Lou's Perception Of Love
I wanna talk about how I think that Lou's view on love is very innocent and even childlike 🤔. Disclaimer: This isn't me trying to infantilize him. I want to try to analyze how his lack of experience due to being trapped in the institute shaped his perception on how love works
Now Lou is undoubtedly the oldest doll in the doll universe (that includes the Institute and UglyVille). We're not really sure when he was made, but he's supposed to be this golden American boy doll. Imo, he could've been created for 30 or even 50 years before the events of the movie. Lou was created for one purpose only: to help the other dolls pass the gauntlet and go to the Big World. He was surely the first doll who was taught about love because, in order to help the dolls pass, he needs to know how to keep their child from throwing the dolls away.
But he doesn't know about mutual love. Every doll has to be loved by a child, but every doll must love a child back. We see how Lou doesn't really harbor that mindset. An example is how he treats the pretty dolls:
He demands their love and crave their attention but doesn't give the same back. Because he only knows about taking but not giving. I mean, it's also because he never had anyone he can fully trust. So he couldn't give love to any other dolls (except for Ox before their breakup)
And I like to talk about a scene that always confuses me
Now, it could just be plot convenience, but for the sake of this analysis, let's assume this was on purpose. I always thought the reason Lou kicked the baby here is because he's truly has had enough and was too tired to deal with it. But, then I saw a tumblr post talking about how what if Lou actually didn't know he should've comforted the baby? I mean, isn't it the obvious answer? Yes, winning the gauntlet gives you the pass to go to the Big World, but the true purpose of a doll is to give love
So, then I thought, what if...he actually really didn't know. We even get to see Moxy's reaction here because from her expression, she thought that Lou would know this, right? Could the prototype who's spent years building a perfect image lost composure at the moment when it was needed the most? It was so easy for him to be manipulative again and comfort the baby, or, at the very least, not kick it. Also, he'd keep the dolls admiration for him if he didn't kick the baby, so even if he had lost, he still would've gotten some form of sympathy from them
And again, Lou is the first doll in the institute. He's their leader and is very old, so how come he doesn't know the most basic knowledge for a doll to know? Because he was never taught that
Now we're jumping into the realm of headcanon here for a bit to give more depth onto the story for the parts that lacked it. I think Lou was given a bunch of materials and books to help guide the dolls (or maybe just that one rule book, and it has everything). But it's missing the part where you have to love a child back.
NOW REMEMBER this is still headcanon territory. I know what the robots said at the end, "Love and compassion are the dolls true purpose" (honestly I hate the robots they don't make narrative sense sometimes and add more plot holes into the story but ANYWAYS) I think that's something that the robots kept from Lou or maybe didn't tell Lou because he didn't need to know? Cause he's not going to the Big World anyway. Again, this part bugs me so much, but okay, let's go back to canon territory
I think that physically and mentally, Lou is an old grandpa who acts like a child throwing a tantrum. Old people tend to become more childish the older they get (I know because my grandpa was like this). So no, I don't think that he's a child, I think the form of love that he understands and craves is one that a child would think.
Lou is also very emotional. Like- very. His love for Ox was so intense that he couldn't bear to keep him in the institute because of the fear and pain of letting him go to the Big World. Ironically, he abandoned him first before Ox could. AND ALSO, he never waited for Ox to get recycled. You're telling me that this mentally insane dude who threw Mandy and Moxy into the recycling didn't even wait to make sure that Ox even got to the recycling. REMINDER that the pipes lead to different places. What could Lou have gained from not waiting for Ox to get to recycle or even throw him in there himself? (It's cus he loved him, duh)
I read one of @0perfectimperfections0 's fics. Unfortunately, I forgot which one it is, but it's the one where Ox said to Mandy how Lou was the best kid he ever had (made me cry, btw). I really love a post UglyDolls movie idea that Ox knows that Lou doesn't understand love the way other dolls do, so he teaches him about it by sharing his experiences (and the others) in the Big World. Almost like a storytime. I don't think Ox sees Lou as his kid. I think Ox sees him as this old coot who's never been given a hug his whole life (or a kicked and abandoned puppy found on the streets)
Fun Segment: Lou's Sexuality (Headcanon)
I think Lou is pansexual. As much as I like the idea of extra fruity Lou, I don't think he's gay. It's because I think he'd love anyone who loves him. Doesn't mean he'd settle for anyone. It just means that if someone loves him and he loves them back, he'd go for it. I find it more fitting than him being attracted to just one gender. Also, pan not BI because I like the idea of Lou loving someone for who they are regardless of gender. It's more poetic for someone who's so meticulous about looks and appearances to become someone who loves unconditionally. I think he felt that with Ox the first time. He loved him for who he was, didn't care about his gender or he fact that he's an ugly doll. I don't see him having any preferences either 🤔 he seems like the kind of man that'd just go for it if it clicks yk. But hey, that's just my opinion. There's really not a lot to go about when it comes to his sexuality. So, for fun, I think that he's pan. But of course, yall can have ur own opinion
