# Louie 8/11 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 12, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464 "2011-08-12T16:01:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/1 "2011-08-12T16:01:41Z")
Two amazing episodes this week! The first was probably the most frank talk about wacking off ever on TV and yet at the same time, gave a pretty damn convincing case against it. I swear Ellie’s monologue in the hotel suite had me almost saying to myself “Wow!she might be on to something there.” Almost. Oh and we have a return to a Louis C.K classic: a bag of Dicks. And the second episode with Doug Stanhope was just so dark and funny and even sad. This might be one of the bravest shows on TV. If you haven’t watched it, check it out. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/2 "2011-08-12T16:34:24Z")
Don’t have cable anymore, but I subscribed to “Louie” and “Breaking Bad” on Amazon On Demand. Which means I don’t get the episodes until a day after they air, but I’ll be watching tonight. Definitely agree about it being one of the bravest shows on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Becky2844](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Becky2844](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Becky2844)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/3 "2011-08-14T02:26:23Z")
Louie C.K. is possbly the best thing on TV right now. He’s so real it hurts. But it hurts so good! ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/4 "2011-08-14T14:10:25Z")
Was everything with the anti-masturbation girl from the meeting to drinks to her hotel room all part of Louie’s fantasy? Felt like it could be. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/5 "2011-08-14T15:25:56Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Was everything with the anti-masturbation girl from the meeting to drinks to her hotel room all part of Louie’s fantasy? Felt like it could be. That’s one of my favorite things about this show. It’s very hard to figure out where reality ends and Louie’s mind takes over. The whole TV part felt like a dream, but the part about him going to the meeting and then the hotel felt real. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/6 "2011-08-14T16:57:31Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Was everything with the anti-masturbation girl from the meeting to drinks to her hotel room all part of Louie’s fantasy? Felt like it could be. I took it to be reality but you never know. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/7 "2011-08-14T18:09:52Z")
The show doesn’t have a consistent story line. It’s supposed to be a series of self contained mini-stories. Some stories build on previous stories, but a lot are supposed to exist on their own without any connection to any previous stories. Here’s a few good [screen shots](http://i.imgur.com/1dLde.jpg) from the episode. And I agree with the OP that this was the best argument against masturbation and premarital sex that I’ve ever heard. Where does Louie come up with this stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/8 "2011-08-14T21:40:27Z")
Wait… you people are joking about thinking that’s a good argument, right? ---
**Author:** ![Tarwater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9de0a6/32.png) [@Tarwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarwater)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/9 "2011-08-14T22:41:40Z")
I don’t think it’s a particularly persuasive argument when it comes to masturbation and pre-marital sex. It does, however, illustrate the dilemma that occurs when you have a basic biological function that also creates a strong emotional and intellectual response in the participants. Without that bonding experience, masturbation can feel a little empty, especially considering how reductive of the experience (and of women) pornography usually is. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/10 "2011-08-14T23:33:56Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > Wait… you people are joking about thinking that’s a good argument, right? Like I said it didn’t sway me or anything but it was certainly presented well and was respectful to both sides. This whole discussion seems a bit silly given the topic but there you have it…🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/11 "2011-08-15T00:21:22Z")
I got the feeling that after he failed to close things up with his “bag of dicks” fantasy everything else we saw until the tag was just another fantasy. My reasoning is that the tag was exactly the same scene as before, with the radio going and him in the living room. Also–the radio suddenly turning from something innocuous to something horrific right when you’ve past the point of no return? Sooooo been there. ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/12 "2011-08-15T01:48:54Z")
> [@Becky2844](#): > > Louie C.K. is possbly the best thing on TV right now. He’s so real it hurts. But it hurts so good! Soooooo real. I know I’ve been invited up to a suite for a drink by an anti-masturbation crusader hundreds of times. And she always changes into silky pajamas while I’m there, too. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/13 "2011-08-15T03:33:48Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Like I said it didn’t sway me or anything but it was certainly presented well and was respectful to both sides. > > This whole discussion seems a bit silly given the topic but there you have it…🙂 What did she present though? “Give your spouse a present!” I don’t think that’s really an argument at all. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/14 "2011-08-15T05:23:39Z")
Is Hulu behind the broadcast schedule or something? The last episode available is S2/E4: “Joan” where he meets Joan Rivers. I’m wondering where these 2 episodes you’re talking about are. ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/15 "2011-08-15T06:16:11Z")
> [@quixotic78](#): > > Soooooo real. I know I’ve been invited up to a suite for a drink by an anti-masturbation crusader hundreds of times. And she always changes into silky pajamas while I’m there, too. Or had a date make her escape with a helicopter? But I think the quoted description of Louie as “real” probably isn’t made in ignorance of the show’s significant fantasy elements; it’s presumably just meant to be interpreted as saying that that somehow those fantasy elements nonetheless illustrate well particularly trenchant observations about real life. ---
**Author:** ![quixotic78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/3ab097/32.png) [@quixotic78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quixotic78)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/16 "2011-08-15T15:08:08Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > But I think the quoted description of Louie as “real” probably isn’t made in ignorance of the show’s significant fantasy elements; it’s presumably just meant to be interpreted as saying that that somehow those fantasy elements nonetheless illustrate well particularly trenchant observations about real life. I knew someone would say something along these lines. What “particularly trenchant observations” were made about jerking off? ---
**Author:** ![HenryGale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b782af/32.png) [@HenryGale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HenryGale)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/17 "2011-08-15T15:21:18Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > What did she present though? “Give your spouse a present!” I don’t think that’s really an argument at all. Pleasure delaying was how I took it. And she was right about that, but I’d imagine there is a point of diminishing returns. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/18 "2011-08-15T16:02:54Z")
> [@quixotic78](#): > > I knew someone would say something along these lines. What “particularly trenchant observations” were made about jerking off? So you really don’t get why people say the show is “real”? Have you ever seen any other sitcoms? Sure, there’s a good amount of absurdity in _Louie_, and the masturbation episode may not be the best example, but even there, the fact that she didn’t end up being a hypocrite and sleeping with him distinguished it from what most other sitcoms would have done. And the second episode, “Eddie”, was definitely rooted in reality. The show tackles subjects in a truthful, adult manner, rather than relying on standard sitcom tropes. It seems so glaringly obvious to me, I’m somewhat baffled at your claims to the contrary. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/19 "2011-08-15T16:14:42Z")
I found the anti-masturbation woman insufferable and her arguments inane. Not my favorite episode, but I really like the show in general. The episode with Joan Rivers giving him professional advice was great. It didn’t come off as scripted or contrived, and it wasn’t really funny, but it did sound like a true icon and hardened veteran of the business giving genuine, hardboiled advice. The episode with Dane Cook was interesting as well, since it didn’t dance around the alleged, real life, stolen jokes controversy, but addressed it head on. Kudos to Dane Cook for being willing to do that (and humorously making himself the aggrieved party in that). ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2011, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464/20 "2011-08-15T17:06:17Z")
> [@HenryGale](#): > > Pleasure delaying was how I took it. And she was right about that, but I’d imagine there is a point of diminishing returns. And with regards to her argument against premarital sex: 1. Pleasure delaying. 2. Less shameful, because you know the person better. 3. The relationship is not about sex. There is a difference between having a good position and having a good argument. It’s possible to have a good argument for a bad position. I thought the arguments in the show were decent because Ellie did not argue from the bible, and she was respectful toward opposing views. While god knows I don’t agree with her (because he’s been watching me masturbate), her argument is better than “premarital sex is wrong because that’s what’s in the bible.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/louie-8-11/592464.md?page=2)