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The Deuce - New HBO Show from David Simon and George Pelecanos

Started by Small Man Big Horse, August 26, 2017, 06:11:03 PM

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chveik

David Simon has lost it. The first series was already boring. And I really don't know what point he's trying to make with this series

nedthemumbler

Quote from: chveik on October 06, 2018, 05:25:44 PM
David Simon has lost it. The first series was already boring. And I really don't know what point he's trying to make with this series

Humans are grotty.


Seems to cover it.



Really made me pay proper attention to Elvis Costello, though, this has.  The female vocal verse really elevates that song to something very special.  Conversely, the bass notes that kick in at the end of each episode are laughably tired from use in every other HBO series. 

Ballad of Ballard Berkley

It's obvious that The Wire will always be Simon's one and only masterpiece, it was everything he had to say within the context of a television drama. And what a statement it was.

Since then, he's floundered around with potentially interesting material, but it's become increasingly clear that he's a flabby, self-indulgent and rather inept dramatist. The Wire worked because it was torn from his own life. He knew those characters and that world inside out. With assistance from some great writers, actors and directors, he co-created a truly incendiary, angry, humane and funny piece of work that got its point across while engaging viewers in purely dramatic terms.

His subsequent work has been boring, frankly.

He's an investigative journalist first and foremost, and that's what he should stick to doing. Write some more in-depth polemical articles, David. Produce some documentaries that really tell it how it is. Just spare us from another aimless HBO drama.

Suky

What he said. BoBB.

First episode of new series has little forward momentum, anything at stake.  Why should we care about any of these people?

Some people surprised that James Franco wasn't let go as he has quite a few sex pest allegations.

Funcrusher

Quote from: Ballad of Ballard Berkley on October 07, 2018, 03:23:40 AM
It's obvious that The Wire will always be Simon's one and only masterpiece, it was everything he had to say within the context of a television drama. And what a statement it was.

Since then, he's floundered around with potentially interesting material, but it's become increasingly clear that he's a flabby, self-indulgent and rather inept dramatist. The Wire worked because it was torn from his own life. He knew those characters and that world inside out. With assistance from some great writers, actors and directors, he co-created a truly incendiary, angry, humane and funny piece of work that got its point across while engaging viewers in purely dramatic terms.

His subsequent work has been boring, frankly.

He's an investigative journalist first and foremost, and that's what he should stick to doing. Write some more in-depth polemical articles, David. Produce some documentaries that really tell it how it is. Just spare us from another aimless HBO drama.

I thought 'Show Me a Hero' was good, and 'Generation Kill'. 'Treme' is flawed and varying in quality, but there's good stuff in there. Haven't watched 'The Deuce' yet.

Z

Show Me A Hero is perhaps the kind of thing he should be doing these days, thought it held together very well.
Treme is kind of a weird nothing show that seems to bring out a lot of the worst in him but does a good job of creating a world and, imo, has enough good in it to stick with.


The Deuce is just weird right now tbh, I feel like they've far too much stuff going on at once, in the Wire it all managed to congeal and work. Here it completely fails to give any sense of capturing a whole world in the same way, it's just bunches of shit lumped together. There's so much going on and none of it matters at all. The relationships are meant to be all muddled and complex and instead they're just oddly flat (does anyone find CC remotely sinister at this point? he'll obviously do something horrible before the season ends but it's just ticking boxes)

kitsofan34

A feminist themed show, written by two men, starring a assaulter of women in the lead role.

Funcrusher

Quote from: kitsofan34 on October 09, 2018, 09:54:15 AM
A feminist themed show, written by two men, starring a assaulter of women in the lead role.

And the award for Lamest Virtue Signal on Cookd and Bombd 2018 goes to.....

rjd2

Its a bit Boardwalk Empire for me.

Watchable, but should be much more than it is. Fascinating time to explore, looks amazing, serious pedigree when you look at all the people involved, but just not that remarkable really. Maggie is great, but nothing particularly remarkable about many other characters.

Even those who are obviously scumbags such as Bodie in the Wire, by season 2 had much more to invest in at the same moment of the Wire.

Cici? Meh, barmaid meh, even the  chap from Rectify can fuck off.

7/10 HBO drama personified.

Z

D'Angelo from the Wire still has a bit of potential, I think him and Rectify could pull it out a bit. They've got way too many people going on though. I hadn't a notion why Franco was running a dry cleaners there the other week, watched the two episodes back to back and didn't retain it.

Think it was just a bad move for Simon to do a show in an environment that everyone already has very clear ideas about, doubly bad that it's an environment he hasn't dealt directly with.

Funcrusher

Just blitzed through season 1 of this and just watched ep 1 of season 2. Totally enjoying it, but I just like what David Simon does and I'm a fan of Pelecanos and Richard Price and that whole crew so it's all right up my street. The cast are all really good as usual. My fave moment in S1 was probably Paul going into a club with his date and it turning out to be David Mancuso djing at The Loft. And a classic Simon end of series montage over an old song -his shows just have an unmistakable signature that's unlike any other tv. He hasn't lost it as far as I'm concerned and the run of shows that he's produced is an amazing and unequalled achievement. Seeing everyone's fashions change and how the sex industry has gone overground now that things have shifted to 1977 is very entertaining.

Z

Damn, wasn't feeling that season at all tbh. I assume season 3 will be all AIDS everywhere?

Funcrusher

I've seen both seasons now and really liked it overall. It's probably closer to Treme than The Wire, so not going to be everyone's cup of tea. The prevalence of women in writing and directing roles was a good choice given the subject matter. Looking forward to season 3. I guess the last season will be about AIDS and the proliferation of porn. Still no one else doing what David Simon does out there and his filmography is a unique body of work.

Enrico Palazzo

I thought it was great but Homicide is the only other David Simon thing i've seen. The Wire next - see what all the fucking fuss is about.

Waking Life

This second season improved as it went on. I don't disagree with the criticisms of the programme - and I have made some too - but I still find it completely compelling and it's got me fascinated about the evolution of the street (but I also felt the same about Gangs of New York and the five points). The plot is not entirely predictable, although I can't see much that will end positively given next season's setting. I would actually think it would be more fitting to conclude in the 90s with the proper overhaul (maybe not enough for a full season actually).

Franco has also achieved a definite split between the brothers too, to give him his credit. But I care not about his relationship with his underwritten girlfriend.

nedthemumbler

I must admit I've given up on this about episode 4.   Just isn't looking to be as good as the Wire, is it.

Enrico Palazzo you are in for a treat I wish I could relive

Rev+

So, 3 episodes into the final series.  Anyone bothering?

1985, so no prizes for guessing what the big cloud over everything is.  That year is an important pick, though, as it's when 'GRID' was dropped and the realisation that you weren't safe because you were straight properly took hold.  Aside from that, the argument here - and it's a difficult one to argue against - is that video killed whatever artistic aspirations porn producers might have held, because the audience never really wanted something with any thought behind it.

I get the problems people have with this thing, but one of them has at least been corrected.  The cast has been whittled right down, other characters having had their stories finished in the last series, so it's become more focused.  Despite the overwhelming feeling of doom about the whole thing I'm enjoying it, but if the last one didn't float your boat this one won't either.

Waking Life

I really enjoy this, much prefer it to Treme if we're comparing. I do need to catch up on the third series so looking forward to see where things are, will start tonight.

peanutbutter

It's a big improvement on the last two seasons imo. Some of the characters still don't feel that well figured out (Franco and everyone immediately  around them basically), everything else is keeping pretty interesting so far though.

Rev+

Fuck me, the almost mechanical thing that happens near the end of this week's episode is so well done that it'll be stuck in my head for a long time.  This whole final series has been incredibly bleak, but it feels like the story they really wanted to tell, with the first two being the necessary groundwork.  One more episode and we're done.

Rev+

Really just me at this point, then.  Fuck it, I'll waffle into the void.

It pretty much finished last week as a story, with the actual finale being a wrap-up for the remaining characters.  The very end was magical, as present-day Times Square doesn't look like a place that really exists anyway, it's like a gaudy afterlife.

Now it's a whole, sealed-off piece of 25 (?) episodes it might find a bit more of an audience.  It was never particularly compelling, was the problem, but it was a great snapshot of a lost world.

I followed this too and for the most part enjoyed it. This series did feel a bit like getting it all wrapped up a bit more early than they had possible intended, imho. Agree that last weeks episode was the end of story mostly with this week just tying up loose ends etc.

peanutbutter

Thought that epilogue was awful and really undermined a lot of the series, even with the out that it was an old man's nostalgic perspective. "And that little underappreciated film ended up being in the Criterion Collection" or whatever the kid read still has me groaning.

Really felt like a series that was meant to be 4 seasons long as there was an awful lot going on in that (very good) third season. They had too many cast members in the first two and too much ground to cover in the third. Overall enjoyed it a lot though.


Better than Treme and the Corner, weaker than the rest of his HBO output (and prolly Homicide too, never seen it)

Waking Life

Finally watched all of this. I thought it was great, although it feels like it was quite a small world, despite all the characters. I suppose it is only covering a few streets.

The bar exposition at the end did feel a bit crap, but I enjoyed his walk through Times Square. The CC and Lori storyline was the strongest, with Candy's coming a close second. The twins never really got going for me and found Abby quite boring.

It's also interesting how much has been based on real life, as I watched the inside the episode. The epilogue was the first scene planned and the Mike parts were all based on the affection the real Vince had for him. The Criterion bit did seem contrived, although it's based on the re-evaluation of the film Wanda, albeit that's not the actual basis for Candy. The other Wire reference for Black Frankie felt crowbarred in.

They didn't include Darlene or Larry Brown either, but that was good in the sense they had 'got away'. I'd possibly rewatch at some point down the line. I'd also like to watch an actual documentary about the transformation of Times Square.

robotam

Season 3 has finally aired in the uk. (Well, really the just stuck the whole series up at once). I'm up to about episode 5 of this season and think it's fantastic.  A lot of the programmes I've been watching lately have been enjoyable but slightly daft. But it's really fucking good just to have a TV show that is direct, about something and empathetic.
Yeah, really good. David Simon is a bit annoying on twitter though.

Waking Life

Quote from: robotam on January 12, 2020, 10:04:51 PM
Season 3 has finally aired in the uk. (Well, really the just stuck the whole series up at once). I'm up to about episode 5 of this season and think it's fantastic.  A lot of the programmes I've been watching lately have been enjoyable but slightly daft. But it's really fucking good just to have a TV show that is direct, about something and empathetic.
Yeah, really good. David Simon is a bit annoying on twitter though.

For someone so articulate and thoughtful in real life (see The House I Live In), he engages in a lot of sweary (and pointless) arguments with the wrong people. Always one argument away from using 'cockwomble'.

Bazooka

I completely forgot about this show back in 2017 need to watch it all, good to hear I've got 3 series to chomp, not really seen any exposure to it.

Enrico Palazzo

Finished this yesterday. Really good third series - the actress who plays Lori was particularly good. It's a shame that what should have been a very affecting last ten minutes was spoiled by James Franco's rubbish old man performance/make-up. I thought Franco was otherwise great in the series, though.

Custard

Just watched all three series, and I thought it was pretty great.

Never thought I cared that much about the characters until THAT final scene, which actually had me bawling, like a big wally. Definitely one of the most moving ways to wrap up a show I've seen. The present day just seems so sterile and bleak

It does feel like there could have been a fourth season, but overall I think it was a great series that probably ended at just the right time

Not quite The Wire, but excellent stuff

Quote from: Shameless Custard on March 09, 2020, 09:19:19 PM
Just watched all three series, and I thought it was pretty great.

Never thought I cared that much about the characters until THAT final scene, which actually had me bawling, like a big wally. Definitely one of the most moving ways to wrap up a show I've seen. The present day just seems so sterile and bleak

It does feel like there could have been a fourth season, but overall I think it was a great series that probably ended at just the right time

Not quite The Wire, but excellent stuff

I watched this too a couple of weeks ago and agree with what you said in bold, definitely worth a watch if you haven't already.

Reminded me a little of Vinyl which I really enjoyed, gotta love that dirty 70's NY vibe.