Ikea/Piano Lesson

In July 2012, FX confirmed that the sixth episode of the season would be titled "Barney/Never", and that it would be written and directed by series creator and lead actor Louis C.K., from a story he co-wrote with Pamela Adlon. This was C.K.'s 33rd writing and directing credit, and Adlon's third writing credit.[1]

In its original American broadcast, "Ikea/Piano Lesson" was seen by an estimated 0.70 million household viewers with a 0.4 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 0.4 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[2] This was a slight increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.69 million viewers with a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographics.[3]

"Ikea/Piano Lesson" received extremely positive reviews from critics. Eric Goldman of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9 out of 10 and wrote, "The final story felt almost uncomfortably real, as we watched TV's Louie watch footage of actual Louie C.K. when he was younger, thinner and had more hair. Louie looking at himself in the computer screen contrasted with his young self, clearly unhappy with the differences, felt very honest – but also with that knowing, humorous tinge that this show manages to capture in many of its more moody moments."[4]

Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "The two halves of tonight's Louie aren't as well-united as last week's little duo, but by the end of the hour, there's a strong sense of history running through the series, as well as a sense that even when people try to do nice things, they're mostly just thinking about themselves."[5]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "There are times when we get a two-story Louie episode – though tonight's came close to being a three-story outing – where Louis C.K. has clearly just put these parts together because they combined to fit the timeslot. 'Ikea/Piano Lesson' was one of those outings, though, where I have to wonder if he either always intended for the pieces to go together, or if he at least recognized once they were done how well they fit thematically as well as time-wise."[6] Zach Dionne of Vulture wrote, "Last week's Louie was season three's first foray into independent, only thematically related story lines. There were laughs, and there was Robin Williams, but the episode left something to be desired. Had Louie funneled all its greatness toward longer stories and lost its keen touch for the dual-vignette episode? Absolutely not, because 'Ikea/Piano Lesson' is a flawless, instant classic."[7]

Paste gave the episode a 8.7 out of 10 and wrote, "The show's two halves have little to do with each other, thematically or otherwise, and they don't particularly complement each other. However, the second half was so strong it still made 'Ikea/Piano' a must-see episode, one that once again takes the show in an unexpected direction."[8] Neal Lynch of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 3 star out of 5 rating and wrote, "In some ways, 'Ikea; Piano Lesson' had that feel to it. But Louie's better than that, so he gives it his own twist. The theme is the past. More specifically, learning your lesson from the past. Louie's been through heartbreaks and setbacks, downfalls and falling outs. Yet this episode shows that he hasn't learned a goddam thing."[9]