Treme - David Simon's New HBO Series - Page 8

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trav McGee 

This past season was still only 2006, right? BP didn't blow up until 2010, so unless they decide to make bigger leaps in time than 6-9 months between seasons, I wouldn't expect to see Deepwater Horizon to go kablooey until a (pleasepleaseplease) 5th season at the soonest.

 

Let's let Janette have a couple years of restaurateur success again before wiping out the local seafood stock. Please?

I assume that the show would cover the Saints winning the Super Bowl in some fashion as well, and that game isn't played until February 2010. At the pace the show's going, it may not be until the 4th or 5th seasons when we get to some of these events. God, I hope this show lasts 4 or 5 seasons.

You know, I wouldn't mind if the show went 5 seasons and ended on the Super Bowl victory, and we never even get to the damn BP blowout. Barring that, end the 4th or 5th on the Saints win and let Deepwater Horizon fuck off in the last off-season. (Yes, implying a possible 6th season. You heard me, HBO.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trav McGee 

This past season was still only 2006, right?

This season ended in spring of 2007.  Season 1 had the first Mardi Gras after the storm, which would've been 2006, and there was another Mardi Gras this season.  And Toni was talking about the upcoming elections. 

I finally caught up with the season. I admit it sort of lost me about half way through. Coming after Game of Thrones, Treme just seemed dull in comparison. I loved Season 1, but much of what I loved about it was different this season. Creighton was no longer on the show, and I couldn't force myself to get into Toni's investigation or their daughter's storyline. Albert was stuck being grumpy for being grumpy's sake and took a back seat to Delmond. I wasn't liking Davis' storyline. Davis was only tolerable when he was there to cheer up Jeanette, and I didn't really buy his relationship with Annie. LaDonna's storyline was kind of one-note. Sonny has never been my favorite character. And the restaurant scenes didn't seem to go anywhere. The only stuff I did like was Antoine and his band.

But I'm glad I stuck around and the season really came together towards the end. Some highlights include Coulson's storyline, Annie and Harley, Albert jamming with Delmond, LaDonna and her husband's decision to move back to the city, Sonny's redemption, Davis realizing he was losing his band, Antoine and the kids, Toni and her daughter's moments in the finale, and many more. The finale was beautifully done and incredibly moving.

I didn't really get Nelson's storyline and still don't - he just seemed so disconnected from everything else. I don't even know if they plan on bringing the character back for next season.

Also interesting to note that in this season of Treme, they brought the police department, dock workers, politics, and education into play. This show is getting more and more like The Wire. :)

This season ends around the end of April, beginning of May 2007. JazzFest is always the last weekend of April and the first weekend of May. So I would say May 2007 is when this season ended.

I defer to your New Orleaneness you New Orleanean.

Due to some brainfart I was under the impression the show had a bigger jump between seasons. So here's hoping to many more seasons. Because Simon would have a fucking field day writing the spill in.

Finally caught up with the finale.  Loved everything about it.    

I can't remember if its been mentioned earlier, but I just found out that Oliver Thomas has been playing himself and that kinda blew me away.

And goddamn do I want to go to Jazzfest right now. 

For those that like the Mardi gras Indians costumes, you can help support the building of one on Kickstarter.

Production has been under way for awhile.

I have heard the Henry Glover case will be one thing brought up this season. Probably be something spinning out of what the Captain gave the FBI at the end of the season.

Didn't know where else to put this, so here:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/david-simon-is-tired-of-your-love-for-the-wire,72030/

Consider my hand bitten, and I'm thinking twice about further feedings.

And a speedy almost-retraction!

http://www.avclub.com/articles/david-simon-apologizes-sort-of-for-saying-youre-wa,72054/

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lightning Slim 

Didn't know where else to put this, so here:

 

http://www.avclub.com/articles/david-simon-is-tired-of-your-love-for-the-wire,72030/

 

Consider my hand bitten, and I'm thinking twice about further feedings.

Well, that would be dumb, for numerous reasons.

At least use the original article instead of the snarky misinterpreted op-ed piece:

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/05/the-game-never-ends-david-simon-on-wearying-wire-love-and-the-surprising-usefulness-of-twitter/?ref=arts

In context, his comments make perfect sense, and reveal the AV Club writer (and many of their commenters) to be exactly the type of person Simon was criticizing: the guy who walks in late, doesn't pay attention and acts like he knows better than anyone else what's going on.

AV Club did do a hatchet job there. However, the orignal quote, in context, still arrogant.

I just think that Simon is a guy who is tired of scores of people calling him a genius after his shows are yanked off the air due to low ratings.  If all of the people who call The Wire "the greatest television show in the history of television" had watched it during its original run (and I admit, I didn't), then there might have been more seasons of the show.  But now he has all of these people singing his praises for a show that hardly anybody was watching and that must be pretty frustrating.

But that's just my opinion.

Hard life, making art that people love. Being called a genius, early, late or otherwise. Makes you want to lash out, I guess.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ben W 

I just think that Simon is a guy who is tired of scores of people calling him a genius after his shows are yanked off the air due to low ratings. 

Bingo.  And yeah, he comes off as arrogant, but I totally get his "well, where were you back then?" attitude.  So many of my friends love the Wire, and all of them continue to actively avoid Treme.  

To be perfectly honest, if I had HBO during the first few years of The Wire, I probably wouldn't have watched it.  I really would not have known any better.  I rented it and decided to give the first disc a shot.  I had no idea what was going on in that first episode but obviously it was worth it.  

I only started watching Treme because of Simon and once again I stuck in there and was greatly rewarded.  So I guess Simon can go on being a dick.  If he and his crew keep up the amazing work that they are doing, I'll be there to watch.

As someone who watched the Wire as it aired I sympathize with how he feels. Not because I'm holding some arrogant 'I liked it before it was cool' attitude, but because I always wanted to talk about it with people and no one had seen it. Now, everyone has seen it and wants to rave about it, and  honestly, it's kind of annoying.

Nice selective quoting by the AV Club. Nice tilting at windmills by Simon, too.

BTW, I do apologize for posting a shit source to start this. Thanks to Farsight for fixing.

What annoys me is that he's got it both ways. He's mad at you for missing the boat and he's mad at you for blogging about his show in real time. I'm all for taking control of your product, but his first message was "sit down and shut up except to tell your neighbor who's a Neilsen guy".

I can only imagine the frustration of being widely heralded for your talent, but only after you work scrapes by on the slimmest of margins, always an inch from being canceled and forgotten.

The Wire is IMO the greatest TV series ever produced, and is at least in the top tier, yet hardly anyone watched it. It took a renewal from HBO that -no- other network would have given, along with budget cuts to let the show squeak through to completion.

Generation Kill was superior to the Oscar-winning Hurt Locker, so much so that it greatly diminished my ability to appreciate that film, yet the miniseries seemed to slide by mostly unnoticed.

Treme is a fascinating show about people and topics we rarely see on film... and it's languishing unwatched and still airing only because someone at HBO has a bug up their ass about "quality". It was also recently bumped back about six months because, "We can air it whenever we want, it'll only make money on DVD anyway."

I say, let him vent. He's earned it.

Watching Lost taught me this: Ignore the Showrunners. It's the new variation of "Enjoy the art, not the artist." Besides, Simon's irritating essay on the Huffington Post about the final season of The Wire is way more annoying  than this.

I just betrayed the point I was trying to make. Crap.

Gah! Why did I read that? It's so smug and heavy handed. Also, he sounds high.

Ah well, you're right. Just watch the shows.

You're point is dumb anyway, since your comparing David Simon - a guy who's career and experience earns him the leeway to be a little grumpy - with the show runners of Lost.

People should listen to David Simon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Z.Vasquez 

You're point is dumb anyway, since your comparing David Simon - a guy who's career and experience earns him the leeway to be a little grumpy - with the show runners of Lost.

 

People should listen to David Simon.

Did you even read what I posted? Also, don't call people dumb if you can't get the "your/you're" thing down.

The things a showrunner says in an interview should have no bearing on how the show is viewed. That's my point.

I didn't call you dumb, I called your point dumb, which it is, regardless of my spelling. You're applying a lesson you took from the hacks behind Lost to David Simon. He may come off as annoying to you, but his points are all valid, even the ones made in that HuffPost blog.