Television The Deuce

Brwned

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New HBO series by David Simon about the porn industry in the '70s. Just stumbled upon it...anyone seen it? Getting good reviews.


The Guardian said:
One of the key factors that hobbled The Wire’s popularity during its early seasons was the difficulty of keeping its massive cast straight; The Deuce has the benefit of boasting a few name-brand actors impossible to forget, but even so, it does not demand such a high price of admission to its absorptive world. Writing unencumbered by the jargon of police work or Show Me A Hero’s bureaucratic government lingo, Simon has created his most accessible work of humanism to date, and he’s done so without sacrificing his loftier ambitions of societal critique. (An instant-favorite monologue exposes Nixon’s Vietnam doctrine as pimping under the guise of policy.) “All the pieces matter” is another one of Simon’s classic axioms, and even before his new creations have fully come into focus, he’s re-convinced us of the statement’s truth.
 

DWelbz19

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I remember hearing about this when it was in the works, I'll definitely have to get round to giving it a go sometime soon.
 

VorZakone

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I've watched the pilot and I thought it was very decent (quite gritty too). You can tell the production values are pretty good but I did feel the writing lacked something. Hopefully it gets better as the season progresses.
 

Stringer

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Promising first episode. I'm not usually a fan of James Franco but no issue with him so far. Also the show does look great though that is to be expected when Michelle MacClaren is directing.
 

DWelbz19

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Enjoying it so far. Great to see all the familiar faces from The Wire in this too.
 

ZAGREB RED

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Starts on Sky Atlantic this week, already 3 episodes in over in the US, the cast includes a whole host of names from The Wire which is hopefully a good sign, sounds good from what I have read.
EDIT : Watched the first two, brilliant so far, hooked.
Other familiar faces popping from previous HBO shows - Scott Ross from Oz, Jackie Aprile Snr from The Sopranos.
The whole thing has a very authentic 70s feel to it, from the characters to the grimy streets they are filming in.
Had to laugh at the Campbells soup scene, although I couldn't help thinking that cream of chicken might have been more appropriate
 
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DMacgraw

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Lemme see if I can place these names: D'Angelo and Slim Charles worked for Avon, Cheese worked for Proposition Joe (and was shot in the head by Slim in that so memorable scene), Chris was Marlo's chief enforcer, Levi was the crooked lawyer, and Frank was the dockworker's Union guy. If this series is about 70's porn industry and such, I would guess some of these guys would be playing pimps or cops, right?
 

ZAGREB RED

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Lemme see if I can place these names: D'Angelo and Slim Charles worked for Avon, Cheese worked for Proposition Joe (and was shot in the head by Slim in that so memorable scene), Chris was Marlo's chief enforcer, Levi was the crooked lawyer, and Frank was the dockworker's Union guy. If this series is about 70's porn industry and such, I would guess some of these guys would be playing pimps or cops, right?
Chris and Cheese are both pimps, Slim works in a diner frequented by a lot of the pimps and their "employees", D' Angelo and Levy are both cops, Frank is a construction worker who gets involved with the Mafia, his main contact being Jackie Aprile Snr from The Sopranos
I'm guessing Abby Parker, the NYU drop-out, will go on to become a big-time porn star after her flirtation with further education and straight jobs doesn't work out for her
 

VorZakone

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It's very drama-oriented unfortunately, at least The Wire had crime/thriller elements throughout the show.
 

DWelbz19

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I mean, it is its own show, with its own theme. Just because it's David Simon doesn't mean it's going to be a replica of The Wire.

Still, there is a lot of The Wire within - the cast, the social commentary, the 'Institution' etc...
 

DWelbz19

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It's starting to pick up now. David Simon world-building is well under way -- witty writing, biting social commentary, depressing leads. I love how Frank Sobotka is a union man again, btw.
 

oneniltothearsenal

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I enjoyed the pilot of this. The breadth of different characters is reminiscent of The Wire and the overall vibe reminds of a grittier reflection of Boogie Nights. I hope Simon develops it well
 

MrMarcello

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I like how the Italian mob from that era is playing a big role in the series. Kinda expect that main mob capo to get whacked at some point.

Shame how that porn set didn't have some muscle to rough up that pimp.
 

DWelbz19

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Of course Lester Freemon is an OG Pimp :lol:
 

DWelbz19

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He had a way with the ladies in The Wire, just a great actor though. I'm sure Kima called him "cool Lester smooth" at one point.
Absolutely. Bagging Shardine at the end was a real scalp. I do believe Lester Freemon is in the mood for luuuurve.
——
Enjoyed this season. The cyclical nature of ‘the game’ and chain of command manifests itself throughout the industries - porn/sex, the police, the journalists, the mafia etc. Just like in The Wire.

Supposedly S2 is going to be a fast forward a few years into the future. Interesting to see how they deal with that. Just hope the likes of Larry and C.C are still in.
 

ZAGREB RED

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Absolutely. Bagging Shardine at the end was a real scalp. I do believe Lester Freemon is in the mood for luuuurve.
——
Enjoyed this season. The cyclical nature of ‘the game’ and chain of command manifests itself throughout the industries - porn/sex, the police, the journalists, the mafia etc. Just like in The Wire.

Supposedly S2 is going to be a fast forward a few years into the future. Interesting to see how they deal with that. Just hope the likes of Larry and C.C are still in.
He was probably old enough to be her grandad, never mind dad, fair play to the old smoothie though. It did surprise me though, when Clarke Peters had only a very brief role in True Detective, he was only on screen for a few minutes, surprised they didn't find a bigger part for him. He was superb as the ageing pimp in The Deuce, though, hopefully that's not the last of him in this series. "Frank Sobotka" looks to have lost a few pounds since The Wire days though.
This show has the potential, like The Wire, to stretch to a few series. I hope so, if it continues in its current vein.
In the most recent episode, there seemed to be no mention at all of what happened to Leon after he shot the pimp in his diner, unless I missed something ? His 911 call after he did it was something else, saying he had just shot a n****r and they better send someone...didn't miss a beat.
 

MrMarcello

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I was hoping the last episode would delve into that, @ZAGREB RED.

My question:
Was it a call to the NYPD, or to the corrupt members of, or to say the mob/criminals to clean up the mess?

Spoilered it to avoid a poster getting his/her feelings upset
 

Henrik Larsson

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I think the shooting in the diner wasn't meant as a plot development, just an unexpected scene that gave some extra depth to the characters involved and it illustrated how raw the violence can be on 'The Deuce'. I think the other pimps referred to the shooting when sitting in that diner in the final episode, giving off a 'just another day at the office vibe'.

Really liked this first season and the feeling they've created, though I was hoping it would've been longer considering how much time and effort they put in developing all the details. So many comparable elements to the Wire, without looking like an unoriginal rip-off.

Maggy Gyllenhaal looking completely credible and realistic to me in a very difficult role, that's impressive. Franco as the twins were somehow very likeable in my opinion. Completely bought D'Angelo Barksdale playing a cop too, and plenty of other proper perfomances, so I think it's fair to say the acting was top notch.

One weird thing was when I found out this morning that the girl playing Abby was a 37 year old woman. She'll be around 40 when they finish the next season, so in that regard a lapse forward in time wouldn't be a bad idea. Though fair fecks for pulling of the role of a college girl at that age.
 

ZAGREB RED

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I was hoping the last episode would delve into that, @ZAGREB RED.

My question:
Was it a call to the NYPD, or to the corrupt members of, or to say the mob/criminals to clean up the mess?

Spoilered it to avoid a poster getting his/her feelings upset
Actually, that is a very good point, I just assumed it was a 911 call, never considered that it was to someone else to clean things up. Makes sense when you think the way he spoke so I think you are on to something there. I wonder if it will form a big part of a story arc in future episodes.
 
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hubbuh

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I was hoping the last episode would delve into that, @ZAGREB RED.

My question:
Was it a call to the NYPD, or to the corrupt members of, or to say the mob/criminals to clean up the mess?

Spoilered it to avoid a poster getting his/her feelings upset
Interesting. Would make a lot of sense! I really liked the character of Leon the cook, even though his screen time was limited. That actor has an unbelievable presence.

Fantastic first season. I've just realised it's now over thanks to @Henrik Larsson. feck! Does this seem weirdly underhyped to everyone else or am I missing something?
 

ZAGREB RED

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Was looking to stream "episode 9" earlier today....honestly didn't realise that last week was the last one. Roll on season 2 - and beyond that if they keep producing at the same level.
 

DWelbz19

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Does this seem weirdly underhyped to everyone else or am I missing something?
Guess the subject matter is a bit out there for mainstream hype. Maybe it'll be another slow-burner and its greatness won't be appreciated until a decade later like The Wire.
 

ZAGREB RED

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Guess the subject matter is a bit out there for mainstream hype. Maybe it'll be another slow-burner and its greatness won't be appreciated until a decade later like The Wire.
I have spoken to one or two people who were put off by the "subject matter" of the show, they just wrinkled their noses when I said it wasn't just all about porn/prostitution and has some great characters and storylines. Could well be another show that isn't fully appreciated until a few years on, though, as you say.
 

oneniltothearsenal

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I am really excited for season 2 of this show. ONe of the best I have seen recently.