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Talk Back: Series Premiere of HBO's Treme

Now that HBO's new drama series Treme has premiered, I'm curious to see what you thought of the series' 80-minute pilot episode, which aired last night.

As a reminder, you can read my advance review of the first three episodes of Treme here and my feature interview with co-creators David Simon (The Wire) and Eric Overmyer (Homicide: Life on the Street) here.

But now that Treme has premiered, I'm curious to know just what you thought of the new series. Did you find the characters engaging? Were you turned off by Steve Zahn's Davis? (And don't worry if you were: I found him shrilly irritating until about Episode Three.) Did you like the juxtaposition of culture--music, cuisine, tradition--and survival? Curious about what happened to Daymo? Shocked at the Mardi Gras Indian costume coming out of the darkness? What did you think overall? Did it grab you or leave you cold?

And, most importantly, will you tune in again next week?

Talk back here.

Next week on Treme ("Meet De Boys on the Battlefront"), Albert takes the law into his own hands; LaDonna gets news about her missing brother.

Comments

Melissa said…
I was not a fan of The Wire. I tried to watch the first season on DVD and just couldn't get into it.
I was pleasantly surprised by Treme. I expected it to be slow but I found it enthalling.

I'm a big NOLA lover, so that helped. Yes, Zahn was annoying but you aren't going to love every character on every show and he serves his purpose. I loved Melissa Leo.

The music was so lush and the director (my husband and I both went "OMG" when we saw her name in the opening credits), shot this beautifully. I am very interested in seeing what happens next.
Shaz said…
The pilot was slow at times but the cast is rock solid and I'm certainly intrigued by many of the characters (LaDonna is already a favorite!) so I'll definitely be tuning back in.
Wes said…
Wasn't in love with it but THE WIRE took a few eps to hook me too. I'll be watching next week.
ewench said…
I forced myself to watch for about 1/2 hour then wandered off, it just didn't grab my interest at all. My husband kept watching though.
Anonymous said…
Fantastic first episode ! Loved A. Holland's directing, the first sequence is really brilliant and incredibly difficult to do... Music is SO groovy... The whole narrative is sort of boring - just like in some episodes of the Wire but the whole atmosphere is really there, it felt very soulful.... Eager to see the rest...
DeeJay said…
Definitely enjoyed it but it's gonna take a few episodes to get a good hang on any series. What with some of the actors and the writers connections to The Wire, as an avid fan of the former, it was a bit disconcerting when watching it for the first time but that'll pass I'm sure as i get to know names and re-imagine backgrounds.

What was wrong with Steve Zahn's Davis then eh?? Maybe not the most likable character but he seemed to have the most energetic performance next to John Goodman (whom I'm glad to see ,it appears likely, will have a recurring, regular role hope). And maybe the episode would have been a lot more hell of a lot slower without both of these characters' performances. Goodman's outraged dialogue under the bridge/on the phone was spot on and Zahn's Davis' drooling lack of charm over "meeting" THE Elvis Costello was funny, whilst everyone else was like "Who? Did you say Elvis..?".

Music seems to be pivotal to this series and that suits me down to the ground. This is definitely one for music lovers; heck, its New Orleans for crying out loud. Just adore that NOLA sound - and was chuffed to hear Dr. John's Mama Roux, and Eddie Bo's "Hook & Sling" on the soundtrack, (among others I can't recall at the moment) - more please!! Excited and looking forward to more of the same and the integration of these individual plots down the road. It's early days but a good start to an already visually appealing show.

Wow on that Mardi Gras Indian costume scene too. Was a pure work of art :D (from entrance to exit). How bizarre lol :)!
Ally said…
I LOVED The Wire, but I went in with the attitude that this isn't the Wire, pt 2, but rather another (hopefully) brilliant chapter in the David Simon oeuvre.

I really liked Treme. There's a lot of set-up in the pilot, but I was pretty much instantly drawn in, and found it immediately more accessible. I thought it was slow at times, but I am definitely intrigued. Melissa Leo, Wendell Pierce, Kim Dickens, John Goodman and Clarke Peters all in one show?!? How can it go wrong? The only hiccup for me, so far, is Steve Zahn. I usually like him, but I think he's way over-the-top obnoxious and unlikable. I just want him to settle down.
Anonymous said…
I agree, the Davis character is annoying. His personality reminds me of Ziggy from the Wire, who I could not stand.

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