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Treme Review: “Saints” (Season 3, Episode 2)

If a city exists unimpeded by any sort of outside force, it will become the victim of entropy. Cultures and influences from different areas bleed into the sinew of a city and force it to become something else. Likewise, traumas can force a city to reexamine itself at the outset of rebuilding. Like a student transferring to a new school, there is an opportunity for reinvention. None of this is particularly negative, and in some cases the results are a net positive, but on some level the choice has to be made and the new vanguard has to be anointed. Tonight’s episode of Treme – prophetically entitled ‘Saints’ – starts the clock on a whole new series of possible cultural influences on New Orleans, some more willing to take their post than others.

Nelson Hidalgo, while spending some time at Ladonna’s bar after a long day of wheedling his way back into the real estate scene (he discovered the NOAH rehabs were almost totally fraudulent and used this blackmail as leverage to get back in the game) mentions his cousin being a “walking ATM” to stickup artists. It is this kind of character cross-over that Treme excels at, which is also exemplified by the earlier scene when Nelson watched Del play at a night club. None of this may mean anything in terms of plot, but it helps the world feel lived-in and real.

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Ladonna, of course, needs no outside evidence to convince her of the problems still inherent in the city. Her rapist has yet to get a trial date, and thus she must make constant trips to the courthouse. This stress, coupled with her viciously malignant sister-in-law and the litigious nature of her bar’s neighbors, brings her to a breaking point. She moves out of her in-laws house and bribes a neighbor to stay quiet.

Terry and Toni has a small moment together this episode as well, as Terry has to deliver the news that the hairdresser she and her daughter met with last week – who turns out to be a friend of the family – was murdered. It’s a flimsy premise for Terry to use to talk to Toni, and I think both of them knew it, which gives the glaze of un-spilled tears in Toni’s eyes as Terry walks away a greater meaning. These two became so close, and remain so fond of one another both personally and professionally; it’s a shame that their respective lives keep them apart. Terry meanwhile, is working the murder case, still dealing with departmental screw ups. They are two soldiers fighting for the future of New Orleans’ safety, each hampered by a deeply flawed system.

L.P. – the intrepid freelance reporter we only met last episode– is still chasing leads as well, working toward putting right the wrongs and disinfecting the city’s ills by bringing them into sunlight, but his work in this episode is merely table setting. Through him we get the story of Henry Glover, a man shot by a vigilante while looting, who was subsequently ill-treated by the cops, who later torched the car his friends brought him to seek help in.

Meanwhile, Annie and Davis both keep making strides toward putting their stamp on the music scene of New Orleans. Annie is growing by leaps and bounds, and brashly confronts a possible manager to represent her. Of course, the guy has a predatory look in his eyes, one that does not escape Annie’s notice. She describes him to Davis as “oozy,” which is pretty spot on. Davis, meanwhile, fails to secure John Boutte (who sings the opening title song) to join his impending Verdi-inspired R&B opera. Still, he’s making strides, and he’s helping Annie cut demos. Of everyone in this town, if anyone can make it, it’s these two crazy kids.

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