Treme: Do You Know What It Means   First Watch 
February 22, 2015 8:30 PM - Season 1, Episode 1 - Subscribe

Down in the Treme/Just me and my baby/We're all going crazy/Just jumpin' and havin' fun.

A New Orleans neighborhood celebrates its first second-line parade since Katrina, reuniting many of its musicians and residents, though many have yet to return.
posted by donajo (13 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'm so sad because this series ended. It will be sweet to re-watch it.
posted by rdr at 11:41 PM on February 22, 2015


This is a series chock full of great characters, and I don't mean because they're oversized and weird, but because they are fully realized and human. Terrific work by Simon and Overmeyer. The casting is spot on, and the enthusiastic participation by the city and neighborhood itself is evident.
posted by dhartung at 11:48 PM on February 22, 2015


And the music...
posted by rdr at 12:07 AM on February 23, 2015


Yay! A rewatch! I stopped watching around midway through season 3 (I think) and some of this will be new to me once we get there.

A lot of New Orleanians gave the production a lot of flak, but I thought it was really well done. (I lived in NOLA for a couple of years out of high school and had been visiting since my teens.)
posted by Kitteh at 6:40 AM on February 23, 2015


Thanks for posting this. I've been meaning to watch the show, but never got into it when it was initially airing. My brother lives there, and he would have a post-show discussion with my parents about what the show covered, which made me all the more interested in it.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:37 AM on February 23, 2015


Please note: this is a First Watch series, not a Rewatch. No spoilers, please.
posted by donajo at 8:53 AM on February 23, 2015


And the music...

Yeah, man. I watched the first episode recently because I'm going to New Orleans next weekend, and it got me all excited about NOLA jazz. I forgot how much I like jazz.

I was pleasantly surprised that the show definitely has a light/comical side (ie, the Davis character). Knowing that it was centered around the Katrina aftermath and coming from David Simon, I was expecting something darker and more centered around crime. The tragic elements are there, but the comedy is there too.

Can anyone from NOLA explain what a second-line parade is to me? I've read online descriptions and wikipedia and all that, but I'm not sure what distinguishes a "second-line" parade from just a parade.
posted by donajo at 9:00 AM on February 23, 2015


This article makes it sound like "second line" parades are casual "come out, get dressed up and dance because getting dressed up and dancing in the streets is fun" parades, because you don't want to have wait for someone to die to dance in the streets. Alternatively, Wikipedia and this Guardian review of this episode indicate that "second line" parades are the informal mass of people who follow the formal, official "first line" parades. So I'm not 100% sure if it's an either/or situation, or both/and.

And thanks for reiterating the point on no spoilers. My earlier comment was to say I'd like to hear more about elements of the particular episode in question from people who know what it's really like, or have found write-ups of that sort.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:04 AM on February 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


A musician with expensive guitars and no money.. I know I'm going to like this show already.

The first episode did a great job of laying out the characters and their issues without beating it over your head like some shows will.

I had to look up if Wendell Pierce knew how to play the trombone.
posted by drezdn at 8:06 AM on February 24, 2015


I had never heard the story about the prisoners on the bridge. Here's an article from that year. (It's pretty harsh)
posted by drezdn at 2:13 PM on February 24, 2015 [1 favorite]


I had to look up if Wendell Pierce knew how to play the trombone.

And? Does he?

I'm about to go out of town for the weekend so if someone else wants to post a thread for episode 2, be my guest.
posted by donajo at 10:28 AM on February 26, 2015


He learned to play trombone for the part but someone else is doing the playing that's actually recorded and he 'bone-syncs it.
posted by drezdn at 10:38 AM on February 26, 2015


I'm back from a weekend trip to New Orleans, and a retired Mardi Gras Indian explained second line parades to me.

The parades are hosted by social and pleasure clubs. The clubs get the permit for the parade and hire a brass band. The club members, dressed in matching outfits, dance at the front of the parade, followed immediately by the brass band. Then anyone who wants to is invited to join the second line and dance behind the band. This happens every Sunday from the end of August until June.

If you're a fan of Treme and going to New Orleans, the Back Street Museum is highly recommended.
posted by donajo at 8:09 PM on March 2, 2015 [2 favorites]


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