5 episodes in and it seems ok so far. I figure I’ll finish out the season. Basically it is about the rise of the porn industry in Times Square from the early 70s through the 80s. James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal star in it.
So is anybody else watching it? I tried a google search on previous threads and didn’t find any.
It’s pretty amazing there hasn’t been a thread considering all the attention it got in the media.
I’ve seen the first four episodes. Every last second of the scenes with the pimps and prostitutes and the Mafia tough guys was Cliche City. The stuff about the nascent NYC blue movie culture was new and interesting because I can’t remember a single show dealing with it. (Boogie Nights was about a different place and time. And how many other examples can you name compared to prostitutes and Mafia?)
I don’t understand why they didn’t toss out the Franco half (he does a good job, but I don’t care about his characters) and concentrate on Maggie Gyllenhaal. The reviews hint that the whole season is a lead-in for next year, and it’s already been renewed. I’d like to stick around for season two if the new and interesting stuff will be the focus. Right now, I have to force myself to watch it like medicine.
Ep. 5 starts to build upon Franco’s character and how he starts to fit into the sex business side. I don’t mind watching it as much as you, and in fact enjoy it more than I thought I would. I think Maggie and James do a good job on building their characters. The cliches are pretty heavy at times, but I don’t mind so much.
I also want to see where the lady reporter story goes.
I have to agree that’s ok, but nothing really special yet. They are still building the world, obviously. I tend to like the Franco stuff far more than the Gyllenhaal stuff, FWIW.
I’m only two episodes in, but so far I’m liking it.
It is done by the guys that did The Wire, and it feels like a slow build, like The Wire was. I can see there is potential here, and I do like the gritty 70’s look that they’ve created. Surprisingly James Franco has been pretty good.
I will definitely watch the rest of the season as I do like shows that use actors from The Wire, and so far I’ve counted six actors. Although I probably missed one or two. (Only other show I’m really watching that is currently running is The Orville, and I do like that Cutty is in that one)
Monitoring the buzz but not watching. I struggle with the heaviness of Simon’s shows.
I’m watching and I like it, for the most part. Last week’s episode had a lightbulb moment for me regarding my general dislike for James Franco, though. I can see him acting and simultaneously see how damned pleased he is with himself at how he thinks he’s doing.
I’m liking it.
I know it’s HBO, but I’m still a bit surprised at how graphic some of the scenes are, in episode 4, you can see that lady holding her John’s erect penis. They don’t even do that on the late night Skin-o-max shows! Lol.
Anyway, I keep meaning to google what these “property vouchers” are all about. Never heard of that before.
My only criticism is, I like Franco but not Franco twins. Too confusing at times. Would have rather they just hired another actor to play Franco’s brother.
From what I gather from online sources his characters are based on a set of real twin brothers in the 70s NY involved in the sex industry startup.
I can’t follow that link at work, but the brief synopsis shown in google search returns seems to say his characters were based on real people.
I am trying to watch it - I find the scenes with Franco/Franco kind of boring and hard to follow. I want to like it, we’ll see if I get there.
I’ve been watching it. But I was amused that after the complaints about the sexual content of Game of Thrones and Westworld (and what people expect to see in the proposed alternate-reality show about the Confederacy), that HBO’s next show is explicitly about the Times Square skin trade.
I’ve been watching it, but will likely bail. It’s dreary in stretches, and I don’t particularly love any of the characters.
We’re watching it. Definitely a slow build type of show. Characters are starting to become more interesting.
Me too. It just doesn’t seem like they’ve done much with her character so far.
I’m quite enjoying it, but maybe I haven’t watched as many shows about early '70s New York as other folks in this thread so it still seems fresh to me.
I’ve only seen the first episode with the rest sitting on the DVR. I’ll get to it eventually, but there’s simply too much to watch right now especially with the baseball playoffs.
OK I watched episode 3 last night. I decided I would start the episode, most likely fall asleep and finish it after work tonight. Just as I started to think I should check the time and see if I could find a good place to stop, the end credits appeared. So this episode really grabbed me. I was worried because I did notice it was directed by James Franco, so nice job on that.
I’m hoping someone can fill in the blanks of something I think I may have missed. So Vincent is prepping the new bar, and Frank needs cash for his Poker game, so he breaks into the cigarette machine, pool table and juke box. Later, Red Headed Harvey Weinstein comes in demanding to know what happened to his machines, and saying he is a partner, and the machines are his. Frank gets pissed and takes a hammer to all three machines.
Vincent goes to a meeting about it, is told to sit at the bar and wait, then when Rudy shows up, he is told to go out front and wait. Then Rudy says (to not sure of the character, but assuming someone Red Headed Harvey reports to) “We have a problem to sort out” (not an exact quote…but close)
Vincent comes back all happy until he hears Bobby had a heart attack, then Red Headed Harvey shows back up at the bar and creates a scene while Rudy is there.
So, question is, who was Rudy talking to at the meeting? I’m assuming the problem was Red Headed Harvey, and I’m guessing the solution was to cut him out, which is why he showed back up? But if he was cut out, why would Rudy leave when he created a scene? Did I miss something, or is this something that gets explained later? Or is it something you gotta read between the lines, and makes more sense once it sinks in?
It made as much sense as the money still being in the machines in the first place. As soon as the bar closed somebody would have been over to clean them out.
I’m enjoying it too, but knew to expect a slow build. It reminds me of Treme as much as it does The Wire.
Episode 5 felt like the series is starting to get going…the street scene with Gyllenhall and Method Man had some fine acting by both…heart-wrenching.
I assume it’s just the claim check the police give to someone when they take their property away (e.g. purses, wallets, whatever) before putting them in a cell. The prostitutes are simply keeping them to use as proof that they were arrested on the previous day.
Watched episode four. Still a slow build, but things are starting to get interesting.
I had to do a double take…(and then check imdb) but it took me a second to recognize Ralph Macchio as the cop who herded the hookers into the back of the wagon.