This brutally honest scene from last night's Louie tackles what it's like to be a fat girl

Louis C.K.'s show on FX, Louie, has never been one to mince words. Last night's episode, "So Did the Fat Lady," had quite a lot to say about dating while overweight.

In the episode, the titular character Louie at first rejects the advances of bubbly waitress Vanessa (Sarah Baker), before finally asking her out. Smart, funny, and independent, Vanessa is a great match for Louie. But, as Libby Hill points out at the AV Club, "not even being the platonic ideal is enough when you're an overweight woman," and Vanessa can sense that Louie somehow feels he deserves better.

The issue comes to a heartbreaking climax in the episode's final scene, when Vanessa bluntly tells Louie that the worst thing a man can do is tell a fat woman that she's not fat. "What is it about the basics of human happiness — you know, feeling attractive, feeling loved, having guys chase after us — that's just not in the cards for us?" she asks. The whole scene is emotional and wonderfully acted, and naturally, critics have many interesting things to say about it.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Watch the scene in full below. --Samantha Rollins