The Deuce

[east or bust]

Things need to get moving. First two episodes have been pretty bland, has not lived up to the hype the trailer induced. They need to knock some socks off tonight to keep me interested.

[Benny Profane]

Oh, furcryoutloud. Calm down. The Sopranos took the first season to get some good buzz. The Wire didn't set the world on fire for some time. Breaking Bad didn't wow everybody right away, either. And that's good. Don't be all folded arms, "entertain me, bitches". Shit, 2001 was basically a flop first time around at the box office. It's all, gimmee, gimmee, gimmee, I want it now. Sheesh. Stop and swish it around a little.

Sent from my SM-G900V using TGR Forums mobile app

[PB]

Backin' Benny here; all classically good things take time to develop. In fact, one should probably be at least a little suspicious of immediate smashes in the extended format i.e. TV - they tend to fade into ignominy rapidly.

[Diamond Joe]

Find myself agreeing with Benny here too

although I disagree about Breaking Bad, I was pretty blown away with that show right from the start..
and just to counter-point, GoT was pretty money right from the start, and Boardwalk was too

[Benny Profane]

Oh, I was hooked on BB after the second episode, when that bathtub fell through the ceiling. But I didn't watch it until it was on Netflix. These things need word of mouth to get going.

I'm pissed that they had no patience for Vinyl, and horses had to die for Luck. I liked both of those.

Sent from my SM-G900V using TGR Forums mobile app

[Marshall Tucker]

Too much smoking,

I went to boarding school from fall 79 to spring 82. At that time, a boarding student could smoke cigerettes in thier dorm room, with only thier roomate present, provided they had written parental permission given to the school.

I'm obviously pretty old, but to memory maybe 40% of the student body had permisssion. Cigs were sold at the school store. And that's 8-9 years later when we were much more enlightened. Personally, what I remember is you just accepted it without even noticing. Planes, offices, etc. Stephen king wrote about it, and I remember it clear as day, the waiting room in the hospital in my hometown had these big white freestanding ashtrays.

Think about it.

[Sirshredalot]

I went to boarding school from fall 79 to spring 82. At that time, a boarding student could smoke cigerettes in thier dorm room, with only thier roomate present, provided they had written parental permission given to the school.

I'm obviously pretty old, but to memory maybe 40% of the student body had permisssion. Cigs were sold at the school store. And that's 8-9 years later when we were much more enlightened. Personally, what I remember is you just accepted it without even noticing. Planes, offices, etc. Stephen king wrote about it, and I remember it clear as day, the waiting room in the hospital in my hometown had these big white freestanding ashtrays.

Think about it.

100%. During my brief stint in the sex work industry, everyone smoked. And that was decades later, when tobacco use rates were already in serious decline.

[Diamond Joe]

During my brief stint in the sex work industry,

Pics or it did't happen

Seriously though. What??

[Soups]

100%. During my brief stint in the sex work industry, everyone smoked.

Fluffer or stunt cock?

[ill-advised strategy]

I'd like to know more about what the point of this show is....is it just a snapshot of that time and place? Is it a character story? Are we tracking the development of the culture? As it stands, from my point of view it's just an interesting snapshot of a time and place but not much else.

Few things....this really makes me reflect on what cell phones have done to us. You see how people navigated dangerous situations and dangerous people without the cell phone lifeline. You see how thugs had so much more time and space with nobody instantly on the phone to 911. It's crept up slowly enough that seeing an accurate slice of life from back then really puts our current state into perspective.

Also....what a mustache and V8 paradise. Sometimes I stache out, and sometimes I drive the F250 around....but it always feels just a little contrived. That was the real shit back then.

[AK47bp]

Show is supposed to be about the start of the porn industry

[Benny Profane]

I'd like to know more about what the point of this show is....is it just a snapshot of that time and place? Is it a character story? Are we tracking the development of the culture? As it stands, from my point of view it's just an interesting snapshot of a time and place but not much else.

Few things....this really makes me reflect on what cell phones have done to us. You see how people navigated dangerous situations and dangerous people without the cell phone lifeline. You see how thugs had so much more time and space with nobody instantly on the phone to 911. It's crept up slowly enough that seeing an accurate slice of life from back then really puts our current state into perspective.

Also....what a mustache and V8 paradise. Sometimes I stache out, and sometimes I drive the F250 around....but it always feels just a little contrived. That was the real shit back then.

I think, so far, it's an attempt to humanize the sterotypical pimp/street walker culture.
If it's about the beginnings of the porn film industry, then it has to move to L.A. in a few seasons.

I'm amazed at how easy the pimps and goombahs have it parking their boat like cars. They just drive up to the door. I don't think so.

Sent from my SM-G900V using TGR Forums mobile app

[Diamond Joe]

So uh they've talked about it a couple times now, and maybe I'm just an idiot, but...

what actually is "The Deuce"?

[AK47bp]

I used to underage drink at a bar called 222. Triple Deuce.

Not sure what The Deuce is, maybe Franco's new bar?

[teledad]

The Deuce = The Forty-Deuce = 42nd street around 7th & 8th

[LightRanger]

Haven't watched yet, but Simon and Pelecanos were just on Fresh Air and it was a really interesting listen:
http://www.npr.org/2017/09/27/553867...-porn-industry

[Benny Profane]

Oh, ok, thanks. So it is all about porn.

The Franco brothers were based on real twin brothers?

Sent from my SM-G900V using TGR Forums mobile app

[neckdeep]

I'd like to know more about what the point of this show is....is it just a snapshot of that time and place? Is it a character story? Are we tracking the development of the culture? As it stands, from my point of view it's just an interesting snapshot of a time and place but not much else.

Never saw The Wire, huh? It had a huge ensemble cast but, arguably, the "star character" of the show was the city of Baltimore itself. By which I mean, the myriad characters and their subplots collectively merged to become the story of Baltimore. The Wire was probably compared to a novel more than any other TV to come before or since it aired. With Simon and Pelecanos's writing, you can expect setting, social issues, character and plot to all be given equal weight. So, if you want a mostly plot driven story, look elsewhere.


“Every story would be another story, and unrecognizable if it took up its characters and plot and happened somewhere else.… Fiction depends for its life on place.” - Eudora Welty

[fatnslow]

Just watched all four episodes during my free week of HBO and loved it. Great story building and intertwined characters. Cool seeing actors from the Wire and the story building is very similar.

[Diamond Joe]

I'm liking it so far, but not a fan of Franco playing twin brothers. Ewan MacGregor just did it in Fargo, it's played out. At least in Fargo, one brother was skinny, clean cut, and had a full head of hair, totally different from the beer belly, balding/mullet, mustached brother. Fargo took the time to make Ewan look different enough that it was kind of cool. The Deuce, they just put different clothes on Franco and leave everything else the exact same. Weak sauce.

[Benny Profane]

I'm liking it so far, but not a fan of Franco playing twin brothers. Ewan MacGregor just did it in Fargo, it's played out. At least in Fargo, one brother was skinny, clean cut, and had a full head of hair, totally different from the beer belly, balding/mullet, mustached brother. Fargo took the time to make Ewan look different enough that it was kind of cool. The Deuce, they just put different clothes on Franco and leave everything else the exact same. Weak sauce.

Yeah, it's confusing. They're so much alike, you don't know who's who at times.

Sent from my SM-G900V using TGR Forums mobile app

[PB]

Who cares; he's a better actor than MacGregor, just enjoy it.

[ill-advised strategy]

Never saw The Wire, huh? It had a huge ensemble cast but, arguably, the "star character" of the show was the city of Baltimore itself.

I've watched it end to end 4 times. Also read David Simon's nonfiction books Homicide and The Corner. The Wire had a lot to say about class, about the drug war, and about the ongoing failure of modern U.S. cities and institutions in general.

I guess I'm waiting to see if there's a cohesive point, or several of them, this show will make....not complaining that I don't see one thus far, just excited to see what takes shape over time.

[mogul5480]

Couldn't get through episode 1. Characters not believable. Franco owes $30k to the mob on behalf of his brother on the salary of a bartender at a failing Korean restaurant. His wife is throwing herself around like it's going out of style at random pool halls. Somehow through all of this, he never once looks angry, overwhelmed, or depressed and manages to crack jokes with said brother. Makes no sense.

[SkiBall]

I've watched it end to end 4 times. Also read David Simon's nonfiction books Homicide and The Corner. The Wire had a lot to say about class, about the drug war, and about the ongoing failure of modern U.S. cities and institutions in general.

I guess I'm waiting to see if there's a cohesive point, or several of them, this show will make....not complaining that I don't see one thus far, just excited to see what takes shape over time.

The Corner was a great read. Much more than I thought going in.