found at http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/
Wow. It must be New Orleans' year. And about time too. First a Super Bowl, now an HBO show about one of the hardest times in the city's history.
I am in on this show. Even after it's hour and a half premiere where almost nothing happened. It was a stark contrast to the previous hour's Pacific, where we got to see a hell-on- earth amphibious landing on the tiny island of Peleliu. After spending a majority of that hour with all my muscles clenched, waiting for the next thing to explode, blood to splatter, marine to fall, an hour and a half dedicated almost entirely to characters was actually refreshing; even if it did seem a lot longer.
The one common theme to the episode, and I'm hoping the series is music. The series opened with the first second line parade after Katrina, three months after the storm. This seemingly meaningless celebration of music, dance, culture, set the tone for the entire episode. Things are dramatically different in Treme after the storm forced almost everyone out and destroyed most homes. Yet things are still the same. Music is what allows the citizens of the neighborhood to reconnect with the time before, the happier times. It is a constant. From the second line parade, to the chiefs, to the record store, to gigs in dive bars, to funerals, the citizens embrace the music of their culture. It keeps them sane, it reminds them there is still good in the world and life in their city.
found at baltimoresun.com
I hope the series keeps up where it left off. I am fascinated to how all the seemingly different characters are drawn together and tied together not just by the music, but the food, the city itself. This series is definitely a character driven show, and rightly so; recovering from such a disaster is almost entirely psychological (or at least the interesting part is). David Simon wowed us with The Wire and I'm sure Treme will not disappoint either. I can't wait for next Sunday.
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