Treme

[number8]

Teaser (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWsGbuimD9U)

Awesome awesome awesome. I'm getting HBO back just for this.

[[ETM]]

Been stoked about it for some time now.:pritch:

[Glass Co.]

Awesome! With Simon involved this will be at the very least amazing. I hope with their latest run of shows HBO can return to the form they had about 5 years ago.

[Ezee E]

I'll be in New Orleans in late March. Curious to see what it's like nowadays. I hear it's pretty awful.

[Qrazy]

I'll be there but I kind of wish they'd change up the visual style a bit more.

[[ETM]]

I'll be there but I kind of wish they'd change up the visual style a bit more.

We'll see. The teaser does give off a very Wire-like texture.

[Qrazy]

;233026']We'll see. The teaser does give off a very Wire-like texture.

Yeah I felt that Generation Kill did also.

[Morris Schæffer]

I'll be keeping an eye out for this even if the material of The Wire seemed more suited to my tastes than this. I could be wrong though.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Can't wait. I'm keeping HBO for this show alone.

[Acapelli]

Can't wait. I'm keeping HBO for this show alone.
well luck and boardwalk empire have got to be decent incentives too

[Kurosawa Fan]

well luck and boardwalk empire have got to be decent incentives too

Not enough.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

Apparently John Goodman is in this?

Press Release:

For Immediate Release

NEW HBO DRAMA SERIES TREME, CREATED AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY DAVID SIMON AND ERIC OVERMYER, TO DEBUT IN APRIL

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 14, 2010 – The one-hour drama series TREME will launch its ten-episode first season on HBO in April, it was announced today by Sue Naegle, president, HBO Entertainment. From David Simon (“The Wire,” “Generation Kill,” “The Corner”) and Eric Overmyer (“Homicide,” “The Wire”), the show follows musicians, chefs, Mardi Gras Indians and ordinary New Orleanians as they try to rebuild their lives, their homes and their unique culture in the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane and levee failure that caused the near-death of an American city.

“New Orleans is a city which lives in the imagination of the whole world,” says Overmyer. “We wanted to capture something authentic about it, as its people struggle with the after effects of the greatest calamity to befall an American city in the history of this country.”

Simon adds, “What happens in New Orleans matters. An ascendant society rebuilds its great cities.”

TREME begins in fall 2005, three months after Hurricane Katrina and the massive engineering failure in which flood control failed throughout New Orleans, flooding 80 percent of the city and displacing hundreds of thousands of residents. Fictional events depicted in the series will honor the actual chronology of political, economic and cultural events following the storm.

“As much as possible, we’re trying to show fealty to the post-Katrina history,” Overmyer notes. “New Orleanians have had their lives transformed by the storm and its aftermath, and we want to be careful in our presentation of that.”

Simon adds that viewers familiar with “The Wire,” the previous HBO drama on which he, Overmyer and fellow executive producer Nina Noble labored, should not expect a similar drama set in another city.

“In some fundamental ways,” he says, “TREME is centered on the ordinary lives of ordinary people. It is political only in the sense that ordinary people find themselves dealing with politics in their own lives. That said, New Orleanians – those who have been able to return, especially – are passionate about their city.”

The drama unfolds with Antoine Batiste, a smooth-talking trombonist who is struggling to make ends meet, earning cash with any gig he can get, including playing in funeral processions for his former neighbors. His ex-wife, LaDonna Batiste-Williams, owns a bar in the Central City neighborhood and splits her time between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, where her children and new husband have relocated. Concerned over the disappearance of her younger brother David, or Daymo, unseen since the storm, LaDonna has turned to a local civil rights attorney, the overburdened and underpaid Toni Bernette, for help. The government’s inconsistent and ineffectual response to the devastation has spurred Bernette’s husband Creighton, a university professor of English literature and an expert on local history, to become an increasingly outspoken critic of the institutional response.

Tremé resident Davis McAlary, a rebellious radio disc jockey, itinerant musician and general gadfly, is both chronicler of and participant in the city’s vibrant and varied musical culture, which simply refuses to be silent, even in the early months after the storm. His occasional partner, popular chef Janette Desautel, hopes to regain momentum for her small, newly re-opened neighborhood restaurant. Elsewhere in the city, displaced Mardi Gras Indian chief Albert Lambreaux returns to find his home destroyed and his tribe, the Guardians of the Flame, scattered, but Lambreaux is determined to rebuild. His son Delmond, an exile in New York playing modern jazz and looking beyond New Orleans for his future, is less sure of his native city’s future, while violinist Annie and her boyfriend Sonny, young street musicians living hand-to-mouth, seem wholly committed to the battered city.

As the story begins, more than half the population of New Orleans is elsewhere and much of the city is wrecked, muddied and caked in mold, while other neighborhoods remain viable. The tourists have yet to return, the money that follows them is scarce, and residents can take solace only in the fact that the city’s high levels of crime have migrated to Houston and Baton Rouge. And for those returning, housing is hard to come by, with many people waiting on insurance checks that may never arrive.

The ensemble cast of TREME includes Wendell Pierce (“The Wire,” HBO’s documentary “When the Levees Broke”) as Antoine Batiste; Khandi Alexander (“CSI: Miami,” HBO’s Emmy®-winning “The Corner”) as LaDonna Batiste-Williams; Clarke Peters (“Damages,” HBO’s “The Wire” and “The Corner”) as Albert Lambreaux; Rob Brown (“Stop-Loss,” “Finding Forrester”) as Delmond Lambreaux; Steve Zahn (“A Perfect Getaway,” “Sunshine Cleaning”) as Davis McAlary; Kim Dickens (HBO’s “Deadwood”) as Janette Desautel; Melissa Leo (“Homicide: Life on the Street”; Oscar® nominee for “Frozen River”) as Toni Bernette; John Goodman (“The Big Lebowski,” “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”) as Creighton Bernette; Michiel Huisman (“The Young Victoria”) as Sonny; and classical violinist Lucia Micarelli as Annie.

The series will also feature cameos by notable real-life New Orleanians, as well as the talents of many of its extraordinary musicians and other artists associated with the city’s music. Early episodes feature appearances by Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Elvis Costello, Steve Earle, Kermit Ruffins, Donald Harrison Jr., Galactic, Trombone Shorty Andrews, Deacon John, and the Rebirth and Tremé Brass Bands.

“The disaster impacted people on every possible level – physically, emotionally, and spiritually,” says New Orleans native Wendell Pierce. “The only things people had to hang on to were the rich traditions we knew that survived the test of time before: our music, food and family, family that included anyone who decided to accept the challenge to return. We knew that America was, in the words of Martin Luther King, a ‘ten-day nation.’ We knew our plight wouldn't stay in the spotlight of the world long. But we are exercising our right of self-determination in the darkness with personal resolve. We are accessing the best of the human spirit and bringing light to this difficult time. That’s what TREME is about. We won't bow down.”

Longtime friends and collaborators since they both worked on the network drama “Homicide: Life on the Street,” Simon and Overmyer have wanted to make a series about New Orleans and its culture ever since they learned of each other’s affinity for the city. Overmyer has been a New Orleans resident for 20 years, while Simon has been a frequent visitor since the late 1980s.

“Neither one of us could figure out how to pitch it properly. The problem is that in order to convince anyone to let us depict New Orleans, you have to first explain it,” Simon says, adding, “And until Katrina, the only way to begin to explain it was to shoot the film.”

TREME is named for the Faubourg Tremé (an historic neighborhood just to the lakeside of the more celebrated French Quarter). Jazz itself was said to be born there, created by the slaves of Creole planters who were allowed to drum and chant on Sundays and market days in a public area that came to be known as Congo Square. It was in New Orleans that African rhythms and the pentatonic scale of flatted “blue” notes met European instrumentation and arrangements – a cross-cultural creation that transformed music on a worldwide scale.

The 80-minute pilot episode of TREME was directed by Agnieszka Holland (“The Wire,” “Cold Case”). Additional episodes are directed by Simon Cellan Jones (“Generation Kill”) as well as alumni of “The Wire,” including Jim McKay (HBO’s “In Treatment” and “Big Love”), Ernest Dickerson (“Burn Notice”), Anthony Hemingway (the upcoming film “Redtails”), Christine Moore (“CSI: NY”), Brad Anderson (“Fringe,” “The Machinist”) and Dan Attias (“Big Love,” “House”).

In addition to Simon and Overmyer, TREME is written by David Mills (HBO’s “The Corner” and “The Wire”) and George Pelecanos (“The Wire” and HBO’s upcoming miniseries “The Pacific”). Additional writers include New Orleans natives Lolis Elie (author and columnist for The New Orleans Times-Picayune) and Tom Piazza (author of the novel “City of Refuge” and “Why New Orleans Matters”).

Simon’s most recent HBO project, “Generation Kill,” debuted in July 2008. Based on the award-winning nonfiction book of the same name by journalist Evan Wright, it recounted the early weeks of the U.S. march into Iraq from the point of view of the officers and commanders who led the way to Baghdad. The New York Times called the miniseries “impeccable” and “searingly intense,” and USA Today praised it as “honest” and “painfully vivid.”

Finishing its five-season run in March 2008, “The Wire” examined a dystopic American city in which civic institutions and civic leadership could no longer recognize fundamental problems, much less address those problems. Daily Variety said of the Peabody Award-winning series, “When television history is written, little else will rival ‘The Wire’… extraordinary,” while San Francisco Chronicle hailed it as “a masterpiece” and Entertainment Weekly called the show “a staggering achievement.”

TREME was created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer; executive producers, David Simon, Nina K. Noble, Eric Overmyer, Carolyn Strauss; co-executive producer, David Mills; producer, Anthony Hemingway; directors, Agnieszka Holland, Jim McKay, Ernest Dickerson, Anthony Hemingway, Christine Moore, Brad Anderson, Simon Cellan Jones, Dan Attias; writers, David Simon, Eric Overmyer, David Mills, George Pelecanos, Lolis Elie, Tom Piazza.

[Morris Schæffer]

Okay, that's a really cool cast. It's got Lester and the Bunk from The Wire!

[number8]

It's all about Melissa Leo.

[number8]

Really cool profile on NY Times. Love this bit:


SIMON WORKS ON every script by every writer of every show he produces. On “Treme,” he and Overmyer share the process equally, sending scripts back and forth, revising and polishing and revising again (Mills, too, is rewriting scripts by other staff writers). This process is common to episodic television, time constraints making it such that no single writer could generate a season. What is less common is how little credit Simon takes for the rewriting he does.

“He would take a script into his room when the deadline was that night,” Pelecanos told me, “and he’d go in there and lock the door, and he’d redo the whole script.” The novelist Richard Price, who also wrote for “The Wire,” told me there’s nothing capricious about such thorough revision: “You really need a single sensibility at the top, a writer-producer who’s a ruthless rewriter. It’s like an assembly line; Episode 3 has perfectly got to follow from Episode 2 and also perfectly set up Episode 4.” Typically, however, when show-runners polish scripts, they add their names as co-writers, an act which, according to the Writers Guild of America, cuts the original writer’s script fee — around $32,700 for an hour of episodic premium cable — in half, the other half going to the show-runner who typically has a seven-figure deal. Very literally, Simon doesn’t take credit. “It’s almost like David feels guilty that he’s so successful,” Price told me. “He’s more than decent. He’s like an old Democrat, an old lefty.” Pelecanos added: “I’ve seen shows that are on right now where the show-runner has their name on every script. And if any of those episodes are up for an Emmy Award, the show runner’s gonna get an Emmy Award. When I was nominated for an Emmy” — one of only two Emmy nominations that “The Wire” received during its five-season run — “had I won, I would have gone up there and accepted that award; but David also wrote part of that script.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/21/magazine/21simon-t.html?pagewanted=1

[Adam]

mWKSHbdwrQo

I'm more excited for Boardwalk Empire, but this looks snazzy, too

[number8]

I'm totally more stoked for this than Boardwalk Empire.

[[ETM]]

I'm totally more stoked for this than Boardwalk Empire.

Same here. Way more.

[Glass Co.]

That Times snippet is great. I love Mad Men, but Matt Weiner seems to have his name on every gorram script, and in addition to his demand for a pay raise for next season makes him seem like a greedy bastard.

[ledfloyd]

3 weeks! so excited.

[[ETM]]

I love Mad Men, but Matt Weiner seems to have his name on every gorram script, and in addition to his demand for a pay raise for next season makes him seem like a greedy bastard.

I don't understand this. I thought he didn't write anything other than Mad Men since The Sopranos finished?

[transmogrifier]

I'm all over this.

[Glass Co.]

;249507']I don't understand this. I thought he didn't write anything other than Mad Men since The Sopranos finished?

Correct. I'm confused how that contradicts what I said? I meant on a majority of episodes on Mad Men.

[number8]

He even joked about it in last year's Emmy Awards. Remember how the Outstanding Writing in Drama nominees were four Mad Men episodes and one LOST? Weiner appeared in all four nominee videos.

[[ETM]]

Correct. I'm confused how that contradicts what I said? I meant on a majority of episodes on Mad Men.

I thought you meant other stuff. To me it's natural that he is always credited, as it is his "baby" alone, and he's obsessive over details and prefers to control all aspects of the story. I don't mind someone with a vision and a "mission", as long as the end result is good.

[Ezee E]

The Scorsese bias in me won't even make me favor Boardwalk Empire over Treme.

With that, both I'm very excited about, and it's about time there's some new shows to look forward to.

[number8]

;249556']I thought you meant other stuff. To me it's natural that he is always credited, as it is his "baby" alone, and he's obsessive over details and prefers to control all aspects of the story. I don't mind someone with a vision and a "mission", as long as the end result is good.

I think you're missing the point. Glass was referring to the part of the article I quoted, in which it talks about how, like Weiner, David Simon controls every detail on The Wire too, rewriting almost every episode, but he never asked to have his name credited for them because he doesn't want to take any of the original writer's money.

[[ETM]]

I think you're missing the point. Glass was referring to the part of the article I quoted, in which it talks about how, like Weiner, David Simon controls every detail on The Wire too, rewriting almost every episode, but he never asked to have his name credited for them because he doesn't want to take any of the original writer's money.

No, I got it, I was commenting on the way he said it, because from what I know there is not much to draw parallels on between the two of them.

[Ezee E]

My uncle reminded my Dad of the actual area of Treme. It's the only place my dad has ever been mugged. Back in the 70's while he was on his way home with my mom and some friends. Dude held a knife at him. My dad threw him threw someone's windshield, getting shanked in the process.

The car didn't start when they tried to leave.

[Acapelli]

http://www.nola.com/treme-hbo/index.ssf/2010/03/treme_writer_david_mills_dies. html


David Mills, a staff writer and co-executive producer of the upcoming HBO drama “Treme,” died of a brain aneurysm Tuesday in New Orleans, an HBO spokesman confirmed Wednesday morning.

...

[Glass Co.]

That's pretty sad. So close to the premier of the show. I followed his blog "Undercover Black Man" off and on too. RIP.

[Benny Profane]

How do you pronounce the title?


Treem?

Tre-MAY?

Treh-mee?

[[ETM]]

Tre-MAY?

This.

[Ezee E]

;252211']This.
Correct. I was mentally slapped in the face when I said "treem"

[Milky Joe]

I'm totally more stoked for this than Boardwalk Empire.

And I'm more stoked for Luck than I am for either of these.

[number8]

http://www.nola.com/treme-hbo/index.ssf/2010/03/treme_writer_david_mills_dies. html

This bummed me out real bad yesterday. His scripts are always stellar. I loved the Robin Williams-Jake Gyllenhaal episode of Homicide he wrote.

[Ezee E]

No one's watched yet? Dang. I'll be checking it out tomorrow.

[ledfloyd]

it's really fucking good.

blogged (http://ledfloyd18.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/blogging-treme-episode-1-do-you-know-what-it-means/)

[[ETM]]

it's really fucking good.

blogged (http://ledfloyd18.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/blogging-treme-episode-1-do-you-know-what-it-means/)

Excellent thoughts and I agree.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

Third-ing the love for the premiere, and agree that after one episode this somehow seems even more full of potential than The Wire did at the time.

[Ezee E]

Absolutely loved the pilot. Something I've never done for a TV show. That sort of has me worried, but can't wait for what's in store.

[Henry Gale]

HBO already gave it a second season. (http://livefeed.hollywoodreporter.com/2010/04/whoa-hbo-renews-treme.html)

I thought the first episode was outstanding, so I'm already excited to have show around for even longer than just the first ten hours.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

:pritch:

Hope they give the second season 12-13 episodes.

[Winston*]

Yeah, this was really really good. Got a John Sayles vibe to it.

[Morris Schæffer]

So guys, is this a drama show entirely devoid of crime such as Six Feet Under perhaps? Or does it have a crime angle? is it simply about people coping with the destruction in the aftermath of katrina?

[[ETM]]

It's not a crime show at all. It is about NO coping with the disaster, but it's more of a general ode to the city itself and everything it represents.

[Ezee E]

So guys, is this a drama show entirely devoid of crime such as Six Feet Under perhaps? Or does it have a crime angle? is it simply about people coping with the destruction in the aftermath of katrina?
In the previews there's a gun that's fired, so I'm sure there'll be some violence. Probably relating to the kid that disappeared during the hurricane.

[ledfloyd]

it's a celebration of new orleans culture. katrina just provides the drama.

this week has been too long. the weekend needs to go away so we can get to sunday.

[ledfloyd]

episode 2 blogged (http://ledfloyd18.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/blogging-treme-episode-2-meet-the-boys-on-the-battlefront/)

i'm really loving this show.

[Benny Profane]

I watched the pilot episode last night. Celebrating New Orleans culture is pretty played out by this point, but I trust Simon to dig a lot deeper. Also Steve Zahn's character annoyed the shit out of me, and Lester Freamon too. But pretty good for a first episode.

[ledfloyd]

I watched the pilot episode last night. Celebrating New Orleans culture is pretty played out by this point, but I trust Simon to dig a lot deeper. Also Steve Zahn's character annoyed the shit out of me, and Lester Freamon too. But pretty good for a first episode.
i don't agree. sure bourbon street is played out and the typical boobs and beer perception of mardi gras. but the average american has no idea what a mardi gras indian is. doesn't really know who kermit ruffins or galactic or trombone shorty are. has a rudimentary idea of a second line if any idea of what they are at all. sure the postcard image of new orleans is played out. but i don't think the average american really gets new orleans.

[Milky Joe]

i don't agree. sure bourbon street is played out and the typical boobs and beer perception of mardi gras. but the average american has no idea what a mardi gras indian is. doesn't really know who kermit ruffins or galactic or trombone shorty are. has a rudimentary idea of a second line if any idea of what they are at all. sure the postcard image of new orleans is played out. but i don't think the average american really gets new orleans.

Yeah, Benny's post pretty much reflects this.

[[ETM]]

I can also understand why some are irritated by Zahn's character - but IMO he fits perfectly within the story as an example of the self-imposed "guardians" and "connoiseurs" of the city and its culture - in his case the music. The same goes for Goodman's character. Peters' character, on the other hand, is on the opposite side of the spectrum, the proud insider who feels entitled to respect even when all he is - or was - is a couple of water-damaged photos on a wall. It's amazing how, so far, "Treme" manages not to glorify New Orleans, which could have been expected from lesser authors perhaps, and paints a broad picture that is definitely already starting to form as a thought out structure instead of a series of vignettes.

[ledfloyd]

;255870']Peters' character, on the other hand, is on the opposite side of the spectrum, the proud insider who feels entitled to respect even when all he is - or was - is a couple of water-damaged photos on a wall.
i don't know, he's a mardi gras indian chief. which i think is a pretty respected position in new orleans. i'll say that's one of the plotlines i don't completely understand yet (i don't really understand the mardi gras indian tradition), but in simon i trust.

[Benny Profane]

Yeah, Benny's post pretty much reflects this.

Total nonsense. It's not all the nuances of the culture that's played out, it's the worship of it that is. I love NO and the culture, been there a dozen times, beyond Bourbon Street and Mardi Gras. "Confederacy of Dunces" is one of my favorite novels as much because of the setting as anything else.

I loved seeing all those bits of culture and hearing even the most obscure songs, but there really wasn't much of an engrossing storyline in the first 80 minute episode. I understand that it's the first episode, so there has to be a lot of exposition, but right now, if you'd ask me what the show is about, I'd say, "Everyone in the unique city of New Orleans is trying to get their lives back to normal after Katrina, and one liberal lawyer is searching for a friend's brother, who may have disappeared because of foul play from the police." I don't know that that is interesting enough to keep people engaged.

And that bit with Elvis Costello is supposedly something that actually happened with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards who invited Kermit to see them play but he declined cause he never heard of the Rolling Stones.

To say I know nothing of New Orleans is completely laughable.

[ledfloyd]

To say I know nothing of New Orleans is completely laughable.
fwiw, i wasn't trying to suggest that. just that i didn't agree that new orleans culture had been played out. the worship of it, maybe, but i think it's been misdirected.

if the show has an achilles heel it is a lack of dramatic urgency, but we're two episodes in, i'm giving simon the benefit of the doubt. that even if a strong arc doesn't develop i will care enough about the characters and the culture to keep loving it.

[[ETM]]

i don't know, he's a mardi gras indian chief. which i think is a pretty respected position in new orleans.

I was thinking in terms of his "you didn't know who you were taking it from" scene. The young squatter didn't seem to care one bit. At that point, people doubted it there was going to be another parade at all. It's a complicated conflict between many different attitudes, and they are all woven into the story already...

[ledfloyd]

;255932']I was thinking in terms of his "you didn't know who you were taking it from" scene. The young squatter didn't seem to care one bit. At that point, people doubted it there was going to be another parade at all. It's a complicated conflict between many different attitudes, and they are all woven into the story already...
gotcha.

[Milky Joe]

Love it, love it, love it (2nd ep). Beautiful ending. Simon, et al have a knack for those (every Wire ending is like a mini-orgasm).

[Winston*]

Came across this story reading comments on this episode. Hope the young couple that stayed behind during the flood isn't based off these two. Jesus Christ.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/murder-most-mysterious-the-house-of-horror-in-new-orleans-420853.html

[Benny Profane]

fwiw, i wasn't trying to suggest that. just that i didn't agree that new orleans culture had been played out. the worship of it, maybe, but i think it's been misdirected.




I don't think so. All the media I was inundated with after Katrina wasn't telling me how great New Orleans was because of Bourbon Street and boobs. It mostly centered around the unique cross-section of people, music, food, and ethnic history. Just because they weren't talking about how great a drummer Stanton Moore is doesn't mean that music/culture wasn't a main focus. To be honest, I think I might like this show a lot more if Katrina never happened.

[ledfloyd]

I don't think so. All the media I was inundated with after Katrina wasn't telling me how great New Orleans was because of Bourbon Street and boobs. It mostly centered around the unique cross-section of people, music, food, and ethnic history. Just because they weren't talking about how great a drummer Stanton Moore is doesn't mean that music/culture wasn't a main focus. To be honest, I think I might like this show a lot more if Katrina never happened.
i could see that, but then you'd really have to wonder where the drama would come from.

maybe i wasn't watching the right stuff or just have a bad memory but from what i can recall i remember people mostly talking about bourbon street and mardi gras and briefly touching on the french quarter and jazz. but it really doesn't matter because i'm enjoying what simon is doing regardless.

[[ETM]]

Came across this story reading comments on this episode. Hope the young couple that stayed behind during the flood isn't based off these two. Jesus Christ.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/murder-most-mysterious-the-house-of-horror-in-new-orleans-420853.html

They were in all the news after the storm. The remaining articles and images from that time are incredibly creepy in retrospect: http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2005/09/08/national/09holdouts.2.ready.html

[D_Davis]

Just finished the first episode. Really liked it. Feels a bit directionless right now, but I imagine things will start falling in line. Really liked the bit about Tower Records going out of business. Nice little detail of the time.

Like The Wire, I'm wondering how this will play out in say ten years time in terms of cultural relevance. The Wire is totally a relic of its time, especially in the way it deals with the burgeoning technology being used - wire taps, cell phones, GPS, text-messaging, ect. - and Treme, too, seems to be taking that time capsule approach.

[[ETM]]

Like The Wire, I'm wondering how this will play out in say ten years time in terms of cultural relevance. The Wire is totally a relic of its time, especially in the way it deals with the burgeoning technology being used - wire taps, cell phones, GPS, text-messaging, ect. - and Treme, too, seems to be taking that time capsule approach.

Well, to be fair, Treme doesn't really have a choice, since it's already set five years in the past. I think their approach of contrasting the long-standing and indelible against the passing (even something as huge as the flood) is perfect.

[Qrazy]

i don't agree. sure bourbon street is played out and the typical boobs and beer perception of mardi gras. but the average american has no idea what a mardi gras indian is. doesn't really know who kermit ruffins or galactic or trombone shorty are. has a rudimentary idea of a second line if any idea of what they are at all. sure the postcard image of new orleans is played out. but i don't think the average american really gets new orleans.

Who cares? I hope the show has more places to go then this isn't New Orleans guys, this is New Orleans. That should be window dressing to an interesting story. Something which I hope and have faith happens but that the first two episodes haven't really convinced me of yet.

[Sven]

Who cares? I hope the show has more places to go then this isn't New Orleans guys, this is New Orleans. That should be window dressing to an interesting story.

I think a strong geographical character should be more than just window dressing. In many ways, I much prefer a palpable location to narrative. I'm excited to watch this show when it is out on DVD.

[Qrazy]

I think a strong geographical character should be more than just window dressing. In many ways, I much prefer a palpable location to narrative. I'm excited to watch this show when it is out on DVD.

As you haven't watched the show I don't think you fully understand what I'm saying. Now you may and perhaps will disagree with me once you do watch the show but what I'm saying is this. I do not want this show to suffer from the syndrome of belaboring it's points. A sense of geography/history is of course essential but the point/counter-point of showing a bunch of tourists and then showing one group a) not understanding the 'real' New Orleans and then the second group b) exploring and appreciating the 'real' New Orleans under the guidance of a New Orleans native seems rather belabored to me.

It would be similar if I made a movie/show about Montreal with a character encouraging tourists to go to St Laurent rather than Crescent street. The former has a better bar scene and is less of a tourist trap than the latter but as I said before, who cares. Granted all the tourist stuff has more relevance because New Orleans is a struggling city (so the main point is more so the effect these tourists actions and mindset has on the citizens) but I do find that Simon is starting to belabor that point... not overly so, but slightly.

[[ETM]]

the point/counter-point of showing a bunch of tourists and then showing one group a) not understanding the 'real' New Orleans and then the second group b) exploring and appreciating the 'real' New Orleans under the guidance of a New Orleans native seems rather belabored to me.

I didn't get that vibe at all. Sure, that's what it was on the surface, literally, but it was secondary to what happened to the main characters involved, namely Zahn and Pierce.

[Sven]

As you haven't watched the show I don't think you fully understand what I'm saying. Now you may and perhaps will disagree with me once you do watch the show but what I'm saying is this. etc etc etc

Ah. Yes. I get you. That IS really annoying. That kind of blatant approach to location has rarely worked. I love how Altman lampoons that with Geraldine Chaplin in Nashville.

[Qrazy]

;256465']I didn't get that vibe at all. Sure, that's what it was on the surface, literally, but it was secondary to what happened to the main characters involved, namely Zahn and Pierce.

Yeah I mentioned this briefly (granted I said citizens) and I'm not saying Simon is inept. As an excellent storyteller he's able to provide multiple purposes to his narrative and thematic threads. However, I still get the sense in some places that there's this 'let me show you what New Orleans is really about' attitude while we should just be seeing it without a focus on it being shown to us. In terms of the tourism bit there was also that street musician getting all riled up at the tourists. Anyway, as I mentioned it's not a big concern. I just hope the show tunes that stuff down a little bit while tuning up a season wide story arc.

[Qrazy]

Ah. Yes. I get you. That IS really annoying. That kind of blatant approach to location has rarely worked. I love how Altman lampoons that with Geraldine Chaplin in Nashville.

An elephant's secret burial ground! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtoo_qWxYnk)

:)

[ledfloyd]

i agree with you to an extent. in that i see how that could become a problem, but at the moment i don't think it is a problem.

i have a friend that is a musician in new orleans and talking with him about the show he said he thought both those points rang very true. alot of people from nola felt the way that street musician did about tourists coming down after the flood. and in his words 'there's money to be found on bourbon street, but no pride'. so i think at least so far it's more authentic feelings the characters are having than a 'don't look here, look here' approach.

[Ezee E]

And you do realize this is happening 3 months after a Hurricane that destroyed a city? This stuff should be happening.

[Qrazy]

And you do realize this is happening 3 months after a Hurricane that destroyed a city? This stuff should be happening.

Right... this is kind of one of the self-evident points I feel they're driving home a bit too hard.

[Ezee E]

Right... this is kind of one of the self-evident points I feel they're driving home a bit too hard.
I say that'd be a valid point if it extends into the second season. Otherwise, it must be prevalent. It'd be stupid to ignore it otherwise.

[Qrazy]

I say that'd be a valid point if it extends into the second season. Otherwise, it must be prevalent. It'd be stupid to ignore it otherwise.

No not ignore it, just the way it's being expressed right now... but like I said I'm only sensing that faintly so it may well be toned down and then no prob.

[number8]

So we were watching Treme when my wife suddenly got a craving to watch When the Levee Broke again. We put it on, and who's one of the first people interviewed in the first part? Wendell Pierce.

[ledfloyd]

hmm, the katrina tour bit at the end of episode three kind of taps into what we were discussing earlier, and i think it's a bit troubling. he presents them as completely inhuman, they aren't even given faces and they're looking on to someone's funeral as if it's an exhibit at a zoo or museum. certainly there is a sense of voyeurism there, but the desire to see the wreckage is a very human urge i think, one borne from a desire to understand. i feel simon stacked the deck a bit there.

on the flip side there is the scene with davis accusing his neighbors of not understanding where they live and then realizing they're just as new orleans as he is.

another stellar episode.

[Milky Joe]

certainly there is a sense of voyeurism there, but the desire to see the wreckage is a very human urge i think, one borne from a desire to understand. i feel simon stacked the deck a bit there.

Ultimately, though, it's a completely self-absorbed urge. The desire to be able to say "I was there, I saw it." Why? What is the fucking point? How were those (yes, human) people doing anything of any value to anyone? At all? From the point of view of the people at the funeral, they may as well have been sub-human, for all the good they were doing. I knew when I saw it that people would start saying "wahh too obvious Simon," but that scene stayed with me more than anything else in this episode. Sometimes it's best to be unsubtle, or anti-subtle.

And fwiw, the van driver was fairly humanized, on behalf of the people in the van I'd say.

[ledfloyd]

http://www.avclub.com/articles/right-place-wrong-time,40461/

avclub touches on the same thing.

[Qrazy]

hmm, the katrina tour bit at the end of episode three kind of taps into what we were discussing earlier, and i think it's a bit troubling. he presents them as completely inhuman, they aren't even given faces and they're looking on to someone's funeral as if it's an exhibit at a zoo or museum. certainly there is a sense of voyeurism there, but the desire to see the wreckage is a very human urge i think, one borne from a desire to understand. i feel simon stacked the deck a bit there.

on the flip side there is the scene with davis accusing his neighbors of not understanding where they live and then realizing they're just as new orleans as he is.

another stellar episode.

Yeah also that bit of theme spouting at the beginning... 'I just want my city back'. I feel like the situation was clear enough without him coming right out and saying that.

[Ezee E]

Yeah also that bit of theme spouting at the beginning... 'I just want my city back'. I feel like the situation was clear enough without him coming right out and saying that.
Fits with his annoying character though so I'll take it.

The tourists coming in is working though. Instead of it being "exploitation," we're starting to see that the citizens are just as annoyed with it as we are. They have no way around it.

Looking forward to what John Goodman does on youtube.

Favorite character is still the restaurant owner. Love her.

[Winston*]

I rolled my eyes when the parents hadn't heard of youtube, but then I remembered that this show is set in 2004.

[Ezee E]

One of the guys at the firehouse walked in at the beginning of the last episode and was immediately hooked.

You gotta love the violin girl. Hopefully she just figures out immediately that Amsterdam Douche is a douche and moves on without any of the predictable guilt that she'll have.

[ledfloyd]

You gotta love the violin girl. Hopefully she just figures out immediately that Amsterdam Douche is a douche and moves on without any of the predictable guilt that she'll have.
i'm kind of hoping they aren't going where i think they're going with that story.

[Ezee E]

i'm kind of hoping they aren't going where i think they're going with that story.
Which is?

[ledfloyd]

Which is?
a few people have noted there are similarities between their story and the story of zachary bowen and addie hall. (http://blog.nola.com/tpcrimearchive/2006/10/katrina_survivalists_descent_i .html)

[Ezee E]

a few people have noted there are similarities between their story and the story of zachary bowen and addie hall. (http://blog.nola.com/tpcrimearchive/2006/10/katrina_survivalists_descent_i .html)
Nah. Not gonna happen.

The show seems to like its characters so much that I doubt anyone will die, except for maybe Albert for beating the crap out of the first thief.

[Qrazy]

Pointless tangent: I'm pretty sure I noticed a continuity error. The layout of youtube when Goodman watches a video is not the way it used to be laid out.

[Benny Profane]

Finally caught up, and I've yet to see any direction for this show. At times it verges on tedious and feels much longer than it's length. It's also excessively preachy at times (Davis' song and all his soapboxing, Youtube, etc.) I guess I'm supposed to care about LaDonna's brother but I can't say I do. I don't give a lick about any of these characters except for the restaurant chef. The lack of drama is disheartening. I'll finish the first season to see if it picks up, or else I'm dropping it. Something I never thought I'd say about a Simon creation after The Wire.

[Qrazy]

Benny, I'm not feeling quite as negatively about it all as your post suggests you do but I do agree with your general perspective. The problems I had with the show are definitely still there.

[Benny Profane]

Benny, I'm not feeling quite as negatively about it all as your post suggests you do but I do agree with your general perspective. The problems I had with the show are definitely still there.

Ya know what? After re-rereading that paragraph, I don't feel as negatively about it as it must sound. However, I think this show has a lot of potential but so far I'm under the impression that it will never be tapped.

[Qrazy]

Ya know what? After re-rereading that paragraph, I don't feel as negatively about it as it must sound. However, I think this show has a lot of potential but so far I'm under the impression that it will never be tapped.

Agreed.

[ledfloyd]

i'm still trying to decide if i like or dislike the dramaless nature of the piece. i'm not sure if dramaless is even apt. there is drama, but it's on a small scale. the only major drama is the brother that's lost in the prison system (which, i'll agree, i can't really seem to care about as much as i feel like i should, i sympathize more with melissa leo's character than khandi alexanders). but there is goodman struggling with his book, antoine struggling to get gigs against all odds, the tensions between sonny and annie, janette's struggles with her restaurant, delmond's struggles with his heritage. all drama, none of it very grandiose. i think he's trying to sink us into the lives of relatively ordinary people. untapped potential is something i'm not sure i can argue with. i think the statement the show is trying to make is that culture is what keeps us going through the hard times. for the most part i like the characters. bunk and lester's characters. the chef. the violinist. melissa leo. goodman and zahn are entertaining enough if not necessarily likeable. and the culture that they lose themselves in is vibrant and intoxicating. the second lines, the recording sessions, etc. i'm enjoying taking it all in. but yes, i'm kind of waiting for something bigger.

[Ezee E]

I'm remaining patient as it took me, and most of us, about 5-6 episodes of The Wire to get into it. Granted, the plot issue was not the show's problem at first.

[Benny Profane]

i'm still trying to decide if i like or dislike the dramaless nature of the piece. i'm not sure if dramaless is even apt. there is drama, but it's on a small scale. the only major drama is the brother that's lost in the prison system (which, i'll agree, i can't really seem to care about as much as i feel like i should, i sympathize more with melissa leo's character than khandi alexanders). but there is goodman struggling with his book, antoine struggling to get gigs against all odds, the tensions between sonny and annie, janette's struggles with her restaurant, delmond's struggles with his heritage. all drama, none of it very grandiose. i think he's trying to sink us into the lives of relatively ordinary people. untapped potential is something i'm not sure i can argue with. i think the statement the show is trying to make is that culture is what keeps us going through the hard times. for the most part i like the characters. bunk and lester's characters. the chef. the violinist. melissa leo. goodman and zahn are entertaining enough if not necessarily likeable. and the culture that they lose themselves in is vibrant and intoxicating. the second lines, the recording sessions, etc. i'm enjoying taking it all in. but yes, i'm kind of waiting for something bigger.


Ugh, I'm getting tired of Lester Freamon and his exaggerated gravitas. And Sonny the homeless scarecrow is incredibly annoying. He's been in NO for 18 months and acts like he built the city himself.

[Qrazy]

Ugh, I'm getting tired of Lester Freamon and his exaggerated gravitas. And Sonny the homeless scarecrow is incredibly annoying. He's been in NO for 18 months and acts like he built the city himself.

It's especially frustrating because Clarke Peters was so good and drastically different in The Wire and The Corner. He has the potential for range but I don't care for this character at all. Also his (not so) random act of violence against that teenager? Um... ok.

[ledfloyd]

Ugh, I'm getting tired of Lester Freamon and his exaggerated gravitas. And Sonny the homeless scarecrow is incredibly annoying. He's been in NO for 18 months and acts like he built the city himself.
he's supposed to be incredibly annoying. i think he is anyway.

[Ezee E]

It's especially frustrating because Clarke Peters was so good and drastically different in The Wire and The Corner. He has the potential for range but I don't care for this character at all. Also his (not so) random act of violence against that teenager? Um... ok.
Antoine's character has worked just fine with me. I'm fairly sure he'll be feeling the consequences of beating up that teenager somewhere in the future. Otherwise it would be just strange to have there.

And I hate Sonny too. But not because of the actor portarying him, or the character itself. Just like how I didn't like Marlo. It's actually the storyline that I like the most as the chef seems to be at the same point that she was when she first started, just struggling a little harder.

[number8]

http://www.theonion.com/articles/new-david-simon-project-to-investigate-happy-upper,17426/

[Ezee E]

Interest in this show seems to have died, and mine as well. I want to finish out the series, but it's nothing that I'll be looking forward to next season. The criticisms in this thread are accurate now that it's at the 6th or 7th episode. Despite interesting characters and a unique approach, it just doesn't give you the extra interest that something like The Wire gave.

[[ETM]]

Even those who love The Wire can't agree on everything about it.
I'm as interested in Treme as I ever was. Different setting, different vibe, different goals, different show. Somehow, it feels as though it's all gonna come together in these last few episodes.

[number8]

I'm still very much interested. I made a new friend at my local bar and recently found out that he lived in New Orleans for 20 years. We had a nice discussion on the show. He said he has to watch it at his friend's place because if he watches it alone he'd start bawling and freaking out at how authentic it is. He also recognizes many of the bit players on the show. I think there are a lot of viewers who are just too captivated by the portrait of the city to really care about the lack of a narrative drive.

I can't wait for tonight's episode.

[Milky Joe]

I'm still interested, but have been too busy recently to keep with it: it's a real emotional drain to watch this stuff (can't wait for True Blood!!11!1). I'll catch up after I'm done with finals.

[[ETM]]

I think there are a lot of viewers who are just too captivated by the portrait of the city to really care about the lack of a narrative drive.

Indeed. The Wire sort of disguises itself as a "cop show", while Treme does nothing like that - you're just dropped right into the city, with all its good and bad aspects, and you live it with the characters. If you don't care about it, it's not gonna grab you on a superficial level at all. I've heard complaints that "there's live music every few minutes" as if it's not the coolest thing about the show. No matter how depressing the circumstances, whenever they play or sing in Treme, it makes me want to get up and dance. So, as far as I'm concerned, it's definitely "working".

[Kurosawa Fan]

I haven't started yet, but I've already read that HBO is feeling a bit of buyer's remorse at renewing the show so early. I'm hoping I don't mind the "stagnant" nature of the show. Simon hasn't failed me yet.

[Qrazy]

I'm starting to tire of Simon's crusade against bureaucracy. I mean yes, it's usually awful, and yes his criticisms are almost always on point. However after The Wire, then Generation Kill and now this... the pet theme is becoming a little old. I hope he branches out with his next show and explores some completely different issues.

Is this what Homicide is all about too?

[[ETM]]

I'd rather see bureaucracy change instead of Simon.

[Milky Joe]

I haven't started yet, but I've already read that HBO is feeling a bit of buyer's remorse at renewing the show so early. I'm hoping I don't mind the "stagnant" nature of the show. Simon hasn't failed me yet.

I'm getting so sick of HBO's fickle attitude towards their programming. They get a little praise and they immediately renew the show and herald it as the Next Great Thing--they get a little negativity and its immediately 'we made a mistake.' Make a decision and fucking stick with it, for once.

I hate to think of the fate that will befall Luck, no matter how good or bad it is. They must be biting their fucking knuckles at the prospect of another Milch endeavor. also,


;264410']I'd rather see bureaucracy change instead of Simon.

This.

[Qrazy]

;264410']I'd rather see bureaucracy change instead of Simon.

Right... well it hasn't for over five thousand years so I"m not sure why it would now.

[ledfloyd]

I think there are a lot of viewers who are just too captivated by the portrait of the city to really care about the lack of a narrative drive.
exactly. narrative is for the weak.

[number8]

Right... well it hasn't for over five thousand years so I"m not sure why it would now.

Because of David Simon! Duh!

[[ETM]]

Hell yeah. That's what I'm talkin' about.

[Qrazy]

*facepalm*

[[ETM]]

*facepalm*

Heh.

Here's something from the comment section on this week's "Treme explained" post by Dave Walker of The Times-Picayune:


I'm glad people care to know about all the references- But I wish someone would explain all the bad acting and the overuse of the New Orleans cliche. WHy the eff is Janette singing Iko Iko on the sidewalk with tourists? Why does davis put fiddle lady into a cab (i'm surprised the writer didn't point out the name of the cab company)? Who effing cares about these details? How about a better story? Nobody's talking about the story! The wire was riveting. Seems like everybody watches Treme to see if they can catch a reference to Baby Dodds or Zigaboo, or somebody they know. Yawn.

*shrugs*

[ledfloyd]

what wasn't great about the davis and annie story this week? the ending was wonderfully bittersweet.

[[ETM]]

what wasn't great about the davis and annie story this week? the ending was wonderfully bittersweet.

I understand some people even less than they understand the show.

[Benny Profane]

I kinda liked the Davis/Annie farewell too, but where does it lead? Where does any of it lead, and is it compelling enough to watch if it doesn't lead anywhere? If Sonny and Annie break up, so what? If Annie gets together with Davis, so what? If John Goodman finally finishes his novel, so what? If Bunk and LaDonna rekindle their relationship, so what? It's still a show about a mish-mash of characters with little persuasiveness. If you're going to ditch narrative, you have to at least make the other aspects of the show interesting. Something that's worth the time investment. New Orleans is a unique city, we get it. It has great music, we know. But you need to deliver something else.

[[ETM]]

But you need to deliver something else.

Or you can just go to another city. Or show. It's the same in the end.

[Qrazy]

;264730']Or you can just go to another city. Or show. It's the same in the end.

Speaking of which...


He said he has to watch it at his friend's place because if he watches it alone he'd start bawling and freaking out at how authentic it is.


If everyone in and from New Orleans actually spends all their time discussing the nature of and complaining about the current state of New Orleans... then it must be an awfully obnoxious place to live.

[ledfloyd]

is it compelling enough to watch if it doesn't lead anywhere?
yep.


If everyone in and from New Orleans actually spends all their time discussing the nature of and complaining about the current state of New Orleans... then it must be an awfully obnoxious place to live.
i'm sure they were 6 months after the storm.

[Ezee E]

That Mardi Gras episode was a little different in tone, and lovely to watch from beginning to end. Might be my favorite episode.

[[ETM]]

That Mardi Gras episode was a little different in tone, and lovely to watch from beginning to end. Might be my favorite episode.

I loved how it went from enthusiastic optimism to sadness within a day for most characters.

[Ezee E]

;265385']I loved how it went from enthusiastic optimism to sadness within a day for most characters.
Yes. And for some the turning point was literally at midnight when Mardi Gras was over. Still, pleasant to watch compared to the rest of the episodes.

[number8]

Whoa, wat:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37640514/ns/today-entertainment/

[Ezee E]

Good for him. The immediate reaction to anyone seeing Goodman in that show is simply, "Jees..."

[Kurosawa Fan]

Whoa, wat:

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/37640514/ns/today-entertainment/

That's awesome. He certainly looks much better.

[Benny Profane]

Well, that was better. Drama, intrigue, and conflict can be good for a show!

[Ezee E]

Well, that was better. Drama, intrigue, and conflict can be good for a show!
Yeah. The last two episodes have been very good. Looking forward to the end of the season.

I'll be pretty angry if it turns out that Goodman did kill himself. Over his own writing. Really? I don't think he did. Perhaps considered it, but still saw all the great things that New Orleans can still bring to him.

[ledfloyd]

Yeah. The last two episodes have been very good. Looking forward to the end of the season.

I'll be pretty angry if it turns out that Goodman did kill himself. Over his own writing. Really? I don't think he did. Perhaps considered it, but still saw all the great things that New Orleans can still bring to him.
i didn't think there was any question at all.

there was more to it than his writing. his students didn't seem to care about what he was teaching him, but most importantly mardi gras didn't restore his faith in the city he loved.

[[ETM]]

Great penultimate episode.

[[ETM]]

Pretty fascinating interview with David Simon re: Treme Season One (http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/interview-treme-co-creator-david-simon-post-mortems-season-one)

[number8]

The flashback should have been cheesy, but it actually hit pretty hard for me.

[number8]

;267370']Pretty fascinating interview with David Simon re: Treme Season One (http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/whats-alan-watching/posts/interview-treme-co-creator-david-simon-post-mortems-season-one)

I have an issue with what he says about television, actually. He seems too quick to dismiss the weekly discussions, almost as if he's forgetting what medium he's working in. Obviously he can do whatever he wants and it has worked well for him, but television is an episodic beast and there's nothing you can do about the way the audience would have to perceive it as such. Unless, of course, he wants to be the first guy to do a direct-to-dvd television show.

[[ETM]]

The flashback should have been cheesy, but it actually hit pretty hard for me.

Yes. I winced a bit when it started but damn... from what I read, it brought back some nasty memories for many people who lived it. The second line in the end was just beautiful.

As for Simon, he is what he is. He did dial back his initial comments a bit, as Alan explains, on that specific issue and I'm okay with it.

[number8]

I'll be pretty angry if it turns out that Goodman did kill himself. Over his own writing. Really? I don't think he did. Perhaps considered it, but still saw all the great things that New Orleans can still bring to him.

Now that you've been proven wrong, I have to ask what you guys think. I personally thought his decision made sense (you know what I mean, narrative-wise) and I'm confused by people criticizing it because they don't buy it. Why is it not believable?

[Benny Profane]

Now that you've been proven wrong, I have to ask what you guys think. I personally thought his decision made sense (you know what I mean, narrative-wise) and I'm confused by people criticizing it because they don't buy it. Why is it not believable?



Killing yourself because your city isn't as great as it used to be DOES seem a little far-fetched. If it's because he wasn't reaching his students, then it seemed tacked on, almost as if Goodman decided towards the end of filming that he wasn't returning and they needed to do something about it quick in his last episode.

[ledfloyd]

he was blocked up and they were threatening him with the advance he had already spent for his novel. mardi gras, the one thing he was still looking forward to, ended up not being the spiritual rebirth he was hoping for it to be. i think even the rage he possessed in the early episodes are indicative of a man largely unsatisfied with his life. i don't think it's a reach. and the way it was handled in the 9th episode made it feel really natural. the sense of euphoria he got once he made the decision and everything else.

[Ezee E]

Killing yourself because your city isn't as great as it used to be DOES seem a little far-fetched. If it's because he wasn't reaching his students, then it seemed tacked on, almost as if Goodman decided towards the end of filming that he wasn't returning and they needed to do something about it quick in his last episode.

Agreed. And please, he's had students that didn't care about what he had to say since day one. Awful motivation in my mind. I haven't watched the episode yet, so I'll be curious about how the news hits the family who will likely be blindsided by it all.

[[ETM]]

There is a lot about depression and suicidesome of you guys don't seem to understand. I had an aunt who killed herself a few years ago. She was in her late 30s, talented cook, great job at a good restaurant, loving family, just got a neat place of her own, a great person, there was never any hint that she was anything but a happy, universally loved woman... She jumped off a bridge. It seem there was some kind of a problem she had with a guy she was seeing, but nothing solid. For all anyone knew - she was leading a good life and then she just... killed herself.

It is very easy to assume and judge when you're not in that person's skin. We can only speculate and try to understand, and I think the show has given us more than enough food for thought on the matter. Also, there's precedent. Read the goddamn interview.

[number8]

he was blocked up and they were threatening him with the advance he had already spent for his novel. mardi gras, the one thing he was still looking forward to, ended up not being the spiritual rebirth he was hoping for it to be. i think even the rage he possessed in the early episodes are indicative of a man largely unsatisfied with his life. i don't think it's a reach. and the way it was handled in the 9th episode made it feel really natural. the sense of euphoria he got once he made the decision and everything else.

I don't think the point the show was making with his death was about how sad his life is. I don't think it's about him at all. I even think that's precisely why they chose to have the well-off guy with the amazingly loving family do what he did; it's to illustrate just how profound Katrina was in the sense of loss that its citizens felt. Like Simon said, it was a near-death experience.

One thing that you'll hear NOLA people would say a lot now (including the bar guy I met that I mentioned some pages earlier in this thread) is that things have changed permanently. It's not the same city anymore and it can never be that city again. Bouncing back is one thing, but that city will always live under Katrina's shadow. The one thing that Creighton thought could put the hurricane as the city's definition under a rug was Mardi Gras, to show that they can still make it like how it was. But the reality hit him hard that even that year's Mardi Gras still had Katrina's stamp on it. If you see it from his eyes, he seems to be the only person who realizes that things will only get worse from then on. In the episode where the publisher is hounding for his novel, he said writing it seems trivial after Katrina. He pretty much applied that to everything he loved. Writing seems trivial, teaching is trivial, Madi Gras is trivial, being angry and lashing out (which is what he's been doing) is just as trivial, and ultimately, living a life in this new New Orleans is trivial to him.

So in that sense, I found it very believable for him to just up and give up on the city, just like Janette did. Unfortunately for Creighton, moving to another city is not an option for him, for a number of reasons.


Awful motivation in my mind.

Well... There's no such thing as a good motivation for suicide.

[Ezee E]

Fair point.

What I should add on is that I don't consider this bad writing or bad direction from the show. It's more about the character itself, and that he would be led to that direction.

Season 2 seems like it'll shape up to be even darker than season 1 with hope being completely lost, instead of the idea that hope is on the way.

[Ezee E]

An alright season finale. Almost seems like a series finale as there really isn't much to look forward to next season. Wonder if Simon was somewhat shocked that they got a renewal.

Overall, despite not being engaged like I was with The Wire or other HBO shows, I was still interested enough at every week to look forward to the episode when I sat down and watched it. I'd probably give it a solid B+/A- and will certainly watch the next season.

[Grouchy]

Just saw the finale and I think this series is fucking amazing. I was in the verge of tears the whole episode.

I also didn't know this was the end of the season and only guessed it when the flashback started for obvious reasons.

My favorite characters are probably Davis, Batiste and LaDonna. In fact, I have a huge crush on LaDonna right now. I want her to whisper gravely voiced words into my ear.

[Ezee E]

Season 2 "Teaser" (http://www.movieweb.com/tv/TV7UkaabemBfa8/season-2-trailer)

[number8]

I'm gonna be chatting on the phone with Wendell Pierce in a couple of hours. Throw me questions if you got 'em.

[ledfloyd]

i posted this on facebook but it may appeal to some people here.

http://www.guernicamag.com/interviews/2530/simon_4_1_11/

great interview with simon, mostly revolving around concepts covered in the wire, but still.

[ledfloyd]

it's good to be back in the treme.

[Ezee E]

I only got to watch half the show as my friend was chatting away with another friend during it all, and I didn't want to miss anything so I changed it. Will have to rewatch tonight.

With that, my dad gave me the next two episodes that he got to review a month ago. Do I watch them, and have to wait three more weeks???? Tough to say...

[[ETM]]

Loved the premiere. The direction, it seemed to me, jumped between storylines too abruptly at times, but beyond that - welcome back to Treme.

[ledfloyd]

With that, my dad gave me the next two episodes that he got to review a month ago. Do I watch them, and have to wait three more weeks???? Tough to say...
you give them to me, i'll watch them and let you know what you should do.

[transmogrifier]

Finally caught up on the show, and I think it's great. It has an almost Altman-esque approach to the idea of story, just a bunch of characters united by some external event hanging out and bouncing off each other.

The weakest aspect of the show is easily Annie and Sonny, but that's because, unlike any of the other characters, they are only ever shown responding to each other. There is no external plot(s) that they are involved in that throws their relationship into relief - instead, all their scenes are basically reiterations of their already establish relationship routines, and as such are a bit of drag. Which is a shame, because Annie is too damn cute to waste.

Season 2 Spoiler
It's good to see her with Davis, as this might now allow her to actually spread her wings and become confident enough to actually interact with others and be involved with a story or two.


I'm superglad to see that it has retained The Wire habit of taking previously minor characters and expanding them, or using them as links to future stories. I love that shit.

Very much looking forward to the rest of the season.

[[ETM]]

I loved the opening sequence to tonight's episode...

[ledfloyd]

did i forget how good treme was or did it get that much better between seasons?

[[ETM]]

"I know I ain't crazy... I got sense I ain't even used yet."

[[ETM]]

That might have been my favorite episode of the season so far.

[Irish]

did i forget how good treme was or did it get that much better between seasons?

I was afraid the show would take a nose dive in quality after Mills died.

I enjoyed last season, but I agree this season seems somehow superior. Maybe it's because we know the characters a little better, or that the writers are including more sharply defined drama --

The lawyer tracking down what happened to that man's son, the Houston developers, LaDonna being beaten and raped yet not telling her family, etc.

One thing I know for sure is that season one had better music, and more of it.

[Ezee E]

One thing I know for sure is that season one had better music, and more of it.

Sort of the point of Season 2, no?

[Irish]

Sort of the point of Season 2, no?

Interesting insight. It ties into the stories about the city and its people drifting away from their roots (Davis, Delmond, Janette, the Houston developers, etc).

I'm almost positive I saw Kermit Ruffins in the crowd at the funeral this past week, though, so I assumed he was still in the city doing what he does. Which confused me.

Maybe I'm just greedy for another good soundtrack out of the season.

[Ezee E]

Interesting insight. It ties into the stories about the city and its people drifting away from their roots (David, Delmond, Janette, the Houston developers, etc).

I'm almost positive I saw Kermit Ruffins in the crowd at the funeral this past week, though, so I assumed he was still in the city doing what he does. Which confused me.

Maybe I'm just greedy for another good soundtrack out of the season.

I've only seen the first two eps, but one of the things that I hear about from New Orleans citizens is that the music scene has died there. Live bands are cut out for mp3s that can be played for free. The French Quarter is still there, but it's dead beyond that.

[Irish]

I've only seen the first two eps, but one of the things that I hear about from New Orleans citizens is that the music scene has died there. Live bands are cut out for mp3s that can be played for free. The French Quarter is still there, but it's dead beyond that.

I've heard similar things to people who visited a few years after Katrina.

There's still WWOZ (http://www.wwoz.org), though, and every hour or two they're announcing the club listings. So that's something, at least.

Edit: Heh, just checked and Kermit Ruffins is on the front page of WWOZ. He's performing ... right now! with Irma Thomas.

[[ETM]]

If you mean in the episode - yeah, he got in late to the church service, but he was there and he played.

[ledfloyd]

i can confirm that the live music scene in new orleans is alive and well. it's actually quite the opposite, the french quarter (or at least bourbon street) is plagued with cover bands and prerecorded music. in other parts of the city (like frenchman street) you can see some authentic new orleans music 7 nights a week. there are some places in the quarter off bourbon street that are pretty good too, but for the most part that area has been commercialized and is very touristy.

i'm not sure i completely agree with this post, but i think he has a point and it's definitely worth reading: http://eddieonfilm.blogspot.com/2010/05/scarred-by-nbc-and-homicide.html

[[ETM]]

I think that's an overreaction. On this last episode in particular, quick cuts between various threads had, to me, a pretty obvious and logical purpose of building towards a single point. He might be right, the editing could make for a tighter episode overall, but the point is - it worked, and that should be good enough.

[Ezee E]

Bourbon Street and the French Quarter have always been touristy.

[ledfloyd]

Bourbon Street and the French Quarter have always been touristy.

i was just responding to your claim that the french quarter is there but there's nothing else.

[[ETM]]

The Mardi Gras episode is amazing... just a brilliant hour of television. Favorite episode this season.

[ledfloyd]

this season, with the possible exception of the short shrift given to ladonna's storyline, which probably merits a bit more gravity, has been more or less perfect. i even cared about sonny this week. and my crush on annie is ever-deepening.

[[ETM]]

the short shrift given to ladonna's storyline, which probably merits a bit more gravity

Oh, that one's just simmering, I'm sure it will blow up in no time.

And:
http://a4.l3-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/20/8f3de80fe3ea5eeea60b01296dd62e c1/l.jpg

ROWR

[ledfloyd]

oh hai, her face looks very different there than it does on the show.

[[ETM]]

oh hai, her face looks very different there than it does on the show.

Yeah, she's incredibly sexy and a knockout on stage (most of her performing pics show her wearing extremely loose and revealing tops etc.) but she has that "next door" quality that allows her to blend into a crowd when without makeup.

[ledfloyd]

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lbusgjbsOX1qa4cp2o1_500 .jpg

*swoon*

[[ETM]]

DJ Davis and the Brassy Knoll is such a great band name.

[ledfloyd]

i'm starting to think you and i are the only ones watching this show.

[[ETM]]

i'm starting to think you and i are the only ones watching this show.

Given the ratings, yeah.. although, it may be that they just don't want to talk about it.

[ledfloyd]

;352763']Given the ratings, yeah.. although, it may be that they just don't want to talk about it.
the ratings are a shame, at least we're pretty much guaranteed a third season. i know HBO kept the wire around even though it wasn't a ratings hit but i don't think they were ever this low consistently. trying to wrap things up in 3 seasons seems like maybe rushing things, but, oh well.

[[ETM]]

Treme is doing its thing almost perfectly. It's like - if we give up on shows like this, Pawn Stars have won. I'd keep it on out of spite.

[Benny Profane]

Does Nielsen make adjustments for households who DVR/Tivo shows like Treme and watch them later? Because I almost never watch shows when they first air, and I'm assuming a lot of people are like that. Does the box pick up on that?

I am still watching Treme and enjoying this season a lot more than the first. I just don't find that there's much to discuss.

[ledfloyd]

Does Nielsen make adjustments for households who DVR/Tivo shows like Treme and watch them later? Because I almost never watch shows when they first air, and I'm assuming a lot of people are like that. Does the box pick up on that?
i'm not sure about nielsen but i do think HBO keeps track of such things.

[Irish]

Does Nielsen make adjustments for households who DVR/Tivo shows like Treme and watch them later?

Yeah. It's called time-shifted viewing. They started tracking TiVO and the like awhile ago (see this recent write up (http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=146515)).

I'm not sure how relevant the data is for an HBO show, though, because your cable company knows exactly what you're watching every second your TV is on.

[Ezee E]

Doubt Treme is getting a third season. Usually they renew when the new season airs, or within the first few weeks at least.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

Doubt Treme is getting a third season. Usually they renew when the new season airs, or within the first few weeks at least.

Yup, it was renewed for season 3 a few weeks into the season, about a month ago.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/HBO-Renews-Treme-1033087.aspx

[Ezee E]

Yup, it was renewed for season 3 a few weeks into the season, about a month ago.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/HBO-Renews-Treme-1033087.aspx
Good to know then!

[[ETM]]

I'm not sure how relevant the data is for an HBO show, though, because your cable company knows exactly what you're watching every second your TV is on.

The only numbers HBO cares about are subscriptions and revenue vs. production costs. Numbers of viewers for any particular show are only for reference and bragging rights. As I said, HBO should keep Treme on as long as it's creatively strong if only out of pure spite. I suspect it draws in a very particular crowd, one that doesn't necessarily overlap with their other current programming.

[amberlita]

;353233']The only numbers HBO cares about are subscriptions and revenue vs. production costs. Numbers of viewers for any particular show are only for reference and bragging rights. As I said, HBO should keep Treme on as long as it's creatively strong if only out of pure spite. I suspect it draws in a very particular crowd, one that doesn't necessarily overlap with their other current programming.

I agree with this. I think HBO knows that the people who watch Treme are very dedicated and very particular viewers, the kind who expect HBO to provide a level of high-end intellectual programming that, should they drop said programming purely because of poor ratings, might cause those people to abandon their subscription all-together because their opinion of HBO's product has suddenly plummeted. HBO is in the business of supporting David Simon and if that means a lot to 500,000 viewers who might not pay up if they reneged on that labal then they're worth keeping one show around.

[Irish]

;353233']The only numbers HBO cares about are subscriptions and revenue vs. production costs. Numbers of viewers for any particular show are only for reference and bragging rights.

If that were true, then Deadwood, Rome, and Carnivale would still be on the air, or at least would have been on the air for more seasons.

Being subscriber-only cable gives them more leeway than a broadcast network, but they still care about ratings/hard numbers.

[[ETM]]

If that were true, then Deadwood, Rome, and Carnivale would still be on the air, or at least would have been on the air for more seasons.

I suspect "Treme" costs only a tiny fraction of either of those shows, which was my point all along: they do care about numbers, but "Treme" is not a tentpole - it's "Game of Thrones" right now - it's a peculiar, unique show, and by Simon. It's virtually timeless, gets awesome reviews, and it will be viewed with fondness for years to come. That's the kind of property you want to nurture as long as you can in the business.

[Irish]

;353297']I suspect "Treme" costs only a tiny fraction of either of those shows, which was my point all along: they do care about numbers

Your point seems to keep changing.

They lost half their audience from season 1 to season 2. That doesn't imply any future fondness on the viewer's part (an argument, by the way, that is both silly and irrelevant).

HBO gets and retains subscribers by good press and word of mouth. You don't get that with a small audience. (People are walking into offices Monday monring talking about Game of Thrones or True Blood. If they're not talking about Treme, that's an issue.)

Deadwood was a critical darling. It was nominated for 28 Emmys and won 8. It had a rabid fanbase. HBO still cancelled it.

Granted, the revenue/cost ratio is different for a show like Treme than for Deadwood, but I can guarantee you there's a hard number HBO has in mind and as soon as Treme dips below it, it's done. (My guess is that the third season will be its last).

Good feelings on your part don't keep shows on the air. Money does.

[[ETM]]

I knew I shouldn't mentioned anything with you around. You seem to be unable to grasp some things, or you make it seem like you don't for argument's sake.

[ledfloyd]

i have trouble quantifying my love for this show. i'm tempted to claim i prefer it to mad men, but i'm not sure if that's completely true. i wish more people were watching it, i wish more people could share in the euphoric feeling i get while watching it.

[[ETM]]

I don't think it's possible. It's like jazz - if you love it, you're over the moon for it, but if you don't get what it's about, it sounds like gibberish.

[Ezee E]

I watched an episode of The Wire on the Audience Network (what the heck is that?) and then the new episode of Treme afterwards.

Both shows certainly feel the same, but I can't help but realize that a good 30-40% of the characters in Treme I could careless about, whereas in The Wire, I liked every subplot.

Antoine Batiste, for example, is kind of wasting his time in Treme this season. It's pretty boring.

Then there's Janette, who I absolutely love in this show. However, I can already tell you that her story's going to end with her getting her own restaurant back in New Orleans.

Still love Annie!

I think that's the reason there isn't much discussion in this thread. There's just not much to discuss really. Last week had something shocking... So maybe nobody is watching.

[[ETM]]

Hmm... I very much disagree on everything except liking Annie.

[Ezee E]

;356222']Hmm... I very much disagree on everything except liking Annie.
Goodman's daughter (forgot the characters' name) is another one I like. Her awakening to what New Orleans has to offer is pretty neat, even if it's not one of the main storylines.

[Irish]

I think that's the reason there isn't much discussion in this thread. There's just not much to discuss really. Last week had something shocking... So maybe nobody is watching.

I agree. There's little to no drama on the show at all. It makes stuff like LaDonna's assault seem terribly out of place, at odds with the entire tone, like they're trying to force the issue and shoehorn in some conflict.

Every character is insanely likeable, even when they shouldn't be. Jon Seda was added to the cast this year as a carpetbagger type and he should be a bad guy, even just a little sleazy, but he's not.

I'm finding myself rooting for everyone since the city has just been decimated, but I'm not sure that really makes for good dramatic television.

[ledfloyd]

i think there's plenty of drama, it's just on a real world level, not the level you're used to on tv shows. i mean annie is learning to write songs, antoine is forming a band, davis is starting a record label, delmond is trying to reconnect with his father and create something new, ladonna is struggling with being hurt by the city she loved and stuck with when everyone else told her to move on, sofia is adapting to life without her father, sonny is cleaning up and getting his shit together (one of the triumphs of season 2 is making me actually care about his character), jeanette is coming into her own as a chef, terry, colson, and nelson are mouthpieces for more wire-like concerns such as corruption and the failings of institutions.

the point is, none of these characters are inert, and while they might not be cooking meth, or trying to take down kings, or whatever else is going on in the most recent show du jour, there are real things going on here. the only character i'm not completely involved with is the jon seda character. i think it's great dramatic television, it's full of feeling and atmosphere. i think the difference here is that it focuses on character, isolated moments, and developing a sense of place moreso than narrative drive.

[[ETM]]

the only character i'm not completely involved with is the jon seda character.

I read many advance reviews which complained about his character being "on a different show". After seeing what his story is about, I agree... and it's perfectly done. He's an example of someone who, as an outsider, has a highly privileged version of the introduction to the city. He's sly and capable, but everything lines up for him almost on a silver platter. The most interesting thing is how he's not set up as a bad guy at all... he has only one goal: to make money within the confines of the law, and on its outskirts. But he's not bulldozing in - he respects the city enough to go and find out what makes its people tick, and enjoys its spoils by becoming part of it. So far, he's still just outlining the big picture about the money games surrounding the rebuilding and restoration efforts, though, and we're still waiting for the proverbial punchline.

[Irish]

Don't get me wrong. I don't think Treme should adapt some kind of high melodrama like it's Douglas Sirk in the Big Easy. But I'm not convinced that "real world drama," as you put it, makes for excessively good television.

Look at it this way: How many characters on the show have failed to get what they want, exactly when they want it? Few. You see some frustration around bureaucracy and corruption, but nothing too severe.

The sweetness-and-light tone and the constant attempts to tie everything thematically back to the city begins to feel forced. Like when Big Chief bristles at making New Orleans style music in New York. Or when Janette becomes a local hero for throwing a drink in a reviewer's face and then moves from dream job to dream job. Or when Sonny the drug addict gets his own jazzman guardian angel and private rehab on a fishing boat.

At some point, the characters become less characters and more walking symbols. They're not inert, but really, how much has changed for them? There's a lot of talk about struggle, a lot of talk about how fucked everything is, but you don't see a lot of that on screen.

[[ETM]]

It is true, in a way, but it's one of the things I like the most about the show... that's what ledfloyd meant, I suspect: sometimes, in real life, good things happen to ordinary people. One development doesn't invariably lead to an escalation, or a positive one to a shocking twist. Sometimes the junky boyfriend doesn't kill and eat his girlfriend. We've dreaded many things happening since the show began, and some of them came true, but some didn't. There's always some kind of tension that puts us on edge. Right now, I'm scared that, with Harley gone, Annie will curl back up into her shell, stop writing, and eventually grow distant from Davis and go back to her apparently recovering ex. I'm fearing for the kids from Antoine's class who wish to play on the street. The inquiry into illegal killings is getting close to people who may have did it, and several people can suffer. And Janette had it so bad the entire show, I'm glad she's finally loosening up and enjoying what she loves to do. I'm still hoping Delmond will give up his multigamy ways and hook up with her.

[[ETM]]

Btw, wasn't it awesome how they had LeToya Luckett, formerly from Destiny's Child, playing Toni's assistant all season, only for it to become clear why in the penultimate episode?:lol:

[ledfloyd]

But I'm not convinced that "real world drama," as you put it, makes for excessively good television.
i think it is excessively good tv.

[ledfloyd]

best episode of the series so far? so much to love.

[Irish]

As an actual TV show, Treme has, from the beginning, been one weird river-monster. It's simultaneously diffuse and didactic, seemingly as much the product of Simon's legendary disinclination to accept network notes as his love for New Orleans or his outrage at the institutional negligence that almost killed it. Also, it wasn't The Wire: Port of Call Crescent City, which for a lot of viewers was a deal-breaker.

Season 2 introduced a few plotlines that felt vaguely Wire-esque, involving homicide investigations and city politics favor-trading. But they unfolded in the same unhurried, low-incident way every other story on Treme unfolds. Everything that happens is of equal importance because it happens in spite of the storm -- a piano lesson, a murder, somebody having to go rent a hi-hat for their drummer.

The Wire used the structure of the cop show to deliver a message about the decay of the American city and the insanity of the drug war. Treme behaves as if genre is a crutch, as if using twists and reveals and stakes-ratcheting cliffhangers to keep people interested would somehow cheapen what the show has to say about the resilience of the human spirit and the fierce, ornery native culture of New Orleans.

Interesting reading.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6706268/the-frustrating-unlikeability-treme

[ledfloyd]

Interesting reading.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6706268/the-frustrating-unlikeability-treme
i don't agree with his criticism of the way musicians talk. i happen to know quite a few people who make a living playing music and i feel like the dialogue on treme is pretty authentic. right down to referring to bob dylan as 'bobby z' and pointing out how difficult getting by by playing modern jazz is. i've had these conversations with real people.

i really don't agree with his arguments though. what was the point of the kim dickens plotline? does there need to be a "point"? her character wanted to get out of new orleans, so we watched her try to get by in a bigger city. it seems to me many critics are trying to impose screenwriting 101 values on this show instead of just going with it and enjoying it for what it is.

i like this take, though http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bastard-machine/how-treme-found-greatness-ordinary-208035 and i think matt zoller seitz' coverage of the show for salon has been fantastic. he has a really good interview up with david simon right now over there.

[Irish]

Do you have a link to the Salon piece? I'd be interesting in reading it. I'm still trying to make sense of the series.

I read than entire THR article before realizing right at the end that it was written by Tim Goodman. Jesus, that guy is a knucklehead. He spent 1,100 words to say "Treme is good because it's good."

I get what you're saying about the musical dialogue, but I think you might have missed the overarching point: When it's done on the show, it doesn't feel authentic. It sounds like actors using jargon they don't understand. (Overall, I thought the commentary on Delmond was spot on. He's paper thin and little more than a walking symbol).

As for Kim Dickens, she's great in anything. But her "plotline" wasn't a plotline, it wasn't a story, hell it wasn't even an anecdote you'd tell your roommate. It lacked context and substance and payoff.

While I like the idea "a vibrant novel for television," in order for that to work you've got to play within some kind of storytelling boundaries. Not wander in and out of frames and scenes and taking too many narrative shortcuts.

[ThePlashyBubbler]

The MZS / David Simon Interview (http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/feature/2011/07/04/treme_season_2_david_simon_int erview)

Good read, as can be expected from the parties involved.

[Morris Schæffer]

Hey folks, as a huge fan of The Wire, I was sort of indifferent to the first two episodes of Simon's new show. Nothing really wrong with at all, and it's too soon to give up I suppose, but there are other shows waiting in the wings for me so I'm not sure what to do. I have the feeling that there's not enough forward momentum to sustain Treme beyond "it's an ode to New Orleans." So it's not the slow-buring narrative that I've a problem with - with each season of The Wire there were the initial few episodes before I really got hooked all over again, but rather the apparent lack of compelling drama. I see people living their lives period with the odd shot of a pained Clarke Peters walking through his destroyed house or surveying the aftermath to remind me that "hey, there's stuff bubbling underneath!" Does it escalate?

Thanks!

[Ezee E]

I didn't make it through the second season Morris.

[[ETM]]

It's not The Wire. It offers something very, very different. If you don't feel it, you don't.

[Morris Schæffer]

I didn't make it through the second season Morris.

Gonna give it some more thought, but I guess I'll go with Justified season 2 and Boardwalk Empire season 2.

[ledfloyd]

i thought season two was one of the best seasons of television i've seen.

[[ETM]]

i thought season two was one of the best seasons of television i've seen.

I've stopped trying to convince people and just accepted that you either love it to death, or not at all. It just happens.

[Qrazy]

I think the show found it's stride a bit more in season two (which I just marathoned yesterday and today). It did have a handful of major narrative missteps but overall there's a bunch of great stuff here. A lot of emotional nuance as is to be expected from Simon.

[Qrazy]

;356222']Hmm... I very much disagree on everything except liking Annie.

Well... he did call Janette. :lol:

[Qrazy]

I agree. There's little to no drama on the show at all. It makes stuff like LaDonna's assault seem terribly out of place, at odds with the entire tone, like they're trying to force the issue and shoehorn in some conflict.

Every character is insanely likeable, even when they shouldn't be. Jon Seda was added to the cast this year as a carpetbagger type and he should be a bad guy, even just a little sleazy, but he's not.

I'm finding myself rooting for everyone since the city has just been decimated, but I'm not sure that really makes for good dramatic television.

Agree with the first bolded section. Moments like these feel like Simon trying to return to what made The Wire work so well but they don't work as well here. The mugging murder for instance was the single hugest narrative misstep on the show. That said I do like the way some of the fall out of these momentous events are treated (re: the rape, not the murder which was poorly handled in every respect).

Seda's character is fairly sleazy, but I don't really like how he's played or all this 'cuz cuz' crap.

[Qrazy]

Don't get me wrong. I don't think Treme should adapt some kind of high melodrama like it's Douglas Sirk in the Big Easy. But I'm not convinced that "real world drama," as you put it, makes for excessively good television.

Look at it this way: How many characters on the show have failed to get what they want, exactly when they want it? Few. You see some frustration around bureaucracy and corruption, but nothing too severe.

The sweetness-and-light tone and the constant attempts to tie everything thematically back to the city begins to feel forced. Like when Big Chief bristles at making New Orleans style music in New York. Or when Janette becomes a local hero for throwing a drink in a reviewer's face and then moves from dream job to dream job. Or when Sonny the drug addict gets his own jazzman guardian angel and private rehab on a fishing boat.

At some point, the characters become less characters and more walking symbols. They're not inert, but really, how much has changed for them? There's a lot of talk about struggle, a lot of talk about how fucked everything is, but you don't see a lot of that on screen.

I'm not sure we should see a lot of it on screen I would rather they just talk less about it instead. Simon drives that point into the ground.

Also in regards to the Chief...

Are we all just supposed to forget he beat some kid to death in the beginning of the first season?

[number8]

Huh. Anthony Bourdain joining the writing staff paid off. The Jeanette plot is probably my favorite of the season.

[number8]

They're filming some local metal bands for Season 3 right now, including Eyehategod. I was glad to see the show acknowledge New Orleans bounce hip hop in season 2, so it's pretty cool that they're going to keep expanding the featured music.

[[ETM]]

Some good news (http://www.hitfix.com/whats-alan-watching/hbo-renews-treme-for-abbreviated-fourth-and-final-season), I guess. I mean, it's not a full 4th season, but at least they'll finish the arcs.


HBO has offered us a lump sum to budget a conclusion to 'Tremé,' and we are trying to figure out how to stretch that amount in the best possible way. Right now, we are tentatively looking at anywhere between four and six hours of programming, depending on a variety of things. It's half a loaf, but it represents a sincere effort by Mike Lombardo and Richard Plepler to end the narrative properly. We'll do the best we can with the story arcs and try to conclude 'Tremé' in a resonant way.

[Because the nature of this final half-season doesn't fit the terms of the actors' contracts, the entire cast was free to walk away at this point. The producers spent the past week speaking with each actor, and Simon told the premiere audience,] To a person, they all came back, We’re happy for a chance to finish the story on our own terms.