‘Louie’ Season Premiere Review: “Something is Wrong”

'Louie,' how we've missed you!  ‘Louie’ season 3 rides out with its out its first episode of the year, as Louie has difficulty with New York City parking, finds his girlfriend talking them out of a relationship, and buying a motorcycle with shockingly predictable results.

Last season’s ‘Louie’ finale “Airport / New Jersey” left a moderate cliffhanger to be resolved, as Louie unwittingly believed that Pamela had asked him to wait for her during her European excursion, so how does “Something is Wrong”  get us started?  What will season 3 of ‘Louie’ bring?

Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about ‘Louie’ season 3 premiere , “Something is Wrong!”

Oh, Louie, Louie, Louie, Louie.  We open, of course, on Louie’s latest set at the Comedy Cellar, wherein our favorite comedian recalls how his age has advanced to the point where he needs reading glasses to masturbate.  Even after the judgmental gaze of the drug store clerk in purchasing the glasses, Louie realized he could still only see a blur.  Given his age and popularity however, why hasn’t he heard more about rich men lining up to have their penises surgically replaced with newer ones?  Of course, in Louie’s case, he’d still keep the old one attached as well, like the old Yankee Stadium next to the new.

Some time later Louie pulls over and parks on a street, but like another man parking behind him, they can’t make heads or tails of the street sign parking tablet.  Ignoring it for now, Louie ducks into the local diner where he orders himself some ice cream, and awaits the arrival of his new girlfriend April.  When she arrives, Louie finds himself distracted by the car, which April takes to mean that Louie has something on his mind, or “Something is Wrong.”

Louie insists he’s just tired, and finds himself unable to vocalize that nothing is wrong with their relationship.  April’s accusations keep escalating, that he doesn’t want to visit her mother for Thanksgiving, and that ultimately, he wants to break up.  Louie blithely tries to insist that isn’t what’s happening, but April ultimately talks herself out of the relationship, and stages the breakup for him.  She leaves bitterly, and Louie simply sighs, digging into his ice cream.

Later, Louie leaves to find that construction workers have set up a site around his car, and can’t help him get it out.  Who needs help, though, when a backhoe’s jerky motions accidentally destroy the entire vehicle?

Walking for the rest of the day, a motorcycle shop catches Louie’s eye.  He ventures inside, not intending to buy, of course, and ending up spooked by the salesman’s horrific tales of scars sustained riding around the city.  Still at only $7500, and getting 45 miles to the gallon with easy parking, it’s actually smart to buy a motorcycle, right?  Cue Louie zipping around New York City on his new hog, and brand new gear, at one point ending up flanked by a convoy of other riders performing wheelies.  Predictably, the other riders distract him just long enough to crash, slamming the bike into a parked truck as he rolls after it.

Louie awakens in a neck brace in the hospital, listening to a woman scream for help nearby, when a doctor arrives to impress how stupid his decision to ride a motorcycle was.  The doctor lends his phone as well, to call Louie’s ex-wife Janet, who naturally ends up disgusted that Louie won’t be able to take the kids for such a foolish mistake as buying a motorcycle.  The doctor assures him he’s fine overall, in spite of the natural pain he feels, and Louie departs the hospital.

Back at his apartment and still hobbling, Louie answers the door to find April looking to reclaim some of her belongings.  Once she sees the pain he’s in from the accident (Louie having left out the motorcycle part), she happily tends to his needs, and makes him soup and a sandwich.

Once her job is done, she continues on to head out the door, but Louie weakly asks her to stay.  Once again unable to vocalize what he truly wants, Louie lies helpless as April insists that he’s only interested in getting back together out of guilt, and he could save them both years of dating, disdain and divorce, if only he would speak up at that very moment to say they shouldn’t truly be together.  When Louie can’t even respond to that, April storms out, leaving Louie alone once more.

During the credits, Louie and the man still can’t for the life of them figure out the parking rules on the street.

While maybe not as gut-bustingly funny as some of the stand-up material, once again 'Louie' returns at the top of his game, making hilarious, heartfelt and poignant vignettes around the simplest of exchanges, letting a girlfriend talk her way out of a relationship while scarcely having to say a word himself.  The motorcycle bit was all fairly predictable, but it was agonizingly funny that even after she returned, Louie had no idea what to say to April's (accurate) assertion that he couldn't clearly state any feelings.

Not hilarious, but it's good to have 'Louie' back.

Did you get your fill of awkward 'Louie' laughs?  What did you think about the episode? Join us next week for another all-new 'Louie' episode recap of 'Telling Jokes / Set Up" on FX!