makes it his mission to detail the suffering of Jesus (a la The Passion of the Christ) to the youngsters via demonstration on Louie and his pudgy friend. He places a mallet in Louie's hand and demands he drive a nail into his friend's hand.
DOCTOR - Do it. Do it. You do it to him (J.C.) with your sins every day.
Louie, of course, cannot. In an instant, the doctor leaves. Mission accomplished. Louie is scarred. That night, he tosses in his sleep, tormented by nightmares. He wakes, grabs a pair of pliers, and runs to the church, prying the nails from the statue of Jesus and removing the crown of thorns.
The next day, the nun consults Louie's mother. The church does not approve of young Louie's actions, but will not pursue legal action due to his age. In the car, Louie explodes in guilt. His mother is shocked to learn that her son believes he killed Jesus.
MOM - You had nothing to do with it. You were nowhere near the place.
Does she believe in this Jesus guy?
MOM - He was a very nice man who lived a very long time ago.
Is there a God?
MOM - You have to be good to people whether there is or there isn't.
Flash forward to present day. Louie muses on the vastly varied repercussions accompanying subtle variations of the phrase "Jesus Christ."
LOUIE - 'Thou shalt not rape' is not in the top Ten Commandments, but saying this dude's name with a sh*tty inflection, that does it.
What did people utter before "Jesus Christ," Louie wonders. Like the people watching Jesus getting crucified. What did they say?
LOUIE - That... that is bananas.
Definitely the most disturbing and laugh-free (barring standup) episode yet, but great nonetheless. Honest, unexpected, and full of pathos, Louie is unlike anything on television today. And that's a good thing.
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