The concept of relationships in general, and friendships specifically, is something that can be a little hard to grasp. In school friendships offer an escape from monotony, and since you are all stuck together in a fixed learning environment anyway, so you might as well get along. But what happens once you’re free from the restrictive geographical bindings of an institution of learning? What happens when your forced equality of experience gives way to the vast expanse of adulthood?
Christmas brings families together, and is generally seen in the culture as a time of peace and harmony. But the wheels of progress don't stop for the holidays, and this episode of Treme illustrates just what our characters are fighting for, what they have to endure to reach those goals, and what they stand to lose should they fail. The speed with which this season is progressing is breakneck when juxtaposed against the last two seasons, and since this is the midpoint of the season, we can look forward to a lot more to come.
The season arcs of Treme often depend on the accumulation of moments and ideas toward a greater design in the last few episodes. This season, however, seems to be building a real and palpable momentum with every single episode that goes by. The thing is, this thematic and narrative acceleration easily registers in the lives of the characters, and it wouldn’t be hard to conceive of the rest of the season dealing with the fallout from too much forward motion coming too quickly for some people to handle.
Let’s make no mistake: in the eyes of his friends, Schmidt has never been cool. The man has an overwhelming enthusiasm for all things chic and haute. He orders sushi by the gross, he knows what kind of cheese should and should not go on crackers, he fauns over Calvin Kline pants… in short, the very fact that he pours effort and feeling into these things alienates him from people. However, that also makes him an excellent friend, because in his own small way, he’s always looking out for those around him. He can’t not care, especially about those around him.
When you set out on a journey, you have to choose a path, make a plan, and know what you’re going to need. Throughout Treme thus far we’ve seen characters picking out their desired paths, and to some extent creating plans toward achieving those goals. Tonight, however, we see characters beginning to come to terms with the reality of what their journey will cost them; the sacrifices they will need to make, the people they will need to help them, and the reasons they have to succeed.
It is possible for a show to bring up a lot of interesting ideas and worthy themes, and yet still fail to execute either their genesis or resolution in a truly effective way. It's the kind of thing that mutes one's enthusiasm for an otherwise stellar half hour of comedy and insightful personal drama. It's also just frustrating considering how seismic the shifts that this episode sets up could turn out to be.
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.
Last season, New Girl had to struggle to get past the awkward pre-season marketing and the baggage of Zooey Deschanel in order to prove itself one of the funniest and most character-driven comedies this side of Community and Parks and Recreation. Yes, you read that right. Despite what naysayers might have you believe, this show is an astute character comedy that rewards investment in a group of characters who are layered, authentic, and wildly hilarious.
The story of Treme is that of the battle for the soul of a city. Every character we meet in this expansive, lively television show comes to the city with an eye to give or take something in the name of some grand idea that is New Orleans. To some, it is a home, a place to preserve and love. To others, it is the heart of an artistic movement they believe in.
David Simon excels at creating rich, textured, multi-strand narratives that serve as a kind of animating current meant to bring a particular setting to life. The Wire and Homicide: Life on the Streets gave us grimy, bottom-up views of institutional malaise and its deleterious effect on urban life in Baltimore. His newest show, Treme (which has its third season premier this Sunday), deals with New Orleans, a city equally as damaged by bureaucratic ineptitude and entropy, but further enervated by natural disaster in the form of Hurricane Katrina. Whereas his Baltimore opuses had their eyes set on crime, however, Treme finds its through-line in the singular and enduring culture of the Crescent City.
