In the middle of last night I watched the latest three episodes of Tremé season 2 as a third season has been agreed Ne"Carnival Time", "Can I Change My Mind?" and"What Is New Orleans?"
It is Mardi Gras in New Orleans and the first episode of the trio has the story of the central characters against the background of the carnival weeks which is up to its traditional tourist attracting liveliness and colourful spectacular which next year covers 11 days of parades, balls and much drinking and eating and much else! There are over 50 organisations called Krewes who organise parades or participate in parades and some of these can involve 5000 participants.
On some days there are parades from mid morning until early evening followed by partying in the bars as well as major events by invitation only. Significantly the main parades do not go through the French Quarter because the streets are too narrow but here are events also in that area. There are stands and premises which provide viewing platforms as well as buffet type food throughout a day for around $100 although drinks are extra and hotels tend to double their standard rates for the occasion. The population of the city doubles during the period from 1.25 million to 2.5 million.
In Tremé there is an excellent attempt to feature several facets of the 11 days including floats distributing thousands of chains of glittering beads, these days manufactured at a fraction of the old price and special traditional gifts. In one series of scenes Toni and her daughters and Davis and Annie are featured as street watching participants anxious to get not just more strings of beads to hang around their necks but the special gifts of mini female shoes similar to the main floats in the particular parade while in another it is highly decorated coconuts with those painted in gold the most prized and with special creations given as souvenirs to famous visitors and public figures. The event takes place over the period leading up to Lent before Easter and therefore occurs at some point the month February March each year and the schedule of these is already on the official Mardi Gras site (Fat Tuesday) until 2025.
I select Antoinette "Toni" Bernette (Melissa Leo), the civil rights lawyer and her daughter Sofia (India Ennenga) to begin this report on the trio of episodes as they face Carnival week without husband and father who has committed suicide and which Sofia has only recently discovered after having been told by her mother the death was accidental. The daughter breaks away from mother during the celebrations and goes to a bar where she is seen by Davis the rebellious song write and DJ who takes her to his home where she is found in the double bed alone without her top, Davis watching in a chair when Annie returns from her day celebrating with Cajun Culture Mardi Gras.
He had chosen not check the pocket of her jeans for a phone which Annie does and calls Toni who has been beside herself with worry and unable to get an answer from her daughter. Davis explained that he had to remove the top because the girl had been sick in the taxi he had ordered to get to get her home. My only story integrity issue is that he said he only had the work number and therefore had been unable to call Toni, but he had previously in season one given Piano lessons at her home and therefore the rational action would have been to take her in the taxi home and only if Toni had not been there, then take her to his place.
Toni had wanted her daughter with her when she joined the group participating in the annual scattering of the ashes of loved ones onto the river from the bank (Down by the Riverside) but I always think she constantly smiles too much and wearing the mask and dancing about somehow does not square with her everyday image, although admitted she and her husband smoked pot as appear to do the majority of characters in the series.
Worse was to come when the daughter goes joy riding with another underage friend and two youths who picked them up in a stolen car. There is there sight of her in ankle chains and handcuffs being led into juvenile court with her mum. She remains defiant full of the bravado of her father and his expletive ridden tirades on You Tube type which she appears to have stopped since finding out that her father had committed suicide. She is first given a good talking to by the Counsel mum hires warning that without a change of attitude and behaviour she risks a custodial sentence. She gets a similar fatherly talking too by the Mayor who has taken her on three evenings a week after school as an Intern. It is after the court appearance that the penny drops when Toni breaks down and explains that she is just as angry and guilty about the suicide going though everything over and over again to work out if she could have said or done anything differently to have prevented her husband’s action. Mother and daughter embrace in their respective tears suggesting that this begins the healing if not the closure. Toni has hired a professional private investigator to pursue what happened to the out of town young man who was shot dead, possibly by the police and with his help they makes progress. It is evident that one of Albert "Big Chief" Lambreaux (Clarke Peters): friends did report an incident to the police and subsequently was told to forget it or his extended family would come under the closest police scrutiny.
Albert’s son comes home to New Orleans with his wife/partner to witness his father chief in his new costume of feathers and beads and together with his entourage and friends as they dance from his neighbourhood into the mainstream Mardi Gras procession, followed by a people carrier in case the individual oldies get tired on the day long activity. He is filmed by the documentary maker from New York.
On reaching the main area the modern jazz playing son hears some modern jazz from a radio against the traditional jazz sounds of the city and the chanting of his father and realises he has the basis for an album of music in which the two forms of jazz are combined with the Big Chief sounds. He creates a new group combining some of his current combo with traditional playing musicians and persuades his father to travel to New York to participate in the recording session. During the visit he is taken to a museum of African antiquities and shown an indigenous African wearing a headdress with many of characteristics of the those created by the Chiefs. While they make progress in the recording Albert continues to find faults arguing that they record the session in New Orleans.
LaDonna Batiste-Williams (Khandi Alexander) also continues to have a bad time coping with being raped and physically beaten up by thieves who broke into her bar where she lived above in a flat. She has now made a good physical recovery and it looks that with the latest victim prepared to give evidence in court and the attackers pleading guilty her written statement will be used as only part of the formalities.
However she is in no mood to return to New Orleans for Mardi Gras so the husband goes with her sons and seeing La Donna’s ex husband and the boy’s father Antoine Batiste (Wendell Pierce) with his partner and baby daughter he asks if he will take the boys and return to Baton Rouge where’re he lives and works as a dentist so that he keeps La Donna company. The boys have a great time although Antoine’s plans to play away from home are thwarted when his partner says he can also look after the baby girl for the day so she can enjoy herself.
La Donna is further cheered when on her latest medical check at the hospital she is remains clear of any HIV or STD and is told no further visits are required. However as he still cannot not bear the physical touch of any male including her husband and she is resistant to attending counselling because she has not told her partner she was raped. When she is called back to the police to confirm her statement her partner insists on driving and accompanying and thus he learns the truth of what happened and reacts badly more because she felt unable to share this with him than the actual rape. Worse is to come for La Donna because the other woman drops out so she is needed to give her evidence in person to a court, The husband gives her an ultimatum to either go back and work in the bar living in a central area hotel or sell it and become an active mother in the community for the boys rather than remain an unhappy depressed recluse unable to communicate with her family or friends the pain she continues to feel. She considers going back but cannot face going inside the bar and returns to Baton Rouge saying she will give it up.
Antoine meanwhile is continuing to give music lessons at the local middle school and takes a large number of the class where he is assistant music master to watch one of the parades which includes the best Middle/High School bands to show what they should aim for and this has a positive effect. One of the boys is showing signs of becoming a great trumpet player and he successfully gets into a bar one evening to hear his mentor play.
Antoine’s group is making steady progress and I begin to like some of his music, usually when he has an actually well known guest singer or player participating with adjust the style of music. Sonny is back playing with the band having been sacked. One of the instrumentalists who and been through the same state decides to take him in hand and does a deal in which he will ensure he gets his place back if he hands over all responsibility and earnings to the man and who then insists that he leaves the city centre for the Mardi Gras period and goes to stay with his friend on a New Orleans style fishing vessel. During one scene when they take some fish in a container to a restaurant Sonny who now has sharp contemporary beard is attracted to an Asian young woman with a resemblance to Annie. Begins to play regularly with the band and enjoys his drug free lifestyle.
Janette Desautel (Kim Dickens) the Chef has returned to New York but misses New Orleans especially as Mardi Gras approaches and on Fat Tuesday the boss gives her the day off and agrees that she can have a meal in the restaurant with a friend. She starts the day with puff of pot and some traditional breakfast food and enjoys the meal but this only reinforces her sense that something is not right. One of her flat sharing friends works at a new restaurant which had been created a counter diner but serve organic food prepared to the highest standards of cuisine and she gets a free loan transfer so to speak with a return of this does not work out for her.
The two characters who most enjoy Mardi Gras are Davis and Annie, the air who seemed to me ill suited and unlikely to last but there is evidence of a growing bond between them. On one of the festive period days, Annie is invited by the traditional Creole beaded group leader to participate in the tradition Cajun celebrations and music in the Bayou which involves an extraordinary but attractive dressing up in a colourful patch work outfit which includes a Klu Klux Klan type of headwear also patchwork multicoloured and a fine mesh face mask also decorated. The music here is great although Annie is uncertain about aspects of the opening ceremony for new initiates and decides not to play but listen although is eventually persuaded to join in. There is a scene where bedecked group attend a local cemetery where it is traditional to pay respects to those who created and handed down the Cajun culture
Davis was expected to also participate in the event but hated the idea of wearing such a costume and finds the excuse when his father has made up with his former band members and has agreed play a set at a bar/club as part of the festivities and Davis feels given his usual estrangement from his father that he should go in support. It is as a consequence of being on his own that he sees Sofia in a bar being eyed up and pawed by men twice her age and steps into rescue.
Davis continues to work on his new album mixture of hip hop and other contemporary sounds and is rather put out when his new found friend and hip hop artist has a track played on the radio. Davis and his friend are interviewed about the album by the radio station where he worked and from which he was sacked much to annoyance of the former boss when finds out.
Also enjoying Mardi Gras is the young smooth and fancy dresser out of towner politically well connected white young man and deal maker. He has made friends with the demolition work gang master who he has sub contracted for one of the contracts gained. He is introduced to one of the local social and pleasure clubs associated with the festivities as a way of getting himself into the black community and being favoured for city contracts with the black mayor. In order to gain a contract he offer to put in a tender several points below competitors until he realises price is not the issue but kick back. The particular social club have a float on which they dress up with blacked faces, golliwog hair and grass skirts which he is persuaded to join in and has the time of his life especially when a young black woman in the crowd is attracted to him, makes him take off his head gear so she can take a proper look at him and exchanges mobile phone number afterwards meeting up for a two person celebration.
Toni continues to develop her association with the local police commander where we see festivities through his eyes and those of his command. They celebrate the fact that the season ended with only one death and that was not associated with the festivities. He does spot someone carrying a gun who they arrest. He suddenly finds that he is transferred to homicide and working as deputy to the homicide chief or senior manager who he reported for the earlier situation when a murder was said to be down as a domestic when in fact there had been a violent break in a short while nearby just before which was not investigated. It appears that the force superiors are concerned about several aspects of the work of the Homicide and have posted the Commander so that he can sort out the squad and its head by getting the evidence to take to his superiors. He is not looking forward to the assignment. When Toni’s investigation points to irregular and possible illegal behaviour by the squad and its leader she realises she has information which will be of mutual interest to her commander friend who has confided his misgivings about the posting.
Annie on her way back from a gig with her Cajun friend they are challenged for their instruments by two gun carrying young hoods. Her friend appeals to one of the gang to think again before it is too late and one of the youngsters takes offence and shoots her companion, which appears fatal as the episode ends.
It is Mardi Gras in New Orleans and the first episode of the trio has the story of the central characters against the background of the carnival weeks which is up to its traditional tourist attracting liveliness and colourful spectacular which next year covers 11 days of parades, balls and much drinking and eating and much else! There are over 50 organisations called Krewes who organise parades or participate in parades and some of these can involve 5000 participants.
On some days there are parades from mid morning until early evening followed by partying in the bars as well as major events by invitation only. Significantly the main parades do not go through the French Quarter because the streets are too narrow but here are events also in that area. There are stands and premises which provide viewing platforms as well as buffet type food throughout a day for around $100 although drinks are extra and hotels tend to double their standard rates for the occasion. The population of the city doubles during the period from 1.25 million to 2.5 million.
In Tremé there is an excellent attempt to feature several facets of the 11 days including floats distributing thousands of chains of glittering beads, these days manufactured at a fraction of the old price and special traditional gifts. In one series of scenes Toni and her daughters and Davis and Annie are featured as street watching participants anxious to get not just more strings of beads to hang around their necks but the special gifts of mini female shoes similar to the main floats in the particular parade while in another it is highly decorated coconuts with those painted in gold the most prized and with special creations given as souvenirs to famous visitors and public figures. The event takes place over the period leading up to Lent before Easter and therefore occurs at some point the month February March each year and the schedule of these is already on the official Mardi Gras site (Fat Tuesday) until 2025.
I select Antoinette "Toni" Bernette (Melissa Leo), the civil rights lawyer and her daughter Sofia (India Ennenga) to begin this report on the trio of episodes as they face Carnival week without husband and father who has committed suicide and which Sofia has only recently discovered after having been told by her mother the death was accidental. The daughter breaks away from mother during the celebrations and goes to a bar where she is seen by Davis the rebellious song write and DJ who takes her to his home where she is found in the double bed alone without her top, Davis watching in a chair when Annie returns from her day celebrating with Cajun Culture Mardi Gras.
He had chosen not check the pocket of her jeans for a phone which Annie does and calls Toni who has been beside herself with worry and unable to get an answer from her daughter. Davis explained that he had to remove the top because the girl had been sick in the taxi he had ordered to get to get her home. My only story integrity issue is that he said he only had the work number and therefore had been unable to call Toni, but he had previously in season one given Piano lessons at her home and therefore the rational action would have been to take her in the taxi home and only if Toni had not been there, then take her to his place.
Toni had wanted her daughter with her when she joined the group participating in the annual scattering of the ashes of loved ones onto the river from the bank (Down by the Riverside) but I always think she constantly smiles too much and wearing the mask and dancing about somehow does not square with her everyday image, although admitted she and her husband smoked pot as appear to do the majority of characters in the series.
Worse was to come when the daughter goes joy riding with another underage friend and two youths who picked them up in a stolen car. There is there sight of her in ankle chains and handcuffs being led into juvenile court with her mum. She remains defiant full of the bravado of her father and his expletive ridden tirades on You Tube type which she appears to have stopped since finding out that her father had committed suicide. She is first given a good talking to by the Counsel mum hires warning that without a change of attitude and behaviour she risks a custodial sentence. She gets a similar fatherly talking too by the Mayor who has taken her on three evenings a week after school as an Intern. It is after the court appearance that the penny drops when Toni breaks down and explains that she is just as angry and guilty about the suicide going though everything over and over again to work out if she could have said or done anything differently to have prevented her husband’s action. Mother and daughter embrace in their respective tears suggesting that this begins the healing if not the closure. Toni has hired a professional private investigator to pursue what happened to the out of town young man who was shot dead, possibly by the police and with his help they makes progress. It is evident that one of Albert "Big Chief" Lambreaux (Clarke Peters): friends did report an incident to the police and subsequently was told to forget it or his extended family would come under the closest police scrutiny.
Albert’s son comes home to New Orleans with his wife/partner to witness his father chief in his new costume of feathers and beads and together with his entourage and friends as they dance from his neighbourhood into the mainstream Mardi Gras procession, followed by a people carrier in case the individual oldies get tired on the day long activity. He is filmed by the documentary maker from New York.
On reaching the main area the modern jazz playing son hears some modern jazz from a radio against the traditional jazz sounds of the city and the chanting of his father and realises he has the basis for an album of music in which the two forms of jazz are combined with the Big Chief sounds. He creates a new group combining some of his current combo with traditional playing musicians and persuades his father to travel to New York to participate in the recording session. During the visit he is taken to a museum of African antiquities and shown an indigenous African wearing a headdress with many of characteristics of the those created by the Chiefs. While they make progress in the recording Albert continues to find faults arguing that they record the session in New Orleans.
LaDonna Batiste-Williams (Khandi Alexander) also continues to have a bad time coping with being raped and physically beaten up by thieves who broke into her bar where she lived above in a flat. She has now made a good physical recovery and it looks that with the latest victim prepared to give evidence in court and the attackers pleading guilty her written statement will be used as only part of the formalities.
However she is in no mood to return to New Orleans for Mardi Gras so the husband goes with her sons and seeing La Donna’s ex husband and the boy’s father Antoine Batiste (Wendell Pierce) with his partner and baby daughter he asks if he will take the boys and return to Baton Rouge where’re he lives and works as a dentist so that he keeps La Donna company. The boys have a great time although Antoine’s plans to play away from home are thwarted when his partner says he can also look after the baby girl for the day so she can enjoy herself.
La Donna is further cheered when on her latest medical check at the hospital she is remains clear of any HIV or STD and is told no further visits are required. However as he still cannot not bear the physical touch of any male including her husband and she is resistant to attending counselling because she has not told her partner she was raped. When she is called back to the police to confirm her statement her partner insists on driving and accompanying and thus he learns the truth of what happened and reacts badly more because she felt unable to share this with him than the actual rape. Worse is to come for La Donna because the other woman drops out so she is needed to give her evidence in person to a court, The husband gives her an ultimatum to either go back and work in the bar living in a central area hotel or sell it and become an active mother in the community for the boys rather than remain an unhappy depressed recluse unable to communicate with her family or friends the pain she continues to feel. She considers going back but cannot face going inside the bar and returns to Baton Rouge saying she will give it up.
Antoine meanwhile is continuing to give music lessons at the local middle school and takes a large number of the class where he is assistant music master to watch one of the parades which includes the best Middle/High School bands to show what they should aim for and this has a positive effect. One of the boys is showing signs of becoming a great trumpet player and he successfully gets into a bar one evening to hear his mentor play.
Antoine’s group is making steady progress and I begin to like some of his music, usually when he has an actually well known guest singer or player participating with adjust the style of music. Sonny is back playing with the band having been sacked. One of the instrumentalists who and been through the same state decides to take him in hand and does a deal in which he will ensure he gets his place back if he hands over all responsibility and earnings to the man and who then insists that he leaves the city centre for the Mardi Gras period and goes to stay with his friend on a New Orleans style fishing vessel. During one scene when they take some fish in a container to a restaurant Sonny who now has sharp contemporary beard is attracted to an Asian young woman with a resemblance to Annie. Begins to play regularly with the band and enjoys his drug free lifestyle.
Janette Desautel (Kim Dickens) the Chef has returned to New York but misses New Orleans especially as Mardi Gras approaches and on Fat Tuesday the boss gives her the day off and agrees that she can have a meal in the restaurant with a friend. She starts the day with puff of pot and some traditional breakfast food and enjoys the meal but this only reinforces her sense that something is not right. One of her flat sharing friends works at a new restaurant which had been created a counter diner but serve organic food prepared to the highest standards of cuisine and she gets a free loan transfer so to speak with a return of this does not work out for her.
The two characters who most enjoy Mardi Gras are Davis and Annie, the air who seemed to me ill suited and unlikely to last but there is evidence of a growing bond between them. On one of the festive period days, Annie is invited by the traditional Creole beaded group leader to participate in the tradition Cajun celebrations and music in the Bayou which involves an extraordinary but attractive dressing up in a colourful patch work outfit which includes a Klu Klux Klan type of headwear also patchwork multicoloured and a fine mesh face mask also decorated. The music here is great although Annie is uncertain about aspects of the opening ceremony for new initiates and decides not to play but listen although is eventually persuaded to join in. There is a scene where bedecked group attend a local cemetery where it is traditional to pay respects to those who created and handed down the Cajun culture
Davis was expected to also participate in the event but hated the idea of wearing such a costume and finds the excuse when his father has made up with his former band members and has agreed play a set at a bar/club as part of the festivities and Davis feels given his usual estrangement from his father that he should go in support. It is as a consequence of being on his own that he sees Sofia in a bar being eyed up and pawed by men twice her age and steps into rescue.
Davis continues to work on his new album mixture of hip hop and other contemporary sounds and is rather put out when his new found friend and hip hop artist has a track played on the radio. Davis and his friend are interviewed about the album by the radio station where he worked and from which he was sacked much to annoyance of the former boss when finds out.
Also enjoying Mardi Gras is the young smooth and fancy dresser out of towner politically well connected white young man and deal maker. He has made friends with the demolition work gang master who he has sub contracted for one of the contracts gained. He is introduced to one of the local social and pleasure clubs associated with the festivities as a way of getting himself into the black community and being favoured for city contracts with the black mayor. In order to gain a contract he offer to put in a tender several points below competitors until he realises price is not the issue but kick back. The particular social club have a float on which they dress up with blacked faces, golliwog hair and grass skirts which he is persuaded to join in and has the time of his life especially when a young black woman in the crowd is attracted to him, makes him take off his head gear so she can take a proper look at him and exchanges mobile phone number afterwards meeting up for a two person celebration.
Toni continues to develop her association with the local police commander where we see festivities through his eyes and those of his command. They celebrate the fact that the season ended with only one death and that was not associated with the festivities. He does spot someone carrying a gun who they arrest. He suddenly finds that he is transferred to homicide and working as deputy to the homicide chief or senior manager who he reported for the earlier situation when a murder was said to be down as a domestic when in fact there had been a violent break in a short while nearby just before which was not investigated. It appears that the force superiors are concerned about several aspects of the work of the Homicide and have posted the Commander so that he can sort out the squad and its head by getting the evidence to take to his superiors. He is not looking forward to the assignment. When Toni’s investigation points to irregular and possible illegal behaviour by the squad and its leader she realises she has information which will be of mutual interest to her commander friend who has confided his misgivings about the posting.
Annie on her way back from a gig with her Cajun friend they are challenged for their instruments by two gun carrying young hoods. Her friend appeals to one of the gang to think again before it is too late and one of the youngsters takes offence and shoots her companion, which appears fatal as the episode ends.
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