Treme

I finally finished the show. It became such a hard show to really judge because I was so invested in these characters that it just felt like I was really watching their lives play out and not exactly watching a piece of written fiction. It has many of the same tendencies and stylistic choices of The Wire, but never "thrilling" in that sense so I get why it's such an underrated show. It should, in fact, be in the same all-time conversations as some of HBO's most acclaimed (Sopranos, Wire, Six Feet Under). Just a masterful series, and one that became such an easy watch and one that could brighten my day in the best possible ways. There's so much positivity and energy radiating from it, even if the subject matter sounds like the bleakest, most depressing on TV. Guys, if you haven't seen it yet, please do. I highly, highly recommend it

Yes, if you're a fan of David Simon you probably will be disappointed, but hold judgment until you've experienced both episode 1 and episode 2. In the first hour of the pilot there is a sense of the surreal. We feel a disconnect with the city and its characters. We catch glimpses of former New Orleans life but try as we might there is nothing drawing us in. New Orleans and its people are in a catatonic state. The city no longer has a soul. An hour doesn't seem that long but I must admit after sixty dreary minutes I was ready to pack it in, and then in the second hour the magic of Simon began creeping out of the cracks and crevices. It wasn't enough to convince me a compelling story would emerge, but it was enough for me to give it a second chance. A great story requires more of a setup than audiences are willing to give a writer these days. Thank god Simon never lets that influence him.

About a third of the way into episode two Simon had me. If you saw The Wire, that's probably the only criticism I had left. I can still see Bunk and Freamon. They were incredibly powerful characters and it's hard to dissociate Pierce and Peters from those parts. Wendell Pierce fills up a honky tonk stage as Antoine Batiste but aside from his trombone playing, I still expect him to wake up the next morning and head off to investigate another homicide. Same with Clarke Peters as the Indian. He's embraced his new role and already put his stamp on it, but in my mind he's still the recalcitrant Baltimore detective. I guess you could say that's pretty petty stuff. The new ensemble took over in the second episode and I can't wait for more. This is shaping up to be as good as The Wire.

This is definitely one of the best shows on HBO. It shows how New Orleans is coping with the disaster of Katrina with not only great scripts but with great characters such as Davis (Steve Zahn), Ladonna (Khandi Alexander), Antoine (Wendell Pierce) and "Big Chief" Albert (Clarke Peters). In fact, the character of Davis is truly a one of a kind character. He is both passionate and manic and you can truly feel his passion as well as his anger over the disaster that destroyed his adopted hometown. Also, this definitely captures the spirit of New Orleans, both good and bad and the true star of the show is the city of New Orleans itself with This definitely has a chance of becoming a true classic and hopefully the audience will continue to grow for this wonderful show.

That wasn't an attempt at being snide, in case you were wondering. I'm not from America so I have no idea what this series is to people who are from the States but not from New Orleans, but for me it was as fascinating look into a place and people I didn't know anything about going in. And while there can be said a lot of good about the narrative trope of having an outsider who works as a link to the audience by asking all the questions that they want the answers to, I personally enjoy once in a while being thrown in at the deep and watching characters going about their daily lives and routines and if there's something I don't understand I will have to infer the meaning or else just live with the mystery. Of course it isn't all colourful costumes and plastic beards. Most of the characters and themes like the story arch of the chef or the violinist could be told with any place as a background, but since it takes place here, we learn about New Orleans food and music through them. The stories of police brutality and corruption could also, sadly, have happened anywhere, but the hurricane made everything worse and more chaotic. In the end, this is a slice of life, where we follow a group of people in their home town, until we leave them, partly changed, partly the same, without any special conclusion or wrap-up. Some doors are closed other are opened and we could easily have followed them for four more years. New Orleans might be a special place, but the people in it are just people; human, fragile and endearing even with all their flaws.

As a local who lived here during Katrina, I find this show particularly moving and powerful.

There have been so many films, documentaries, novels, etc. about New Orleans, and most tend to sensationalize or to give non-locals what they want or expect to see. This is the most real portrait of the city I've seen, and it does justice to the spirit of the city. Living here is a strange experience because it feels like a small town: you run into the same people again and again; people are always eager to show newcomers where to eat or drink or listen to music; people are very friendly; people do tend to cringe when visitors never stray from Bourbon (even though Bourbon is fun); people do have a fierce loyalty to local bars, restaurants, etc. Simon really captures all of this in the show.

I never saw The Wire, but I'm impressed with the style of giving snapshots of the city or characters to build portraits of the people and the atmosphere - particularly the second line parade, John Goodman's character reading the Tulane renewal plan (brought back some painful memories for me personally), the Mardi Gras Indian practice, the reaction of people walking into a house or bar for the first time since the storm and surveying the damage.

My main concern for this show: I have no idea how non-New Orleanians will feel about it. So much of my enjoyment of the show is rooted in seeing people I know and finally seeing a director do justice to some of the most wonderful things about this city. But I'm not sure how I would feel if I weren't so emotionally invested in it.