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 With the second season of HBO's The Deuce premiering next month (Sept 9th), I thought I'd whip up a new thread. The Deuce is a period show from The Wire's David Simon and author George Pelecanos. Set in 70's New York, it follows the lives of a wide range of characters that include bar owners, mobsters, sex workers and their pimps, reporters, among others. Last season we saw the emergence of pornography production in NY, as well as the struggling lives of our characters.  Vincent Martino and Frankie Martino (James Franco), identical twin brothers who operate a bar for the mob. Last season they expanded into the brothel field at the behest of Mafia capo Rudy Pipilo (Michael Rispoli).  Eileen "Candy" Merrell (Maggie Gyllenhaal), an independent (no pimp) sex worker trying to provide for her son while navigating the dangerous streets of NY. Last season Candy became involved with pornography and showed a flair for setting the scene.  Abigail "Abby" Parker (Margarita Levieva), a college student from a wealthy family who strikes up a relationship with Vincent following his separation. Last season she took a job at the bar and developed a relationship with Ashley, on of C.C.'s girls, and helped her get away from her life as a sex worker.  Bobby Dwyer (Chris Bauer), brother-in-law to Vince and Frankie. A former construction foreman turned brothel operator, Bobby quickly turned from family man into philanderer.  Paul Hendrickson (Chris Coy), bartender and good friend of Vince and Abby. Paul lives with his wealthy boyfriend, who he entered into an open relationship last season.  Lori (Emily Meade), a new sex worker in town. Lori began working in pornography last season, much to the anger of her pimp, CC.  Chris Alston (Lawrence Gilliard Jr.), an NYPD patrolman who is respectful of the sex workers on his patrol route. Last season Chris entered into a relationship with Sandra Washington (Natalie Paul), a reporter investigating the lives of sex workers, and eventually the NYPD. Alston declines to further help Sandra at the end of the season following a discussion with his new CO, who asks him to keep things in-house and implies that he will help him in his career.  CC (Gary Carr), a charismatic pimp. Last season CC murdered a man attacking his new girl (Lori).  Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe), a less charismatic pimp prone to angry outbursts.  Rodney (Method Man), another pimp who wants Candy to join his "stable" of girls.  Darlene (Dominique Fishback), one of Larry's girls.  Tommy Longo (Daniel Sauli), Rudy's calm mannered enforcer. Tommy was first introduced shaking down Vince for Frankie's debts, but soon brings Vince to Rudy's attention.  Sandra Washington (Natalie Paul), a journalist who interviews sex workers in the hopes of writing a story about their lives. Eventually her story leads her to the secret, corrupt inner-workings of the NYPD and she enlists the help of Chris Alston. In the last episode of the first season Chris goes out of his way to help Sandra's story by stealing a book of addresses and payments used by Alston's Captain, however he declines to further assist her after a discussion with his new CO who promises to clean up the precinct and implies that he will help Alston reach Detective. Sandra's story ends up as a page 10 "slice of life" piece that does not get into the NYPD corruption that exists on the streets of New York.  Big Mike (Mustafa Shakir), one of Vince and Frankie's workers/ enforcers  Leon (Anwan Glover), a good-natured, old-fashioned coffee shop owner. Always looking to make his guests smile, Leon delights in the challenge of making the perfect dish, such as his famous Hopple Popple! Leon will almost certainly not be appearing in this season. I'm starting a Season 1 rewatch now, hopefully I can write a better summary after reminding myself of what happened.  Here is a Season 2 Preview! And here is the official Season 2 Trailer!
Professor Shark fucked around with this message at 12:22 on Aug 21, 2018 |
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Aug 5, 2018 18:25
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That season 2 poster/promo thing is gorgeous and looks like album art.
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Aug 6, 2018 01:35
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Yeah I thought it looked really good. Apparently it's one of several, as the absence of James Franco in it caused HBO to have to release a statement that he will be in this season. I think the rumors and allegations against him gave people (including myself) cause for concern.
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Aug 6, 2018 11:32
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I wished I'd put closed captioning on from the start, for some reason I have trouble catching some lines. The music on this show is so incredible.
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Aug 6, 2018 20:27
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I don’t find Abby as annoying this time around
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Aug 10, 2018 13:19
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I updated the op with the Season 2 trailer that dropped the day I wrote up the op, it looks like they went with the idea of fast-forwarding things by a number of years. Candy and Lori are very blond and pornstar-looking, and it looks like there will be more violence this season. The FBI raiding the brothel stands out as a huge set back for Vince
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Aug 12, 2018 18:00
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I love that whichever of the Franco brothers it is now looks like Methodman's character from S1. Man, this series is coming back at the right time for me.
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Aug 13, 2018 00:09
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I wish they weren’t doing the big time jump but it should be interesting with the more documented time in porn history
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Aug 13, 2018 01:35
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Last season was great and I'm really excited to see how things have developed. CC is a scary motherfucker.
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Aug 13, 2018 01:58
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Watching the trailer again, It looks like Alston moved up to Detective, with him in a suit looking at a body in a car. The housewife arrives at a premiere, so she's still in the business Larry speaks with a young woman at a bus shelter, so he's still pimping Shay, the heroin addicted woman, is still alive and working David Krumholtz is thin again (iirc someone last year suggested his battle with thyroid cancer may have caused a weight gain... which made him perfect for Harvey the Porno Man) Brothel appears to be on fire (torched?) Not seen: Black Frankie, Rudy, Tommy Professor Shark fucked around with this message at 09:06 on Aug 13, 2018 |
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Aug 13, 2018 09:04
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Jerusalem posted:Last season was great and I'm really excited to see how things have developed. He'll get his in due time I'm pretty loving sure.
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Aug 13, 2018 09:08
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I’m excited for this show to come back. David Simon has the Midas touch.
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Aug 13, 2018 16:10
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As well as James Franco does in the roles, I sort of wish it were Oscar Issac instead
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Aug 13, 2018 17:51
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I hated CC but goddamn his hair is just so fabulous. Really looking forward to this season.
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Aug 13, 2018 19:48
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Just finished my rewatch. This show is much better binging and with closed captioning on, though maybe the CC is better for a second watch of each episode because this show is gorgeous and I would hate to miss the overwhelming amount of detail and effort that goes into each scene. The Frankie/Rudy exchange was still hilarious: quote:Frank: You can count on me, Rudy. Jerusalem posted:Last season was great and I'm really excited to see how things have developed. I don't know if I'd noticed it the first time, but CC tells his mentor (Ace (Clarke Peters, aka Lester) that he makes his girls feel special, just as Ace taught him... however the last scene with him shows him alienating his new girl Melissa, who he should be paying more attention to. Edit: Unless I totally misinterpreted that scene and he was giving more attention to Lori because he wants to find someone reliable for his old age, like Ace did? Professor Shark fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Aug 13, 2018 |
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Aug 13, 2018 20:47
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New synopsis for Season 2:quote:"Amid a city that is as culturally dynamic as it is dystopic, the show finds its protagonists living at the apex of the Golden Age of Porn, when the dream of a mainstream X-rated film business is suddenly a credible reality, and the culture of pornography and its blatant commodification of sex is finding increasing traction among more and more Americans." Also this season will be 9 episodes. Also, new trailer!
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Aug 21, 2018 12:17
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Fantastic! im looking forward to watching it with you guys.
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Aug 21, 2018 17:48
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Farrier Theaks posted:Fantastic! im looking forward to watching it with you guys. I think it's going to be a very good time. Vincent appears to be much more heavily involved with the mob aspect of things, while Frankie at least appears to be consistent with himself. As dark as it sounds, I still hope that this season delves into HIV/AIDS in the pornographic film industry as well as the gay community in the 1980's.
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Aug 22, 2018 01:57
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Professor Shark posted:I wished I'd put closed captioning on from the start, for some reason I have trouble catching some lines. I had to do this, too. Same for the Wire. Don’t know if it’s because of the audio mix, I’m a white guy or both  Regardless, very much looking forward to S2. I’ve enjoyed virtually everything David Simon has done, although Treme could’ve been a bit tighter and more focused imo
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Aug 27, 2018 17:06
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sticksy posted:I had to do this, too. Same for the Wire. Don’t know if it’s because of the audio mix, I’m a white guy or both I found that important bits of dialogue were said quickly and/or quietly and were never reinforced for the viewer, so if you missed something it could cause confusion down the line. It makes me feel like a Dumb TV Watcher, but in my defense my hearing isn't the greatest 
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Aug 28, 2018 18:19
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I'm happy to see this show back. Simon really does a great job making me care about everyone in the ensemble and gives every character a good interesting arc. Time skip doesn't seem too far ahead so that's ok.
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Aug 28, 2018 18:36
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3 days!
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Sep 6, 2018 20:26
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Ayo wire nerds is this 1)as good as the wire 2) better than the wire gently caress frank sobadka is in this goddamnit do we gotta hear about Greek shipping and Polacks pissing on each other's legs again
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Sep 7, 2018 10:39
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It's not as good as The Wire, but it's also very different. If you like David Simon stuff, you'll probably like this. The 70s New York aesthetic is just icing on the cake (delicious, delicious icing)
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Sep 7, 2018 12:19
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Yeah, it's more similar to Show Me a Hero with some crime elements. Don't let that deter you, though, it's a very good show!
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Sep 7, 2018 21:21
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With the time skip I think we'll probably never see the guy who killed Ruby get any karmic retribution Then again, Simon doesn't always punish his shithead characters and it's probably for the best but man. Was she an independent or did she have a pimp?
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Sep 9, 2018 07:17
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She was with Rodney, who I can't see going out of his way to avenge her, despite all his promises to Candy that he protects his girls.
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Sep 9, 2018 12:46
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The care which they take to reproduce NYC as it was at that time is incredible. I know, as I actually frequented the arcades at that time that were right on 42nd St. back in the late 70s and 80s. I saw them doing a lot of shoots all over Manhattan; they got the MTA to take a bunch of their old buses out of mothballs and boy did my jaw drop when I saw several in a line down 42nd St. all with the vintage ads on the side, thought I had accidentally slipped through time into the past when I saw that. S2 looks to be more of the same; that time was all about low-key incandescent lighting, cheap carpeting, and an affinity for dark reds, dark purples, and blonder than blonde wigs. It's like everyone decided Tad's Steaks was the ideal of civilization to aspire to. Sometimes I still smell those charbroiled steaks mixing with the odor of fermented bodily fluids soaked into the floor when I pass by their old locations.
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Sep 9, 2018 14:44
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Binary Badger posted:The care which they take to reproduce NYC as it was at that time is incredible. I know, as I actually frequented the arcades at that time that were right on 42nd St. back in the late 70s and 80s. This poo poo is insanely cool. Now I'm curious about what city he might move on to next
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Sep 9, 2018 16:45
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It air in 13 minutes right? I don't why neither HBO nor IMDB can specify timezones. e: Yep, it's up 
El Jeffe fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Sep 10, 2018 |
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Sep 10, 2018 01:47
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The new intro's pretty cool.
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Sep 10, 2018 02:11
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El Jeffe posted:The new intro's pretty cool. That was the one part of the hour that didn't work for me. The new song just didn't quit fit the mood of the show, plus it just feels "off" to hear the new music with the old visuals (Even if some new late 70's visual elements have been thrown in.) Otherwise Hell Yeah, The Deuce, just shoot this poo poo into my veins. I love shows where nothing happens, and I can't wait for this thing to meander along for the next two months. Do we know if this is an 8 or 10 episode season?
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Sep 10, 2018 03:41
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IMDB says it's 8. Very interesting things this season. Eileen looks like she's about to follow in the footsteps of Candida Royalle, who was a former performer who eventually started her own studio to start doing couples-oriented movies and was one of the first porn directors to accentuate on female porn watchers; this whole episode is telegraphing it. James Franco seems to revel in playing low-lifes, doesn't he? This show picks up so well on period culture; Ex-Mayor Koch was never 'outed' but he always kept them guessing (he was the local Congressman for Greenwich Village before running for mayor.) His opponent for mayor then, Mario Cuomo, may have had his goons spread the word by putting up signs with the phrase 'Vote For Cuomo Not The Homo.' His 'beard,' as referred to in this episode, Bess Myerson, with whom Koch would take great pains to be seen with while running for mayor, was appointed by Koch to be Commissioner of Cultural Affairs in 1983. She wound up having an affair with a married sewer mogul among other things, and was forced to resign by 1987. BTW, she was the first (and so far only) Miss America of Jewish descent. LOL at them casually throwing in SCREW Magazine (it was more of a newspaper) and references to Al Goldstein. That diner could have been any of several real diners in the vicinity of 'the Deuce,' they're all probably yogurt bars or delis now. Also spot on was the barker for the peepshow place; what is interesting to note that up until May of this year, there still was a peepshow place right on 42nd St. near the corner of 8th that still did this same business, sans the live girls (as of 1998.) http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2018/05/show-world-center.html Binary Badger fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Sep 10, 2018 |
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Sep 10, 2018 04:34
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Man, fat or skinny david krumholtz really steals the loving scenes
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Sep 10, 2018 06:46
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You don’t get more period appropriate than a gay guy huffing poppers on the dance floor. that’s a detail I have never seen in any show set in the period.
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Sep 10, 2018 06:51
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That was a great season opening but I'm going to miss Curtis Mayfield in the opening. The entire opening sequence felt built around that song which makes the switch-up so jarring.
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Sep 10, 2018 09:05
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I bet that Santa was a fixture of the era and someone heard about it when doing research
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Sep 10, 2018 10:56
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Milo and POTUS posted:I bet that Santa was a fixture of the era and someone heard about it when doing research I thought it was just a handy visual shorthand to let us know what time of year we were picking up in, but it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest...I noticed they had a Disco Sally lookalike in the background of the club scenes.
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Sep 10, 2018 13:50
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God that was extremely satisfying, though I was terrified the mob guys were going to have mistaken the peep show being short as Irene skimming, and Vincent was going to be shown her beaten up or killed in an alley or something. Nope, everybody just knows Frankie is a fuckup! The new intro song is good but the previous season's was fantastic so it is a real shame it is gone. I was a little iffy on the time skip when I heard about it, but it did a pretty good job of showing how things have developed and changed while also showing that some things stay the same. Rodney does not look to be holding together well, so I loved his line about how nobody could tell he was anything but rock solid. Even CC seems less competent as he struggles to adapt to the changing world, he's still thinking short-term while also lecturing his girls because he still thinks he is the only one who sees the bigger picture. He makes an extra 300 for her shoot, but they're gonna stop using her if he keeps being a problem.
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Sep 10, 2018 14:16
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Frankie is gonna get himself killed
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Sep 10, 2018 16:53
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