Louis CK is brilliant

I realize the episode of Louie, entitled 'Duckling', where he visits Afghanistan on a USO Tour aired last week but unfortunately I fell asleep right after Community last week and missed it. I did get to watch it last night and felt compelled to write about it today.

I realize that praise and positivity aren't exactly in my wheelhouse but I was completely blown away by this episode. If you don't watch Louie, 1.I feel sorry for you, and 2.The episode starts out with Louie picking his daughters up from school and being told he has to watch the class pets, four baby ducks, for the night. The next morning after dropping his girls off at school he gets on a plane headed to Afghanistan to do comedy for the troops.

Now I don't have any friends or family members in the military but I know people who do and I can't even begin to imagine what the people out there are going through, but I feel like the writers of Louie did a fantastic job portraying what the men and women in the middle east are going through. The scene where Louie does a 'show' for about 7 guys in a tent that they have lived in for nearly a year was incredible on so many levels.

Apparently, instead of returning all four baby ducks to school, Louie's daughters who are worried about his safety pack one of the ducklings in his luggage to keep him safe. As a father with two little kids...tears.

I should probably do some kind of spoiler alert here but since this aired last week, I don't care.

The very last scene of the episode involves the Blackhawk helicopter that Louie and the other entertainers are being flown around in having to land in the middle of nowhere, due to engine troubles. Sometime during their 30 min wait for the army to send another copter to pick them up a group of Afghanis wielding AK-47s happens upon them. There is a scene where both sides have guns drawn and there's a lot of shouting and its all very tense and dramatic and then Louie, who had just slathered about 4 pounds of sunscreen on his face, knocks over his backpack letting the little duckling out. Being a father I can completely understand why he would brave the standoff to run out after the duckling that his daughters wanted him to have. It makes complete sense, but to a rational person without kids...its ridiculous. Because his hands are filled with sunscreen he fumbles the duck about 47 times and proceeds to fall over in a very Three Stooges moment, completely demolishing the tension in the air causing both sides to laugh at the balding fat ginger chasing a tiny duck.

The army personnel, the Afghanis, and the performers all sit down in the middle of the clearing and share a very nice moment that was so shockingly unlike anything we are used to seeing on the dark comedy masterpiece that is Louie, but it absolutely worked. And it was good to see the writers address such a difficult situation like war in that way.

Do yourself a favor and watch this episode, whether you have someone out there in the military or not, it's an incredible episode and very much worth braving Hulu or another internet TV website to see.