As a former New Orleanian, I really was anxious to watch it and looked forward to viewing with much anticipation. Unfortunately, unless the coming episodes change dramatically, I will not be watching it too many more times.
I understand the premise. I also understand that the main purpose of a TV show is to entertain and the focus of TREME is to show how the catastrophe of Katrina changed peoples’ lives showcasing a cross section of the population. In my opinion, the focus is way too narrow and in some cases focuses on some, way too much.
During the first five minutes of the episode, which normally would attract the viewers attention, to continue watching…..I couldn’t even understand what the actors were saying.
Although, a large majority of those affected during Katrina were black, it seems you are discounting the fact that there are thousands that lost everything in every racial and socio economic group across the board. Additionally, if I am not wrong, to me you are trying to portray only your definition of the middle classes through the entire theme. The character who ran a bar and is trying to resurrect his Mardi Gras Indian group, to give and take him back to some semblance of a normal life: the John Goodman character who really tells it like it is with no pretentiousness, , as they say in New Orleans” is where it’s at!” But the black musician, who may be a fine actor, is a boring and a useless character to the theme. How does a character like the disc jockey, which is a dope smoking, thief degenerate, garner such a prominent role?
Spike Lee only showed the degenerate of the New Orleans population. The New Orleans population is much more then you deem the middle class to be. What about the lawyer friend of mine in his forties who shot himself in his devastated home because after Katrina he had no more clients? How did his wife and children cope? Lots of stories like that. What about the men and women who started groups like the Horizon Initiative to work with big business and city officials to help build the city? What about the fact that that alcohol sales went through the roof for years after, cause so many couldn’t deal at all with losing everything.
A friend lived on one of the two million dollar streets in the city lost her house. How did people like these cope? Don’t you think those people should be represented in your story as well?
TREME is only one small area of the city. What a disservice you are doing to the city but most of all to your viewers to lead them to believe that what you are putting out there is what it is all about…is where it’s at……because it isn’t!
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as you have requested comments i will give you a frank one. the reason that you did not understand any of the dialogue among the black characters is that you have never spent any time with people like these. you may have employed them or spent time with them during charitable pursuits but you have never lived amongst them. this is in fact how most african americans talk in the city of new orleans. the mardi gras indians are as much a part of the fabric of new orleans as the krewes of rex,and comus or the members of the jcc. while davis is a bit of a ne'er do well in the first episode in real life he is a tulane graduate who spent more than a decade teaching in public schools in the treme area and while he may have faults and flaws trust me when i tell you they are no more egregious than the kids from Newman and Country Day that I grew up with. i have known quite a few members of my generation which come from the well to do families with enormous appetities for illicit drugs among other things. this is no to point fingers or drag anyone down but get real. the sympathy that you try to muster for those audubon place denizens who built their fortunes on the backs of the poor working class citizens of this city rings hollow. can you imagine the lower ninth ward hiring israeli mossad officers to protect their belongings or flying back to the city in helicopters to check on their homes. At the end of the day if you start with 10 million and lose half of it you still have 5 million left and an american express card to get you through hard times. Not to mention insurance. Are we supposed to feel sorry for the Wall Street hedge fund manager who lost it all when the market crashed two years ago and just couldn't handle it while hard working americans lost pensions built over a lifetime of toil and sweat. Please. I don't think you are going to find much sympathy on a email list like pat jolly's because most of its readers are working class folk. Although I may have gone to Newman like so many people we both know I have taken advantage of the opportunity to go to a second line, a jazz funeral and Super Sunday where it becomes readily apparent that the heart and soul of this city is in the poorer neighborhoods that were so disproportionately affected by Katrina. Not that the storm wasn't hard on you, me, the folks of lakeview or the hard working people of gentilly but if you look at the city now it is abundantly clear that the people who went through the post katrina hell and had to struggle every day to get a foothold back in this city were never living on st charles avenue. they were just simple hard working folk and it is their stories that are compelling.
ReplyDeleteHorrible review. Lee said it pretty well. Also, the opening scene of the guys haggling w/ Rebirth was awesome. It was real! And, did you really expect all of what you wanted in the first episode. Get real and off your high horse!
ReplyDeleteIf either of you knew me , you would not tell me to get off my high horse. I was mostly educated in New Orleans public schools and graduated from UNO. I paid my dues in the work place and devoted years to helping others less fortunate.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, I agree with some of what you said and I understand your reasoning. On the other hand you both seem to be very young and still so idealistic. Live life for a few years and see if you feel and think the same way in a few years.
The point I was trying to make was that I was tired of the city and its inhabitants being portrayed from a limited point of view. So many others paid a high prize whether they had money or no money.
My Mother was in the former Baptist Hospital from the Saturday before the storm to Thursday of the next week. When released, this 80 year old woman walked through the same flood waters those who lived in Treme did. Are they any different then she? She walked in water up to her waste on Napolean for blocks to get to higher ground to save her life. My Mother who is now deceased, did not live in Treme, but on St. Charles Avenue.+ Why shouldn't her story be told?
Your distintion between my Mother and the characters in Treme is how much money they have or had. Her trauma was no different then the characters portrayed. You are not fair.
But then who am I? Just a single human being giving her opinion. If the producers of Treme choose to focus their series on one segment of the New Orleans population, so be it. I repeat... it is unfair.
Let us see how the series progresses. Maybe I will be pleasently surprised. I hope so.
They have stated all along that the show was going to focus on musicians and service industry workers and the struggles that surround their existence in post k N.O. It's not about everyone. And, like I said, it's one episode in. For you to make so many conclusions at this point, is ridiculous. BTW, hon, I'm 35 years old. I think I'm old enough to draw insightful conclusions to things I see. You saying we are so young, reeks of condescension. You see, I actually understand what you are saying about your mother's struggles. What's unfortunate is that you don't understand how their can be a character like DJ Davis, who god forbid, smokes weed. Maybe you are too old!?
ReplyDeleteI am old enough to be your Mother and 35 is very young.
ReplyDeleteOh yes...I am not your hon!
Hi Lynda --- Thank you for your comments on my blog. I think if there's anything to be agreed upon (especially after reading the comments above), it's that the show affects people on a personal level, especially if they know New Orleans also on a personal level. I have mixed feelings about Treme, but overall I like it and look forward to the next episode. I do think that as far as the New Orleans 'message-to-the-world,' it's pretty good for us. My husband and I spend about a third of the year on tour, a different city nearly every day. And even now, 4 1/2 years after Katrina, people still think we're under water; people still look at us and say, "You're from New Orleans? How ARE things?" The Super Bowl was about the best kick start we could get, and I do have hopes that Treme will turn out to be the second best. In the meantime, I'm bookmarking your blog and look forward to reading more. Oh, and I'm totally trying that banana walnut bread pudding from your FB page! All best, and thank you again for your kind words - Wendy Rodrigue http://wendyrodrigue.blogspot.com/
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