I'll say first and foremost that I could completely understand somebody refusing to watch this, even if they were a fan of CK before his reputation changed due to the #MeToo Movement. He addresses it here and there in this new standup show, but not to the extent of Aziz Ansari in his most recent special, and likely not in a way that will get anyone outraged by his actions back on his side.
It's a complicated situation due to the fact that yes, he's admitted he did these things, but that his recollection differs from those he's been accused by. Then there's the whole matter of him being punished without a formal conviction: some would say his reputation suffering was not enough of a punishment, while some would claim he shouldn't have been punished at all by non-traditional, online/social media-driven forms of justice.
Where you fall on the spectrum of whether it's okay to support or even just enjoy CK is entirely up to you. For me personally, the idea of paying for a special of his two years ago may have felt icky, while now, I feel like he may deserve a second chance. And I say this while respecting anyone who does not feel as forgiving as me. And of course, should more serious allegations come out, or if he was to be charged in as official and binding a manner as Harvey Weinstein, such support would feel uncomfortable.
Anyway, that's all preamble, and the long story made short is that you don't have to support him if you feel it's disrespectful to his accusers, and you can support him if you still feel comfortable with doing so. I did, and while it was strange at first, he won me over, and I soon remembered why I used to proudly say he was my favourite comedian.
Truth be told, he still has a tremendous amount of comedic skill, and I laughed out loud numerous times throughout this hour-long special. It's not quite his best work, and there were a couple of jokes here and there that didn't land, but his sense of timing, delivery, and knowing when to cross certain lines for maximum comedic effect were all impeccable. I don't know if delving into his experience with #MeToo in more detail would have made this better exactly. Maybe it would've been more interesting, but probably less funny. It's hard to say whether it would have made for a better overall show.
I have seen many decent to good standup specials over the last couple of years, and while it takes a lot of skill to deliver an hour of good material, it's rare to see somebody deliver an hour of mostly great material. One needs a huge amount of skill to make telling jokes on stage a greatly entertaining experience. In Sincerely Louis CK, he does just that, delivering incredibly funny jokes at such speed that an hour flies by. It could be the start of a solid comeback, or maybe just a one-off. It's a mystery how the public as a whole will respond to his attempts to put himself out there again, but I'm glad he made this, while admittedly having some trepidation about watching it initially.
Even showing my support for it now feels somewhat risky, but few comedians have made me laugh as much as CK has, and so I feel a need to put that out there. In time, I think he should have the right to atone and continue producing material, just as those who continue to feel displeased with his past behaviour have a right to ignore his future work. Of course maybe it's not that simple, and maybe future revelations will complicate things further.
But for now, all I can say for certain is that this special is very funny and not far behind CK's past work in terms of quality. People who still consider themselves fans- or who are at least open to the idea of forgiveness- should check it out as soon as possible.
