While every episode of Louie has something great to offer, it seems like the episodes with a single storyline are usually more enjoyable. “Moving” continued that tradition by earning more laughs than last week's “Bummer/Blueberries” while still eliciting the emotional reactions the series does so well. The episode also saw the return of two great recurring characters, as well as a little time with Louie's hilarious daughters.
Louie's urgent need to find a new place to live drove the episode, which started out with a playfully painful moment between him and his daughter, Jane. After she matter-of-factly explains he can't move a desk without asking mom first, Louie is driven to finally vacate what had been his – and still is to his daughters – marital home. The scene tugged at the heartstrings, but the harshness coming from such an innocent source always makes it comedic. One of the funniest aspects of their interactions is how Jane always manages to win the argument, or at least get the last word in, because Louie is left bewildered by her sheer naivety. She did it again here, nonchalantly striking a ballet pose as Louie turns away with the familiar look of disbelief.
Louie recruited his friend and fellow single parent, Pamela, who he met in the first season, to assist in his search for an apartment. Played by Pamela Adlon – who is also one of the few people other than C.K. to work on the show's production – the character's abrasiveness is her charm, and Adlon sells it well. She accompanies Louie to what has to be one of the creepiest apartments in New York (who wouldn't love a toilet in the kitchen?). Pamela would have probably been as ready to leave as Louie was, if she had also witnessed the two government agents outside abscond with one homeless man after exchanging him for another. One of the funniest moments of the episode came from her frustration with Louie and the current tenant causing her to storm out. She was killing the scene with almost all of her lines at that point, the best of which was definitely to the elderly resident after he insults her eggs: “Your wife died a year ago, so your turn is up in a statistical month.” The look shared between Louie and “Pateli” was the perfect way to cap her sudden departure.
Though he wasn't even as helpful in the apartment hunt as Pamela, Todd Barry's brief appearance garnered some chuckles. The character's only joy in life seems to come from deriding Louie; not that he seems all that happy. Harkening back to one of his first season appearances, when he drew “Not funny” on a table with an arrow pointed at Louie, Todd's cracks were charming in how completely infantile they were. The humor was increased by the jabs washing over Louie with no reaction, as well as Todd asking him to pay for the meal.
The way Louie randomly comes across his dream home while walking down the street added a serendipitous aspect to the already “too good to be true” vibe the episode was building up to with the place. Even owned by Lenny Bruce, a fellow comic and likely an idol of both the character and C.K. himself, the house was definitely meant for Louie. In another surreal moment – though this one got more of a laugh than the homeless guy swap – Louie slips into a daydream allowing the realtor to voice the thoughts running through his own head. “Your girls will be very, very happy here. Even happier than they are at their mother's house.” But of course it wouldn't be Louie if he actually got what he wanted.
Crushing his dreams in a scene that was nailing the heartbreaking hilarity C.K. does so well, was Louie's accountant. Informing him he only has seven grand in savings, brought home the harsh reality Louie had been in denial of. His stuttering responses to finding out he can't afford to buy any home, and attempts to think of something to fix it, led to a line so unexpected it had me rolling: “What about...What about Obama?” However there was some joy to be had in the resolution. Louie informs the realtor he's determined to buy the house, someday. For now though, he settles for a new coat of paint on the walls and spending some time with his daughters. It was a sweet moment to end the episode on, made more so by showing Louie has convinced them it's okay for him to make some changes to the place.
Though there were only two segments of standup, “Moving” didn't suffer a loss of comedic moments, and in fact had more than many other episodes of Louie. They still got the biggest laughs, though; especially his bemoaning about having to leave his money to his daughters when he dies, before going off on a tangent about royalty that was as equally hilarious. This episode ran through the ups and downs, as well as the moments from out of left field, that make the series so brilliant and keep fans tuning in each week.