The Deuce: Show and Prove
September 26, 2017 10:58 AM - Season 1, Episode 2 - Subscribe

The ladies of the Deuce enjoy lobster sauce, Candy falls in love with the silver screen, C.C. proves that pimping ain't easy, and Vincent gets an offer that he can't refuse.
posted by uncleozzy (16 comments total)
 
After the pilot and this episode, I'm sold on the show. It has its problems--Franco playing against himself is scenery-chewing agony, for starters--but the slow play while we see the machinery of this world really works for me.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:09 AM on September 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


I was wondering if anyone was still watching. Franco is definitely the worst part of the show and I wish they would simply relegate him to being minor supporting characters as I am much more interested in all the other stuff going on.
posted by miss-lapin at 2:18 PM on September 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


Franco gets tiresome pretty quick but my partner and I liked the first episode a lot, so will persevere. Good to see some old faces from The Wire as well.
posted by turbid dahlia at 3:10 PM on September 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


Me too: I hope Franco's role will eventually fade back to let the rest of the story breathe. I was annoyed in this episode because I found the payroll scheme totally befuddling. I'm hoping it doesn't matter too much.

I'm in for the rest of the show though, especially Darlene and Candy.
posted by gladly at 7:08 PM on September 26, 2017


Yeah, I think we're unfortunately going to see some real heartbreak in Darlene and Candy's stories, since this is a show about women written by men, but I'm hoping that they're allowed to get back up after whatever horrible things happen to them (apologies if any of this is suggested in previews; I haven't watched them).
posted by uncleozzy at 5:00 AM on September 27, 2017


I'm hoping one of the Franco brothers gets killed soon. They look too much alike and I can't tell them apart. They're both annoying.

I like the rest of the show.

Nice to see Frank Sobotka is back as "angry union guy who smokes too much and is probably gonna die soon."
posted by bondcliff at 7:01 AM on September 27, 2017 [7 favorites]


I was annoyed in this episode because I found the payroll scheme totally befuddling.

I don't know why, but I was driving on the freeway and it just suddenly popped into my mind how royally the construction workers are getting screwed by the mob on the payroll scheme. Paying out 5% of their checks to get cash on Friday vs. Monday is a horseshit deal. Just thinking about it, and then thinking about how maybe you wouldn't have much of a choice but to take that deal, just to have access to your own money, actually made me (briefly) appreciate modern banking and HR policies.
posted by the phlegmatic king at 7:31 AM on September 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


I'm hoping one of the Franco brothers gets killed soon. They look too much alike and I can't tell them apart. They're both annoying.

I tell them apart by the hair. Vincent has the kinda-mullet hair going on, Frankie has shorter hair in the back.
posted by lmfsilva at 8:17 AM on September 27, 2017


I suspect given the name the Francos are supposed to be the focus of the piece. This is very unfortunate.
posted by miss-lapin at 10:37 AM on September 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


The show's title is derived from the nickname for 42nd Street between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue.

Although I'm guessing there's no hope of Franco stepping back, unless someone makes it worth his while. (Honestly, he's got plenty of other things going on. Or he could go back to school for another degree. Or professoring. Or he could make ten more movies at once.)
posted by elsietheeel at 10:58 AM on September 27, 2017


Considering Franco tried to "hit on" a 17 year old professoring seems out of his reach, I hope.
posted by miss-lapin at 11:05 AM on September 27, 2017 [1 favorite]


Paying out 5% of their checks to get cash on Friday vs. Monday is a horseshit deal.

Okay, well now I do understand it from your explanation, and that is horseshit!

I'm guessing that as The Deuce's world gets bigger, the Martino twins will get smaller. I don't see Franco being in a television series for years. Could be blind optimism talking, but the biggest stars from The Wire and Treme weren't the big name actors.
posted by gladly at 12:34 PM on September 27, 2017 [2 favorites]


Interested to read the discussion here because between Simon and Gyllenhaal, I was pretty excited about this show -- but after watching the first episode, I've found that I've had little interest in watching the second. I've been like "meh, maybe I'll watch it later". And yeah, Franco is a drag. I don't really have a problem with him the way other people do (with his performances), but he's just not working for me in this.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 2:19 PM on September 27, 2017


(just for the record, if somebody who is willing to write more than a cursory summary wants to do the episode 3 post, please do; otherwise I'll throw a post up sometime before the next episode airs)
posted by uncleozzy at 8:55 AM on September 28, 2017


Oops, sorry uncleozzy, I didn't see your post! I just felt like talking about the next episode.
posted by gladly at 9:27 AM on September 28, 2017


Wow, I sure wish this show was focused only on the female characters. The Franco stuff is boring and the twin thing is very annoying. Whereas the female characters are all compelling and I can't wait to hear their back stories and see them develop. And of course the sets and costumes are incredible (God I had forgotten how dirty everything was when everyone smoked inside).

I do think there's a little having both ways that one gets on prestige TV, with lots of footage of the conventionally prettiest (young, skinny and white) women topless. On the other hand, they do an ok job showing sex as work.

Anyway, does the show get better? Not sure I can wade through much more Franco...
posted by latkes at 5:29 AM on January 6, 2018


« Older Veronica Mars: Credit Where Cr...   |  The Vietnam War: The History o... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments

poster