1. Welcome to SportsJournalists.com, a friendly forum for discussing all things sports and journalism.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register for a free account to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Access to private conversations with other members.
    • Fewer ads.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Treme

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by The Big Ragu, Apr 11, 2010.

Page 1 of 8
  1. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I wanted to be the one to start the thread. Sorry. :) I know others are looking forward to the premier. One thing that got me watching HBO's inside look/preview is that it is going to get hard to getting used to the actors who played Bunk and Freeman in new roles. I have seen Wendell Pierce and Clarke Peters in other roles, but this is going to be an extended Wire-type-of-series thing. Other than that, I am really looking forward to this. If you described the show the way they have and you didn't tell me it was David Simon, I probably wouldn't have watched (I didn't start the Wire until it was toward the end of the second season and had to go back and watch everything before). But knowing the TV Simon does, I have a lot of confidence that it is going to be thoroughly researched, with good characters and a very well developed plot. Anyone else camped out at home tonight because of this?
     
    The Big Ragu, Apr 11, 2010
    #1
  2. YGBFKM

    YGBFKM Guest

    WTF is it about?
     
    YGBFKM, Apr 11, 2010
    #2
  3. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    The setting is New Orleans, right after Katrina. It looks at one of the oldest neighborhoods in the city, which has a rich music history. But with David Simon doing it, I'd expect that there will be diverse characters, their stories will intertwine and it will delve into some social issues.
     
    The Big Ragu, Apr 11, 2010
    #3
  4. dreunc1542

    dreunc1542 Active Member

    Having finished The Wire last week, about three months after I started it, I couldn't be more excited for this. However, I don't have HBO so I'll be counting on eps being posted online to keep up with it.
     
    dreunc1542, Apr 11, 2010
    #4
  5. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Just set the DVR.
     
    Moderator1, Apr 11, 2010
    #5
  6. StaggerLee

    StaggerLee Well-Known Member

    Watched it and it was about what I was hoping it would be. I thought they did a great job of recreating New Orleans three months after Katrina. Still iffy on some of the characters (Davis may irk me), but I think it's got potential to be a great series. Hell, the music alone is enough to get me to watch every week.
     
    StaggerLee, Apr 12, 2010
    #6
  7. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    Right with you, Stagger. I thought it was great, and actually unlike The Wire, it grabbed me right away. Steve Zahn and his Davis character are going to annoy me before this is all over. That guy is all Minnesota and I am just not believing him as anything New Orleans. Plus, he's just annoying as anything. The scene with Elvis Costello seemed forced, too. I'd prefer it if they don't feel like they have to do a lot of that. It was like, "Hey, we can get Elvis Costello, so let's write a scene around him." I guess the idea was that you have those really good musicians and they are so far out of the "mainstream," they have no idea who Elvis Costello is and don't care. But, meh. Other than that, I liked it a lot and yeah, the music in that episode was fantastic.
     
    The Big Ragu, Apr 12, 2010
    #7
  8. NoOneLikesUs

    NoOneLikesUs Active Member

    I thought John Goodman was the weak link. I wasn't buying his outrage, but other than that it was damn near perfect. Definitely much stronger and engaging than the first episode of The Wire.
     
    NoOneLikesUs, Apr 12, 2010
    #8
  9. DisembodiedOwlHead

    DisembodiedOwlHead Active Member

    I think the misfit character is the aim - sure, it could be done a bit differently, but they're obviously going for someone who seems like an outsider. Maybe we find out later he relocated to N.O. and is just a wannabe.
     
    DisembodiedOwlHead, Apr 13, 2010
    #9
  10. StaggerLee

    StaggerLee Well-Known Member

    Not if it's truly based on Davis Rogan, who is a fifth-generation New Orleanian. I know that was the inspiration for the part, but I don't think Steve Zahn is going to do the part justice. Of course, with every "based on a true story" title, there will be some fictionalization.

    I went back and rewatched it last night and I liked it better the second time. I think it's because the first time, there's so much to digest, so many characters being thrown at you and so many backstories.
     
    StaggerLee, Apr 13, 2010
    #10
  11. kokane_muthashed

    kokane_muthashed Active Member

    kokane_muthashed, Apr 13, 2010
    #11
  12. Steak Snabler

    Steak Snabler Well-Known Member

    I think the Elvis Costello drop-in was intentional, to show that while Davis might talk big about his musical integrity, he wimps out when in the presence of one of his heroes (it speaks to his character's being mostly full of shit). And Costello clearly wasn't buying his line of B.S. about teaching Kermit Ruffins (a real New Orleans musical institution, by the way) "everything he knows."

    And by the way, the guy who had the shift at the radio station just before Davis was portrayed by actual New Orleans radio personality Spud McConnell, who among other things, once did a one-man show as Ignatius J. Reilly from "A Confederacy of Dunces." (He was also the Woolworth's manager in "O Brother Where Art Thou?")

    [​IMG]

    Another cameo appearance in "Treme" by a real local was Phyllis Montana LeBlanc as Wendell Pierce's girlfriend. She had a huge role in Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke."

    As for the show as a whole, I liked it immensely. I'm from 100 miles from New Orleans and have spent A LOT of time there, and it seems Simon got it right. Doesn't mean the storylines are going to be great (though I suspect they will be), but it rings true to me.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
    Steak Snabler, Apr 13, 2010
    #12
Page 1 of 8
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page