S03.E01: The Camera Loves You

[Drogo]

Season 3 premiere. On the eve of 1985, a worn-out Vincent reconnects with his ex-wife, Andrea, as his open relationship with Abby grows more distant. Despite becoming a family man, Frankie continues his risky side hustles. With the newly dominant VHS format shaking up their industry, Candy and Harvey travel to Las Vegas for an adult film convention, where they disagree on how to navigate a fast-changing future. Fresh out of rehab in Los Angeles, Lori is put back to work.

[ChicksDigScars]

And the AIDS epidemic in NYC is prominently featured, from Paul's partner covering up the tell tale lesions with make up, to Bobby feeling ill, getting AIDS tested, and after the lecture he gets from the doctor (the results aren't in yet), bangs a random woman in a bathroom stall on New Year's Eve, anyway.

I'm a bit disappointed that they buried this on Monday night, instead of the usual Sunday time slot that the first two seasons had. Oh well, Chernobyl certainly did well on Monday nights, so maybe The Deuce will benefit from not being up against Sunday Night Football. 

Edited September 10, 2019 by ChicksDigScars

[peridot]

Is Harvey in love with Eileen?  He was asking her to dinner, and the camera made a point of lingering on his face after she left in the cab.

I feel terrible for Lori.  She left an abusive asshole, and fell into addiction.  It seems the 5th time isn't the charm.  She should move back to New York, where she has a positive group to support her.

I really don't get the open relationship of Vincent and Abby.  They actually share their bed with others?  I hope they have plenty of sheets and mattress protectors! 

Was Bobby actually wearing a toupee!?  LOL.

[Traveller519]

I loved the use of "Melt with You" in the opening, a song that's frequently associated with the neon-freshness of the Teen Films of the 80s but set against the backdrop of the Deuce which still appears as grimy as ever. Very nice juxtaposition to remind us where we are.

Other than that it was typical Simon place-setting in his season opener, but we should have some fun. I am a little disappointed this will be the last season. It would have been interesting to see the move to the 90s and the Giuliani era impact on the neighborhood.

[Surrealist]

58 minutes ago, peridot said:

Is Harvey in love with Eileen?  He was asking her to dinner, and the camera made a point of lingering on his face after she left in the cab.

I started to pick up on his feelings last season. I do think he's fallen for her. (I'm aware of the time jump, but did notice how he behaved around her in S2.)

Bobby is one of the sleaziest characters. I wish he'd get bumped off. 

Edited September 11, 2019 by Surrealist

[txhorns79]

I enjoyed the episode, even if these characters barely look older than when we first met them in 1971.  How old are Vincent and Eileen supposed to be?  I figure by the show's timeline, they both should be mid to late 40s, closing in on 50.     

1 hour ago, peridot said:

Is Harvey in love with Eileen?  He was asking her to dinner, and the camera made a point of lingering on his face after she left in the cab.

I think he enjoys her company.  They've worked together for a over a decade, so it feels like they would have already had that talk if Harvey had feelings.   

I did like Eileen's interactions with her parents.  She's obviously made some kind of peace with her father, even if it's just because her mother is dying.  It also sounds like she and her kid are estranged. 

[tennisgurl]

Glad to see this show back, in all its sparkly, grimy glory. It looks like this season will explore how AIDS changed the sex industry and the general scene in New York, as in this episode we see Paul trying to emphasis safe sex practices in the gay community while his partner is trying to hide the tell tale signs, people suffering from the illness, and Bobby freaking out about getting AIDS because he feels a bit poorly and sees gay men around, while his doctor tells him that thats ridiculous. We also are seeing the rise of home video and what that could do to the porn industry, how the industry has grown into being more about mass production than freedom, and again, how the sex industry changes with the times. 

Loved Eileen snarking about the wanna be pimps. Yeah, CeCe would have pimp slapped those losers all the way back to New York.

I wonder if the feminist group protesting porn will play a big part this season, and its interesting to look at the many conflicting feelings that people have had about porn over the years now that its become an established industry. I wonder what Eileen would say to them, and if they will have a confrontation? 

Poor Lori, she escapes her abusive pimp and street-walking only to end up with a drug problem in LA. At least her career seems to be going well! I wonder if/when we will see some of the other characters, like Larry and Darlene, considering when we last saw them they were leaving the pimp/hooker game, or otherwise scattering?

Edited September 11, 2019 by tennisgurl

[Armchair Critic]

What happened to Larry? Did I see him in Vincent's club?

[meep.meep]

It was probably Big Mike you saw in Vince's club.

That was Bent that Paul's boyfriend was in?

[Dminches]

I thought it was Abby who wanted to open up the relationship.  If that is the case it seems odd that she would be jealous of Vince and his ex, which she clearly was.  

Be careful what you wish for....

[Surrealist]

54 minutes ago, Dminches said:

I thought it was Abby who wanted to open up the relationship.  If that is the case it seems odd that she would be jealous of Vince and his ex, which she clearly was.  

Be careful what you wish for....

I agree. Abby was all over the idea of an open relationship when she and Vince got together. But now she seems over it. 

I'm surprised it's gone on for as many years as it has.

[Deanie87]

20 hours ago, Traveller519 said:

I loved the use of "Melt with You" in the opening, a song that's frequently associated with the neon-freshness of the Teen Films of the 80s but set against the backdrop of the Deuce which still appears as grimy as ever. Very nice juxtaposition to remind us where we are.

I swear I had to double check to make sure I was watching the right show when it came on.  It seemed so out of place but I loved it.  It will always remind me of Randy and Julie from Valley Girl going to the hotel after the prom so Julie can lose her virginity LOL!   A bit different from the scenes here.  I also love the Blondie song in the opening credits.  

The punk/New Wave scene was apparently especially seedy, but since these were the songs of my teenage years, so they will always remind me of a much more innocent and optimistic time.  Fresh is such a great word for it.  And yes, I anticipate a lot of juxtaposition.  

Lori in the bathroom with the coke was really disturbing.  But she looks great in the 80s wear.

[Armchair Critic]

51 minutes ago, Deanie87 said:

It will always remind me of Randy and Julie from Valley Girl going to the hotel after the prom so Julie can lose her virginity

YES! That was the first time I had heard that song. I was pretty young in the 70's but I can definitely relate to 1985 and look forward to seeing what they do with it.

[Kenz]

I wish they had given Abby something else to do besides running the bar and sharing a dingy apartment with Vincent. She seemed far too intelligent and ambitious to be stuck in the same situation. Maybe if they had expanded the bar or upgraded the apartment, I could have bought that her business savvy had progressed, but why would she stick around for Vincent's seedy world?

[chick binewski]

On 9/10/2019 at 7:30 PM, peridot said:

Is Harvey in love with Eileen?  He was asking her to dinner, and the camera made a point of lingering on his face after she left in the cab.

I've always thought Harvey was charmed by and infatuated with Eileen to some degree. Even as he's rejecting her film-making ideals, he still respects her. I've always thought Krumholtz played this beautifully. 

On 9/10/2019 at 10:50 PM, tennisgurl said:

Poor Lori, she escapes her abusive pimp and street-walking only to end up with a drug problem in LA. At least her career seems to be going well! I wonder if/when we will see some of the other characters, like Larry and Darlene, considering when we last saw them they were leaving the pimp/hooker game, or otherwise scattering?

Although no one looks like they've aged 14 years (they are making an effort with Alston and Krumholtz) to me Emily Meade is making Lori look decades older just through the eyes. Going from CC to being bought by the mob to having Prince Charming turn into Chuck Traynor lite has got to be aging. She appears to be completely resigned.

Rolling Stone mentioned an unfortunate circumstance of moving into S3 was losing the black characters, citing them as victims of the gentrification of pornography. Although the show addressed Darlene not receiving equal pay it didn't take a broader view of racism in porn, which might have been interesting to view before they ditched a quarter of the cast.

3 hours ago, Kenz said:

I wish they had given Abby something else to do besides running the bar and sharing a dingy apartment with Vincent. She seemed far too intelligent and ambitious to be stuck in the same situation. Maybe if they had expanded the bar or upgraded the apartment, I could have bought that her business savvy had progressed, but why would she stick around for Vincent's seedy world?

I do not understand why Abby & Vince lasted longer than the middle-to-end of season one, I do not understand Abby's wigs and I do not understand why she chooses to moon over Vince whilst he's getting back with his wife. Spending over a decade to prove a point to your parents? Their relationship has never made any sense to me.

[nilyank]

8 hours ago, Kenz said:

I wish they had given Abby something else to do besides running the bar and sharing a dingy apartment with Vincent. She seemed far too intelligent and ambitious to be stuck in the same situation. Maybe if they had expanded the bar or upgraded the apartment, I could have bought that her business savvy had progressed, but why would she stick around for Vincent's seedy world?

I think she is still to help the girls and ladies that still walk the streets on The Deuce. At the end of last season, we saw her look resigned at the envelopes (Vince cut in the massage parlor) which she will use to help those women.

However she has been with Vince for a decade and the relationship has not changed or progressed since they first started. And no way would Vince still look the same all these years especially if he is dipping into drugs and working all these long hours as he gets older.

Still cannot believe that Frankie is not only still alive, somewhat successful but seems to be happily married with two kids.

[DangerousMinds]

On 9/10/2019 at 11:40 AM, ChicksDigScars said:

And the AIDS epidemic in NYC is prominently featured, from Paul's partner covering up the tell tale lesions with make up, to Bobby feeling ill, getting AIDS tested, and after the lecture he gets from the doctor (the results aren't in yet), bangs a random woman in a bathroom stall on New Year's Eve, anyway.

I'm a bit disappointed that they buried this on Monday night, instead of the usual Sunday time slot that the first two seasons had. Oh well, Chernobyl certainly did well on Monday nights, so maybe The Deuce will benefit from not being up against Sunday Night Football. 

It's HBO, how many really watch it the premiere in real time anyway? I don't think the ratings matter as this is the last season.

On 9/10/2019 at 7:30 PM, peridot said:

Is Harvey in love with Eileen?  He was asking her to dinner, and the camera made a point of lingering on his face after she left in the cab.

I feel terrible for Lori.  She left an abusive asshole, and fell into addiction.  It seems the 5th time isn't the charm.  She should move back to New York, where she has a positive group to support her.

I really don't get the open relationship of Vincent and Abby.  They actually share their bed with others?  I hope they have plenty of sheets and mattress protectors! 

Was Bobby actually wearing a toupee!?  LOL.

Is their relationship any different from other open relationships? Abby didn't seem particularly jealous to me. 

Edited September 14, 2019 by DangerousMinds

[Maysie]

I think Abby and Vince's relationship makes sense, based on what we've seen of them. Consider that she left school (I think she quit college in the first season - right? Or if she graduated, she didn't do anything with the degree) and took up with Vince in the bar. The way I read her character, she's a child of privilege and she's interested in a different kind of life than what she grew up with. Managing the bar, advocating for the women and sticking with Vince seem to offer her at least some fulfillment. In fact, I think at least at this point, managing a bar in Manhattan is right up her alley - she gets to know and hang with the hipsters of the time. Abby has never struck me as the woman that wanted to have a more traditional life, so I think her trajectory makes sense.

I think Vince is the one who isn't fulfilled. Last season he wanted more with Abby, but she wasn't into it. I see him boomeranging back to his wife because I figure on some level, he misses that life and that stability. But I think he loves Abby and doesn't want to give her up.

Bobby is a weak, weak human with a very bad rug. I don't know how he stands upright without his spine. I wonder what's happened to his kid, and based on how frightened Bobby is of contracting the virus, I'd be curious to know how he feels about introducing his son to that life and then failing to act when his kid started playing around with the help.

I'm glad the show is back. I was a little disappointed that we didn't see Larry or Darlene at all, and instead were introduced to the transit police, however, the story is about NYC in a certain point of time, more than it is about the sex trade (imo), so I think they had to introduce the new characters to show how the city evolved on crime and the disneyfication of Times Square.

[grawlix]

To me it looks like Vince and Abby's relationship has run its course and we are seeing the beginning of the end.

19 hours ago, chick binewski said:

On 9/10/2019 at 4:30 PM, peridot said:

Is Harvey in love with Eileen?  He was asking her to dinner, and the camera made a point of lingering on his face after she left in the cab.

I've always thought Harvey was charmed by and infatuated with Eileen to some degree. Even as he's rejecting her film-making ideals, he still respects her. I've always thought Krumholtz played this beautifully. 

I agree that it looks more like an infatuation rather than something romantic.  However, i think Alston is very interested in the female transit cop in Jack Maple's squad.  He was giving her the same look as he gave the female reporter in the first season.

[sugarbaker design]

In the NYE montage, the scene with the closeted ADA, he was staring at someone in the mirror, the camera panned to this seemingly lonely guy.  Was he the same guy that Paul gave a smoke to?  Is he a character that I forgot about?

[chick binewski]

11 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

In the NYE montage, the scene with the closeted ADA, he was staring at someone in the mirror, the camera panned to this seemingly lonely guy.  Was he the same guy that Paul gave a smoke to?  Is he a character that I forgot about?

It was the same man that was smoking with Paul. My first guess is he's some kind of representation of the isolation of AIDS and how it was ignored and/or shunned. Even Paul, who is arguably making the most conscious efforts to at least keep awareness alive, seems to be in some kind of denial about how is partner is suffering. And that doesn't seem due to ignorance regarding the disease.

[DoctorAtomic]

I watch the first 2 or 3 episodes ages ago. I liked the show, but with so much content out there, the show just fell through the cracks. I've been watching in my free time over the last couple of weeks to catch up with the real-time discussion here.

It's quite interesting seeing the city evolve over the eras and how the characters are riding that wave. Of course, TPTBs being who they are, and this being 1984, this isn't really going to be much of a happy ending.

The weirdest development is Frankie seems to have his shit together. I'm surprised Bobby didn't have a heart attack yet. He's kind of the classic Simon character who just always seems to be there.

Growing up in a fairly rural area, and being a kid I only heard about aids from the paper and it was barely on the local news. I remember no one knowing anything and people just dying. It sounded awful.

So glad to see Domenick Lombardozzi. He's my favorite of the Simon acting crew.

Edited September 22, 2019 by DoctorAtomic