Treme

I agree. As someone who grew up close to NOLA and spent a lot of time in the city, I'll probably be as critical about it as much as I enjoy it. Kermit Ruffins is the man, and I think it's great to include some locals instead of going strictly with a cast of characters to play the roles.

Was great seeing Rebirth and recognizing the actual members (with the exception of Pierce), not some Hollywood version of Rebirth. Also good to see it being shot on location.

 

Just finished watching the third episode, and damn, the ending just kicks your ass. This shit revved up quick. It's a must watch.

 

Yeah, that was well done. Sepinwall, among others, noted that the people who "want to see what happened" represent not just the tourists on the bus, but a lot of people who are watching Treme on HBO.

I'm going to make a few predictions here, and maybe some of them are obvious. First off, I'm guessing the season ends with the first Mardi Gras after Katrina.

Albert continues to have trouble putting his tribe back together (because so many members are either gone from New Orleans or dead) and thus has to take on some outsiders/newcomers. Wild Man Jesse's son becomes the new Wild Man. I figure the kid he caught banging his girlfriend in the abandoned bar ends up becoming Albert's protege and serves as his Spy Boy or Flag Boy. Maybe Wendell Pierce and the violin chick wind up in the second line.

As for Khandi Alexander's missing brother, he has to show up again somewhere. Maybe he was the guy Albert beat down for stealing his tools, but that would probably be too obvious.

 

Great show, but it is bankrupting me, because I'm buying all of the music that I hear and which is referenced.

 

Tonight's show was so-so. I'm really not liking the Davis character, and I find myself fast-forwarding through any scene he's in. And the John Goodman character is starting to get on my nerves. Seriously, that whole scene with the Christmas tree, just awkward. He just kinda stared at the tree, put up one ornament, then went back to staring at the tree. His YouTube video and subsequent fame was kinda silly also. I get it, he's pissed off, now move on. If he's just going to be the angry guy the whole show, I'll pass.

I'm anxious to see where some of the other storylines wind up. Tonight wasn't a complete miss, but it was pretty close for me. Felt disjointed, but maybe that's the intent. The music is going to keep me at least scanning through it all season.

 

As with several other characters on Treme, John Goodman's character is based on a real guy, the late blogger Ashley Morris (who was also a college professor):

http://ashleymorris.typepad.com/

 

No, I get that Steak. A NOLA friend and colleague turned me on to Ashley Morris' blog a few years back and I've read a lot of what he's written. And in that regard, the Goodman character is pretty spot-on with the political rants and such. He should be, since a couple of his rants were lifted straight from the blog.

But something bugs me about Goodman trying to portray Morris. Maybe it's the dumbfounded look he always has on his face. Ashley Morris had no idea at the time of his death how many people he impacted. The Goodman character kind of makes it look like he's all about being famous and making a name for himself.

But like I said with regards to the Davis character, every character based on a real person goes through a little bit of fictionalization and sensationalism.

 

A friend of a friend was close to Ashley. Word I get is the character is so close to the reality, it's hard for some who knew him to watch comfortably. But, they say, that has a certain ring of loud truth to it as well.

 

BTW, I'm glad they gave Anwar Glover (Slim Charles from The Wire) some lines in Episode 4. I could listen to that guy read the phone book.