I think this is currently the best show on TV. It’s amazing how quickly it’s utterly and completely engrossed me.
This was another wonderful episode. Far more than usual of it was devoted to happy things, things going well… the second line, Davis’s song, Antoine’s Japanese fan. And yet it certainly didn’t pull its punches, with the shooting and the n-word incident.
The conversation with the overworked police chief guy was exactly the kind of balancing influence that makes this show (and The Wire before it) so unrelenting, and so good.
Oh, and of course a bunch of people I know from Top Chef showing up… I have no real interest in New Orleans food or New Orleans music, and I still adore this show.
It’s currently my favorite show on TV and that’s saying something considering how much I love Breaking Bad.
It’s hard for me to articulate exactly what it is I love about it. I don’t know if it’s the uplifting story of these characters struggling to make it in post-Katrina NOLA, the music, the acting, or what, but I’m seriously invested in it already and thrilled that HBO has already ordered a second season.
Fun to see Tim “Venus Flytrap” Reid as the judge. He was in a short-lived NOLA based restuarant sitcom in the 80s called “Frank’s Place” and his casting in this was a nice nod to that show.
I won’t say it’s the best, but I’m enjoying it too. I don’t recognize most of the cameos, so that part doesn’t bother me. I knew Dr. John, but that’s all so far.
It’s taking some getting used to, not having a mystery to solve or even much of a plot. But the characterization makes up for that – they’re all unique, and there’s something to like about all of them.
I’m a huge fan of The Wire, which is why I started watching, but I’m nowhere near as entranced by Treme. Yes, the characterizations are great, and the acting is pretty good, although I’m distracted by the presence of well-known actors like Goodman and Zahn, who aren’t disappearing into their roles for me.
But my complaint is that it doesn’t seem to be *going *anywhere. All character, no plot.
I’ll keep watching, but I’m not loving it like I did The Wire or Deadwood. I don’t even think it’s as good as Generation Kill.
It’s definitely my favorite show on at the moment.
I loved Davis’s comeuppance. His intentions might be pure, and his love of what he thinks of as the real New Orleans may be genuine, but to a lot of people he’s just another one of the white people that moved into the neighborhood. I think it’s going to be fun watching his character grow up, though I hope it doesn’t happen too fast.
I thought the chef cameos made a point that would have been hard to make otherwise–that Janette isn’t just another chef with some loyal customers. She’s a serious up-and-coming talent, the sort of cook John Besh recommends to four of the country’s pre-eminent culinary stars when they’re only in town for one night. It sheds a lot of light on her character, and makes it that much sadder that she’s having to borrow money from her parents to keep the doors open.
As for all the celebrity cameos, I have to wonder if it wasn’t really like that in the months after the storm. The more visitor-friendly part of NO isn’t really that big, so if there were a bunch of celebs in town all the time doing benefits and such the average person would probably run into them fairly often.