Duckling (Louie)
Louie takes a duckling on a USO tour to the Middle East.
"Duckling" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the American comedy-drama television series Louie, written and directed by series lead Louis C.K. It aired on FX on August 25, 2011. The episode follows Louie on a USO Tour to the Middle East after his daughter Lilly sneaks a duckling into his luggage.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Louie
- Season
- 2
- Episode
- 11
- Released
- 25 August 2011
- Length
- 41 minutes
- Director
- Louis C.K.
- Photographer
- Paul Koestner; Alexander Martin
- Production
- XCK02012
Facts from the source article.
Plot
Louie picks up his daughters Lilly and Jane from school and learns they must take the class ducklings home for the night. He refuses to keep them beyond the next day and drops them off at school before leaving for a five-day USO tour in the Middle East. At the base, Louie discovers that Lilly has hidden a duckling in his bag for good luck. He travels with the duckling through multiple bases, bonding with entertainers and soldiers. During a helicopter trip, a malfunction forces a landing. Armed Afghani villagers confront the group, but the duckling escapes Louie's backpack and causes him to fall, making the villagers laugh. The troops and villagers bond over the duckling. When the helicopter returns, Louie leaves the duckling with the villagers as a gesture of respect.
Production
Louis C.K. wrote and directed the episode, his 24th writing and directing credit for the series. The idea came from C.K.'s daughter, who suggested an episode where he takes a duckling to Afghanistan after she had brought ducklings home from school. Producers secured access to a New Mexico base to stand in for Afghanistan. The episode cost twice as much as a typical episode of the series.
Reception
In its original American broadcast, "Duckling" was seen by an estimated 0.81 million household viewers with a 0.5 rating in the 18–49 demographic, a slight increase from the previous episode's 0.73 million viewers and 0.4 rating. The episode received critical acclaim. Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club gave it an "A–" grade, noting its cinematic quality and willingness to let scenes ramble. Alan Sepinwall of HitFix called it a fantastic episode that left him smiling. Joshua Kurp of Vulture described it as a weirdly patriotic episode about people doing their jobs, with the duckling offsetting tension. Louis C.K. earned Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for this episode, losing both categories to Jon Cryer for Two and a Half Men and Modern Family for "Baby on Board", respectively.
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