Last week’s episode, brilliantly put together and well written, made us remember some of the great episodes from season 1. Especially the intertwined cut scenes of Janette finally accepting the deal to open a new restaurant in New Orleans and Annie going over her new contract with her manager. Both deals were exciting to watch even though the way they were set up seems like both will end badly. It also produced a feeling for us viewers that now the ball will start rolling with these storylines. Unfortunately this flow didn’t continue into this week’s episode.
One thing we did see was the beginning of the speed bumps appearing to both of these deals. You can see the passion for cooking on Janette’s face and see the enthusiasm to begin this new endeavor. The question is whether her new partner will be the hands-on partner or the silent partner. Janette is meticulously going through resumes to find a competent and knowledgeable kitchen staff. As she is doing this, she watches her partner what seems like every attractive woman for the hostess position. It doesn’t take much foreshadowing to see that her new partner, as much as he says he will be hands off, will be pulling the strings here and there.
Another deal encountering a small speed bump was Annie. Annie is traveling and playing music with her band and getting great responses from the crowd. Her manager is working to get her on stage with other big name musicians to make her a household name in the industry. Only one problem though. Annie is not playing any of her own music. She continues to play music written by her deceased friend. This is now the second time her manager has asked about her writing her own music. I have a feeling his patience will wear thin and she will be pressed to write something. And being rushed will produce a terrible selection. It will most likely be a slippery slope.
There is a storyline that is getting more intense by the episode. The college journalist, L.P. Everett, is pushing deeper and deeper into the death of a young black man shot in the aftermath of Katrina. He meets up with a man who has photos from the New Orleans Police showing a burnt skull, which completely contradicts the autopsy report. It seems the New Orleans Police department is heavily involved in this death. Unfortunately Everett is making himself known around the area. This reaches a crescendo when Toni’s daughter is giving him a ride and he realizes they are being followed by the police. The plot thickens every episode and keeps me on the edge of my seat wondering how will Everett put the pieces together to lay this murder at the feet of the NOPD. Especially since Everett has now become a person of interest to the police who seem to be circling the wagons. Toni is a well known public defender but Everett is an out of town college kid. She is protected but Everett seems very vulnerable. I think he now realizes this himself. It will be interesting to see if he continues to dig or takes it very carefully in order to not become a target.
I have to comment on how these shows constantly use different directors and writers. We see this with almost every series. The reason I bring this up is the Treme episode previous to this one “Me Donkey Want Water” was written by George Pelecanos and directed by Adam Davidson. This episode was fantastic as I noted above and you can tell the difference between that episode and this week’s episode “The Greatest Love”. Seems like the writing and scenes structure of the show from episode to episode would flow better if they used the same director and writer throughout a season. Just an observation. I have a feeling David Simon would tell me how wrong I am.
