The main difference between THE WIRE and TREME is the focus of the shows. I'm not talking about their settings, but rather the fact that THE WIRE revolved around a city and its institutions, while TREME is based on the zany characters that occupy a city and its institutions. The result is similar, in that you're forced to deal with a broad spectrum of characters and a vast array of stories.
Where the difference is notable is in the way that the stories all feel isolated from each other, even when the show tries, to its detriment, to create one big picture.
The two protagonists appear to be New Orleans DJ, Davis McAlary (Steve Zahn) and trombone player, Antoine Batiste (Wendell Pierce). My inclination here is to analyze these men as representing different aspects of WIRE hero James McNulty, but i will ward off that feeling. It is a tough one to beat back, as they both walk to their own beat in a F U to the institutions they're semi-rebelling against and they both seem reliant on the help of others in a parasite type way.
Ok, getting way too analytical here. Let's get back to my bread butter...
I like TREME. I don't love it, since it feels like work to a certain extent. THis is evident by the fact i added an intermission and found my interest waning at points. The problem stems from the central theme, New Orleans, being inaccessible to me. Where THE WIRE was about institutions in B'more, TREME is about the city itself. I now that sounds like a contradiction to what i wrote earlier, but i mean it in the sense that the characters deal with a setting that is unique and therefore doesn't translate well to this white suburban dude.
Anyway, I felt that John Goodman was more of a wikipedia page than an actual character.
Don't get me wrong, he was entertaining, but he feels more like an educational tool than a character. He seems to represent all the themes the show is trying to get across, without subtly letting us glean them for ourselves. Goodman's wife on the show, portrayed by Melissa Leo, also leaves a little to be desired. Reminiscent of ED the bowling alley lawyer, she appears to be the only shyster in town after the Hurricane. I make this assessment based on the fact she seems to be everyone's lawyer or if not, is a patron at their establishment.
Additionally, she seems far too altruistic, as if she's overdosing on a guilty trip. I really enjoy DEADWOOD vet and LOST flashback participant Kim Dickens as a chef trying to run a restaurant without any staff. Her story doesn't seem poised to blend well with the rest of the show, unless every scene takes place in her restaurant, and this reality disappoints me. She is a captivating starlet who demands my attention in any role, which is obvious from the way she stole the premier with just a few lines in her restaurant.
I'm also a willing participant on the Steve Zahn train. His high-strung DJ has the potential to be annoying, except he has avoided this danger after one episode. Basically he's entertaining, and I'm fine with that. He's an amusing distraction.
Ultimately, though, that's what the show feels like. A series of distractions thrown together. The caveat being that this is a David Simon production, and as such it will take time to develop, so i'm going to refrain from embracing this negative characterization and will only let it exist as a possibility to be wary of in the back of our mind.
Hopefully I'll have more coherent thoughts as the show progresses. For now I'm committed and look forward to next week's episode.
Are you going to watch? Did you watch? Do you get enough New Orleans flavor from Emeril???
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