S02.E01: Our Raison d'Etre

[LoveLeigh]

NYC. Christmas 1977 and the sex industry is booming. And we meet the main cast of characters again. 

 

Edited September 10, 2018 by DakotaLavender

[BingeyKohan]

No comments yet! The Deuce isn't sending us running to our keyboards to comment. This was a little bit tame of a Where Are They Now episode out of the gate. Also felt a little dumbed-down somehow. Definitely some of the tension slackened from the last season (Ruby's death being the end of that era, I guess) ... A problem with this episode was that it felt a bit like it could also be a season finale. Still all in for the show, though. I like it, but I do wish we'd lingered a little longer in the squalor of the earlier 70s. 

Edited September 10, 2018 by BingeyKohan

[Traveller519]

It was good to drop in with just about everyone in the Deuce again. Welcome back!

Not unsurprising for a David Simon season premiere, but it was pretty slow to lay the groundwork for where everyone stands and using Vincent seeking out Frankie was a fun narrative device for that.

It looks like it will really be Candy's story driving the plot, which I'm great with. She has the most upward potential. I barely recognized Abby, but she was enjoyable as the protypical bartender/life coach taken up a level.

Looking forward to see where this goes! I hope we get a touch more plot movement this year!

[LoveLeigh]

I am not surprised there is little activity at this forum. For me, the season's premiere episode was boring and awful. I cannot see this season going anywhere new. It's predictable and the characters have become caricatures. 

Edited September 10, 2018 by DakotaLavender

[Joimiaroxeu]

Yeah, it was kind of a laborious start to the season but it also looks like they've laid the groundwork for several interesting plotlines. I'm still looking forward to seeing how things unfold.

Not a fan of the new theme song. It does typify the era well though. Whoever selects the music for this show knows their stuff.

Edited September 10, 2018 by Joimiaroxeu

[tennisgurl]

I am going to miss the gross, grimy early 70s, but spending some time in the disco era should be fun. The episode was a bit dull, as a set up episode, but I think there is a lot of potential here, and a lot of plots that I am interested in. 

Frankie looking for Vinnie, and that being a reintroduction to all of the characters and where they all are, while also showing the setting and time period, was a good device to get everyone in again. I also forgot how much freaking smoking there is in this show! Its getting to Mad Men levels of constant chain smoking from just about everyone. The cigarettes are practically the stars of the show. 

[Moxie Cat]

I miss two things: the original theme song and Levieva's awesome hair. At least the end credits theme is the same. And I hope for her sake that is a wig.

[DiabLOL]

I'm not sure what I'm watching anymore. I found this episode rather dull. I hope the show will get me invested in some characters and story lines again. So far it's feeling like Boogie Nights Lite.

[nilyank]

Frankie's hair looks better than Vincent's.

[txhorns79]

Quote

I am going to miss the gross, grimy early 70s, but spending some time in the disco era should be fun. The episode was a bit dull, as a set up episode, but I think there is a lot of potential here, and a lot of plots that I am interested in. 

I would say the late 70s shares the grime, and takes it a step further because everything just looks so cheap, dirty and old.  Even the characters look just kind of dirty and old.     

Quote

And I hope for her sake that is a wig.

 

Jesus, I hope so.  It's like the character decided to see what would happen if she cut her own hair and then stopped combing it. 

[grawlix]

I’m glad I can figure out which one is Frankie and which one is Vincent easily

[LoveLeigh]

Who is the blonde? I am so lost. 

[numbnut]

Slow first ep but I'm looking forward to seeing how the women take control of their lives, especially Darlene and Lori (Larry and CC won't make it easy, that's for sure). The twin storyline bores me to tears. I hope the stolen money leads to Vinnie getting whacked by the mob.

[Surrealist]

I'm looking forward to seeing the evolution of Candy, Darlene, Abby, and Lori. I don't even care so much about the men.

[Armchair Critic]

Jon Stern from Rectify was a new character.

David Krumholtz lost a lot of weight.

Edited September 11, 2018 by Armchair Critic

[kicotan]

8 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

David Krumholtz lost a lot of weight.

Seriously!!! What is up with that?

Otherwise, pretty much what I expected.

[Rinaldo]

26 minutes ago, kicotan said:

8 hours ago, Armchair Critic said:

David Krumholtz lost a lot of weight.

Seriously!!! What is up with that?

Some of this was discussed here last season, and Alan Sepinwall is as usual on top of it. In the aftermath of surviving thyroid cancer, Krumholtz did gain considerable weight, but he has gotten it under control since Season 1.

[UrbanShocker]

In case anyone is wondering, yes, that 3 overtime Knicks-Bucks game they referred to really happened:

https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/197712160MIL.html

I agree the show was a bit slow this week, but it played more like the start of a new series than the start of a new season.  I'm guessing it will pick up soon.  

I do like the new theme song though.

[thuganomics85]

Finally got a chance to check this out.  Definitely a bit slow, but it was fun seeing all the characters again, and I'm curious to see where all of this is heading.  In particular, I'm hoping this is leading to Lori, Darlene, and the rest of the prostitutes continuing to stand up for themselves and control their lives more.  I was really getting a sense that the pimps are scared over how insignificant they are starting to become on some levels.  C.C. in particular was totally overcompensating during all of his "wheeling and dealing" scenes.  Insecurity isn't a positive look for him (granted, it is C.C. we're talking about.)

I'm not sure how much $10,000 would be worth now, but even then, that is a big fucking chunk of change, and I can't see how Vincent ended up calming down over Frankie blowing all of that.  Frankie's still an idiot, but at least he's got a haircut now, so I can't tell them apart now, and hopefully the rest of the characters won't get them mixed up either anymore!

Heh, I love that Candy was actually trying to go deep (err, not in that way) with a porn film of all things.  Curious to see where her story is heading.  Glad Harvey is still around.

Since Alston seems to be the most normal person here, I worry that something bad is going to happen to him, wherever it is job related or something to do with his new girlfriend.

Abby's turned the bar into some kind grunge gathering.  Naturally, Vincent doesn't get it.

[TheNewJanBrady]

The hair is sooooo awful! Funny as a one-time sight gag to convey the time jump but I hope they tone it down for future eps.

[Moxie Cat]

17 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Since Alston seems to be the most normal person here,

And yet I forget the details, but didn't Allston look the other way in exchange for such a good promotion? He's not exactly clean.

I hope we see the journalist that he dated again...I really liked her. 

One bit of casting that hasn't been mentioned: Jim Parrack, a.k.a. Hoyt Fortenberry from True Blood, was the guy sitting behind Maggie G. when she and Krumholtz argued  about the artsy porn cut. I don't think he even had any lines! But obviously he will in the future. Maybe he'll run into Chris Bauer!

[Moxie Cat]

On September 11, 2018 at 12:34 AM, Surrealist said:

I'm looking forward to seeing the evolution of Candy, Darlene, Abby, and Lori. I don't even care so much about the men.

It's interesting, and a larger subject, why that happens so often on good shows. I'm thinking Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, even Game of Thrones.

i've been thinking that The Deuce is actually a lot like Halt and Catch Fire. Both shows have substantial time/subject jumps between seasons. And more importantly, both shows focus on the evolution and independence of their female characters. In HACF's case, this was not intentional, but as the seasons went on, the show runners seemed to realize that the two main female characters were more interesting than the original guys the show initially focused on. Obviously The Deuce has a much larger cast of characters and probably Simon has a more focused game plan in regards to the evolution of porn and NYC. But I am also much more interested in how the women you mentioned change over time, while it's harder to be interested in how most of the primary male characters (the twins, their brother in law, the pimps) evolve.

[msrachelj]

On 9/10/2018 at 10:32 AM, Traveller519 said:

It was good to drop in with just about everyone in the Deuce again. Welcome back!

Not unsurprising for a David Simon season premiere, but it was pretty slow to lay the groundwork for where everyone stands and using Vincent seeking out Frankie was a fun narrative device for that.

It looks like it will really be Candy's story driving the plot, which I'm great with. She has the most upward potential. I barely recognized Abby, but she was enjoyable as the protypical bartender/life coach taken up a level.

Looking forward to see where this goes! I hope we get a touch more plot movement this year!

i like this show a lot. 1970's nyc really was as dirty and corrupt as it is portrayed. i remember going into the city and it being an adventure. you were so proud of yourself if you did not get robbed and got back home safely in one piece. can you feel nostalgic for a dirty, crime ridden place with unimaginable living conditions?  as a visitor. sorry for those that could not escape it.

i barely recognized abby also. is her hair a different color? some of the wigs on this show are really cut rate!

[PamelaMaeSnap]

On 9/12/2018 at 1:49 AM, thuganomics85 said:

Since Alston seems to be the most normal person here, I worry that something bad is going to happen to him, wherever it is job related or something to do with his new girlfriend.

I desperately want this to be the one show where Lawrence Gilliard, Jr., survives to the end!

Also hoping for the mid-season return of Leon, one of my favorite characters from S1. Before S2 started, I posited that I didn't think a legit business owner would spend more than four years in jail for killing a pimp, and in fact someone (I think Rodney?) actually says exactly that when discussing Leon's return with his replacement (Chauncey, who I think they said is Leon's cousin) ... was psyched when it was brought up that he'd be coming back, but worry it may have just been a teaser. 

Edited September 21, 2018 by PamelaMaeSnap

[Milburn Stone]

On 9/15/2018 at 1:30 PM, msrachelj said:

i like this show a lot. 1970's nyc really was as dirty and corrupt as it is portrayed.

My favorite shot in this whole episode was after Alston visits the cops and detectives to say, like, how about doing police work, and then he leaves, and the three of them just sit on their lazy asses laughing at him. Funny and horrifying at the same time.

I knew the whole story about Krumholtz (thanks to @Rinaldo last year), but even so, there were moments I thought this was a different actor playing Harvey. Because this thin Krumholtz looked unlike the thin Krumholtz before the cancer. I hope he's OK.

[scrb]

Why did they insert the other vocals to the Elvis Costello song?

Strange choice in the first place.  Although it came out during this period, punk/new wave seems to be out of place in this milieu.

So they funk-ify it by having a black woman sing the lyrics?