Treme (HBO Series) - Anybody gonna be watching?

[woodstockbirdybird]

I haven't had HBO in donkey's years, but I'm getting it specifically to watch Treme, which starts this Sunday. The combination of David Simon and New Orleans (probably my favorite city in the U.S.) is too good for me to pass up. A friend who's seen the first 3 episodes said it's an awesome portrait of NOLA, and Wendell Pierce (Bunk from The Wire) is great. I know there are some Wire fans here - anyone else pumped about this series?

[AuntiePam]

God yes! It's the main reason I resubbed to HBO.

Until I heard a David Simon interview yesterday, I thought Treme was pronounced "treem". It's tre-MAY.

How many episodes are we going to get?

[woodstockbirdybird]

I'm hoping 13, but the fact that David Mills (writer) just died might put a wrench in things - haven't heard either way.

[Taomist]

Going on the commercials alone, I'm definitely interested. Thanks for the reminder that it starts so soon; gotta get the dvr going!

[Sigmagirl]

I will definitely be watching, and will try to get my husband to weigh in on the authenticity of the brass bands.

[GoodOmens]

I'll give it a shot. Bunk is always awesome, I loveloveloved The Wire, and I do feel a certain connection to New Orleans after visiting there to work post-Katrina.

[AuntiePam]

Alan Sepinwall reviews the first three episodes -- Linky -- there are no spoilers in the review.

It sounds like there wouldn't be much to spoil. Sepinwall says Treme is more about character than plot. And we'll see Dr. John! He's the only New Orleans musician I'm even halfway familiar with.

[Proudest Monkey]

I'm onboard. After The Wire, I have highest expectations for an HBO series from David Simon. We don't have any type of DVR so we'll likely watch it "On Demand" with closed-captioning enabled.

Thanks, AuntiePam, for the correct pronunciation. I had been wondering.

[AuntiePam]

Originally Posted by Proudest Monkey

Thanks, AuntiePam, for the correct pronunciation. I had been wondering.

I didn't have it quite right -- Sepinwall says it's "Truh-may". He says Treme is the area of NO where jazz was born.

(Wonder why there's no diacritical mark over the e.)

[jackdavinci]

For some reason I keep confusing it with the movie Splice...

[zeldarae]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

(Wonder why there's no diacritical mark over the e.)

Bacause if you're from down here, you just know it's French.

[Chefguy]

Enjoyed the first ep. Good to see Joanie Stubbs again. Had some trouble understanding some of the dialog: the NOLA patois can be pretty thick.

[Sigmagirl]

We DVRd it because we had to get up early this morning. Looking forward to watching it. Maybe will watch with subtitles on!

[Kobal2]

Originally Posted by zeldarae

Bacause if you're from down here, you just know it's French.

If it were, without any diacritic it would be pronounced as only one syllable, "trehm" (the -e being silent).

[DoctorJ]

I thought it was fantastic.

It's gonna take me a while to not think of Bunk and Lester as Bunk and Lester, though.

[woodstockbirdybird]

I thought it was great, too. Really glad they used so much music in it. And Kermit Ruffins did a great job, I thought.

[zeldarae]

Originally Posted by Kobal2

If it were, without any diacritic it would be pronounced as only one syllable, "trehm" (the -e being silent).

I don't want to go off topic too much, but I'd like to clarify my original, slightly in jest, remark. Here in south Lousiana, we do not use dicritic marks to show the "French" pronuctiation. If it ends in an "e" and is clearly of French origin, the "e" is pronounced as "a". I don't mean to sound snarky, but believe me, we just know.

Just like we know the "c" in LeBlanc is silent, "eaux" is pronounced "oh", and the accent should be on the first syllable of the name Broussard.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by zeldarae

I don't want to go off topic too much, but I'd like to clarify my original, slightly in jest, remark. Here in south Lousiana, we do not use dicritic marks to show the "French" pronuctiation. If it ends in an "e" and is clearly of French origin, the "e" is pronounced as "a". I don't mean to sound snarky, but believe me, we just know.

Just like we know the "c" in LeBlanc is silent, "eaux" is pronounced "oh", and the accent should be on the first syllable of the name Broussard.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

You'd think these people had never read a James Lee Burke novel, them.

[bump]

Originally Posted by zeldarae

I don't want to go off topic too much, but I'd like to clarify my original, slightly in jest, remark. Here in south Lousiana, we do not use dicritic marks to show the "French" pronuctiation. If it ends in an "e" and is clearly of French origin, the "e" is pronounced as "a". I don't mean to sound snarky, but believe me, we just know.

Just like we know the "c" in LeBlanc is silent, "eaux" is pronounced "oh", and the accent should be on the first syllable of the name Broussard.

Now back to your regularly scheduled program.

People don't know that? I grew up in Houston, and for somewhere not in Louisiana, the coon ass factor is pretty high.

[Marley23]

Originally Posted by bump

I grew up in Houston, and for somewhere not in Louisiana, the coon ass factor is pretty high.

For those of us who aren't from the area, what does this mean?

I didn't watch Sunday's episode but I'll check it out at some point. I'm definitely interested in the setting.

[AuntiePam]

Missed the first half hour but it's on the DVR. There wasn't a single scene that I didn't want to watch again. I didn't have any trouble with the dialect -- didn't notice much, actually. Are there a lot of different New Orleans accents? I read or heard somewhere that there are about 30 "authentic" accents.

There doesn't seem to be much of a plot, but I'm fine with that. These are interesting people and it'll be cool just to spend time with them. I've never been to New Orleans so I don't know if they're capturing the flavor, but it seems like they are.

[Lethal Babydoll]

boring

[zeldarae]

Originally Posted by Marley23

For those of us who aren't from the area, what does this mean?

Coonass is considered by polite society to be a derogatory term for Cajun. We have reclaimed the phrase, however, and only we can call each other by that word.

[UncleRojelio]

Originally Posted by zeldarae

Coonass is considered by polite society to be a derogatory term for Cajun. We have reclaimed the phrase, however, and only we can call each other by that word.

And another implication is that there are still a lot of displaced NO residents in Houston.

[zeldarae]

Originally Posted by UncleRojelio

And another implication is that there are still a lot of displaced NO residents in Houston.

Actually the greater Houston area, due to the oil industry, has long had Louisiana natives migrating there...since right after WWII, well before Katrina.

[MaxTheVool]

Can someone who knows more about New Orleans culture than I do explain what the deal is with the chiefs and the crazy flowery indian outfit? I was a bit lost then (and I agree, it will be hard not to call that character Lester Freamon and that other character Bunk).

Very very entertaining, though, although it took me a while to get into it. My total lack of interest in Jazz probably doesn't help.


I love Bunk's constant minor hustling of the cab drivers.

[zeldarae]

Originally Posted by MaxTheVool

Can someone who knows more about New Orleans culture than I do explain what the deal is with the chiefs and the crazy flowery indian outfit?

This might help http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mardi_Gras_Indians

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by Lethal Babydoll

boring

How terribly insightful of you.

[Vinyl Turnip]

At the risk of appearing uninsightful, I thought the premiere dragged a bit in places. It definitely wasn't bad, and I'll continue to watch---it took a few episodes of The Wire before I was truly hooked.

I expect it will pass, but in an odd way I was distracted by the "hey, it's him again!" factor, seeing actors from The Wire and Deadwood reappear. At least initially, it made it harder for me to concentrate on the new character (more so than if it had been an unknown actor in the role).

[AuntiePam]

I really liked the far shots of the city -- if I hadn't known that David Simon did this, those shots would have told me.

My favorite scene was Clarke Peters in the feathers -- the way it started, just a few sparkles in the dark (fireflies?) and the way the light shone around the edges of the feathers, they glowed like fire. And then he started to talk -- lord knows what he was saying, but it was very powerful. He really got into it.

ETA: NPR had a story yesterday about some colleges (Duke, Harvard) teaching The Wire.

[Rilchiam]

I like it. It's worth it for the music alone.

Two questions: The older, heavier DJ -- was he anyone? I got the vibe of a musician or some such making a cameo. Also, I haven't seen Steve Zahn in anything for a long time -- has he always been channeling Crispin Glover?

[bump]

Originally Posted by zeldarae

Actually the greater Houston area, due to the oil industry, has long had Louisiana natives migrating there...since right after WWII, well before Katrina.

Right... I haven't lived in Houston since 1999, so any Louisianans I ever knew were there well before Katrina.

Plus, most of the Katrina refugees weren't exactly what you'd call "coon asses", even though they were from Louisiana.

[Mississippienne]

I lived in Treme (Gov Nicholls/Claiborne). I lived it, I don't need to watch a TV show about it. Left for NYC after a man attacked me with a crowbar one night while leaving work.

Cajuns (Coonasses) live more out West, around Lafayette. It's a misconception that New Orleans is filled with them. New Orleans is more Creole, and Treme is a historically Creole area of the city.

Yes, there are multiple NOLA accents. A real native could probably identify more, but I know of at least the Garden District accent, 'Yat' accent, etc.

[Bob Ducca]

Haven't gotten to watch this yet but I did just get back from my first visit to New Orleans and now I can't wait to see this series. I was already excited about it as a David Simon fan (The Wire is the greatest show in the history of television, in my opinion) and now I'm even more eager to get into this one.

Didn't see it mentioned here but while I was in NOLA, there was a front page story about the show already getting picked up for a 2nd season. It opened to pretty decent numbers... Something like 1.2 million for the premiere, compared to the roughly 800k per episode that The Wire averaged.

Just signed up for HBO today, and am planning on watching the first episode when I get home tonight. Can't wait!

[Bob Ducca]

Also, I asked my cab driver about how to pronounce "Treme" as we were driving through that neighborhood - He said that Treh-MAY or Treh-MEE are both correct and both are used pretty interchangably down there.

[AuntiePam]

OPEN SPOILERS

I figure it's almost time for episode 3, so open spoilers for 1 and 2.

Got a kick out of seeing Slim Charles again (the fake David Brooks). I assume his appearance isn't a one-off -- he probably knows something about the man they're searching for.

I liked what they did with the three young white Christian tourists. For once, it was the native who acted like a jerk. Loved the violin music and will try to find out who that was.

Did Lester kill that guy? I think he did. Not sad for the dead guy so much as sad that Lester apparently has an uncontrollable temper.

[infinitii]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

Loved the violin music and will try to find out who that was.

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feat...i-treme-041610

For some reason I thought she was only going to be in that episode. Great news!

[AuntiePam]

Oh cool! I'll bet she dumps that guy.

I haven't heard much blues fiddle/violin -- Clarence Gatemouth Brown -- who else?

[Rilchiam]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

I liked what they did with the three young white Christian tourists.

They were volunteers, not tourists. But, yeah. Reminded me of that one Peter Arno cartoon. Young woman is sitting in a Paris cafe, wearing a miniskirt, a ton of eyeliner, and a leering guy's arm, while smoking a cigarette in a holder. Her aghast friend (twinset, pearls, ponytail) stands by the table: "But Mary Lou! You mean you're not coming back to Bryn Mawr ever?" I'd been hoping the whole time that that would be the reason they didn't come back. Glad I was right.

[boilercake]

Nope. NO has been an entitled poop pile for a long time, yes pre-Katrina, and some airy-fairy romanticized jazz-infused alternate-reality enobled version is not interesting to me. Why not an ode to how wonderful, resilient Detroit or St. Louis is while we are at it?

[AuntiePam]

boilercake, you might want to watch the show. David Simon doesn't do airy-fairy and romanticized.

Rilchiam, I wonder if one of the writers remembered that cartoon as well.

[flickster]

Just watched the first episode tonight. Loved it. Loved seeing old "friends" from The Wire. Loved seeing Khandi Alexander from CSI-Miami. Also, loved seeing "Uncle" Lionel Batiste as the drummer in the brass band at the end of the episode.

I'll be keeping these episodes on my DVR for an extended period.

[drgnrdr07]

As a huge fan of The Wire, I really wanted to love this show, but I am finding it pretty boring.

I have only watched the first episode, but I am finding it really difficult for me to actually like any of the characters. That, combined with the lack of a strong plot is causing my mind to wander when I am watching the show.

Also, I am not digging the amount of music in the show. I don't mind a little music here and there, but it just made certain areas of that first episode drag pretty badly.

I am going to give it a few more episodes and hopefully the characters will start to grow on me.

[HISSNLISSN]

The only story line that interests me is the character played by Clarke Peters (aka Lester Freamon), and even that's developing (after episode 2) at an odd pace.

I loved The Wire, I love the music on Treme, but I just can't get into this show. "Character driven," as it relates to Treme, appears to be more and more an excuse for poor storytelling - The Wire was nothing if not character driven, but it was also a great story. Here you have some threads pulled at archetypes, revealing little more than cliche.

I'll be content never to have to see or hear Steve Zahn (or his goatee) ever again, thanks. And the buskers, please, no more... if that's not "airy fairy" I don't know what is.

[Bob Ducca]

Loving it after two episodes and can't wait for tonight's show. I like that it's a bit lighter in tone in a lot of ways than The Wire...a higher level of humor (count me as a big Steve Zahn fan. I love his role in this, which is based on a real life guy). I guess if you've got post-Katrina NOLA as a backdrop, you don't need to ratchet up the depressing stuff - there's plenty of that in the background so they don't have to beat you over the head with it all the time.

[FlightlessBird]

I'm finding the story fascinating. "Where to pick up when everything is gone" is a good plot. Some people are rebuilding houses, some are try to keep their businesses open, while some are trying to find their friends or family who have been dispersed to places unknown. From last night's episode: (paraphrased) "where is he?" "Anywhere in this damn country!".
I'm not a big music fan, but the music in this show is haunting, soulfull, and beautiful. (Although, like The Wire it's best to watch with subtitles, especially during the songs)
I did like the discovery of youTube. Very funny to see how far it's come in its time.

[lost4life]

Originally Posted by AuntiePam

Oh cool! I'll bet she dumps that guy.

I've heard some speculation about the Sonny/Annie couple:

Speculation Spoiler!

SPOILER:

The story of Sonny and Annie so far has some loose ties to the tragic story of Zach Bowen and Addie Hall. If you're not familiar, Zach and Addie were a New Orleans couple who apparently fell in love while riding out Hurricane Katrina. Sometime around 2006, Zach murdered Addie, cooked parts of her body, waited a couple of days, then jumped to his death from the Omni Royal Hotel. There have been a few references in Treme pointing to the real life couple that even I picked up on.

[MaxTheVool]

I'm normally a pretty plot-and-action kind of guy. I love me some 24. I have no real interest in jazz music or creole cooking.

And yet I think this is head and shoulders the best show on TV right now. Totally gripping and involving in all ways. I love so many of the small little moments each episode.


It says something that Antoine's trombone getting kicked was more brutal and touching than a major character dying in most shows?