Tonight begins season two of David Simon’s TREME. Here is the summary from HBO as well as some of my own thoughts on it.
SUNDAY, APRIL 24 (10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: April 24 (midnight), 26 (2:05 a.m.), 27 (midnight) and 28 (10:00 p.m.), and May 12 (8:00 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: April 25 (10:00 p.m.), 29 (11:00 p.m.) and 30 (9:00 p.m.)
Antoine contemplates a move, while LaDonna resists one; Davis moves in new directions, personally and professionally; Toni worries about Sofia’s emotional distance; Colson contends with the return of crime to New Orleans; Annie returns from a national tour. In New York, Delmond debuts his new album, while Janette holds her tongue in the kitchen of a demanding boss. Juvenile sits in with Galactic and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
Written by Eric Overmyer; directed by Anthony Hemingway.
What to expect tonight:
*Antoine Batiste (Wendell Pierce) steps front and center and does some singing. This gets him thinking about forming his own band. Anything that keeps us from seeing him having sex is a good thing.
*You can see Anthony Bourdain’s hand pretty early with Janette (Kim Darby)’s scenes in New York. I have no doubt he provided the insight for the kitchen segments. Her boss, while reportedly being a brilliant chef, comes across as a total nutcase. I have no doubt he is based on a real person (or persons).
*David Simon vet James Ransone (Ziggy from season two of THE WIRE)plays a roommate of Janette. First ep sees him getting stoned and eating cereal and showing off his tattooed upper body. Hopefully better things are coming for him. He also works in a NYC restaraunt, but not the same one as Janette.
* Annie (Lucia Micarelli)is doing well and is seen playing with Galactic.
*Lieutenant Terry Colson (Daved Morse) steps into the spotlight a bit and looks to walk the fine line of enforcing the law while respecting the things that make New Orleans special. The Bourbon Street speech is awesome.

*Toni Bernette (Oscar Winner Melissa Leo)struggles balancing work with being a single mother and still mourning the loss of Creighton (John Goodman). Daughter Sofia has gone from being a charming teen to a surly rebellious one that makes me happy I don’t have any kids.
*Jon Seda joins the cast as Nelson Hidalgo, a charming and ambitious entrepreneur from Texas that comes to New Orleans both to see it and to take advantage of the business opportunities.
It feels like Treme is putting a lot of different storylines in play here. Whether or not they all work remains to be seen. I liked the overall feel here and am excited for season two. Season one, at times, was a tad preachy and I did not see that in the first part of season two. I especially like David Morse and how the police are portrayed here. We get to see the problems they are dealing with instead of them being the heavies like they were in season one.