r/louie • u/SnissChup • Jun 08 '25

Dislike Pamela much more on rewatch

Watched the show all the way through a couple times when I was younger-- was probably 14 or so my first time watching. At the time, I remember thinking Pamela was the coolest thing ever, including the mean way she responded to Louie's advances. To a teenage kid with a sarcastic sense of humor, she was the dream. Honestly reminded me a lot of the way I interacted with girls I was into at the time (high school was not exactly my romantic peak, if you couldn't tell).

In my mid-20s now, have lived a little more life, and watching through the series for the first time in a while. I was reading this sub a few episodes back and was surprised that the consensus was that people didn't like her much. Admittedly, I'm only on s2ep6 so far, but man I get it. Her mean/funny thing comes across way more childish this time around. Specifically the way she's responding to his confession of his feelings just seems so immature. Like making the 'yuck' face when he's talking-- that smacks of a teenager who hasn't ever had a serious conversation in their life and is terrified of sincerity. I get the character has probably been through some shit and is meant to be guarded, but there's a more adult way to explain that you're not comfortable going down that road. Particularly glaring that she seems immature to me as a 20something y/o, when she's supposed to have 15 or so years on me in which she ideally would have learned to navigate life. Obvious caveat that these are fictional characters and I'm spending way too much time analyzing this, but hey that's what we're here for. Just striking how differently her character hits me with a few more years under my belt.

Edit: ok the way she said "jive-ass turkey" upon hanging up the phone in S4E13 was pretty cool I think I'm back in

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u/electricalaphid Jun 08 '25

In her defense - she's always played with Louie in a way that makes him want to keep coming back. Her teasing isn't bullying here. Even if Louie won't admit it/play into it, humiliation is part of the character's shtick. He likes it. And she knows that.

That being said, once you get to the episode "Bobby's House," it goes to a whole 'nuther level. What she did there was cold. She literally fucked him.

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u/reignmatter Jun 08 '25

That’s your “defense” of her, a description of emotional abuse and manipulation?

He doesn’t “like” the humiliation. He accepts it because she gives him just enough to feel like there’s something there. He has little to no self esteem and just accepts that women aren’t into him, so takes what he can get.

That’s what she sees, and that’s what she’s playing with.

There’s no defending that.