I understand why Treme never caught on. I understand that the low-key stakes of the show probably worked against it. I understand that people probably didn't want to see a show that was so constantly broken up by so many lengthy musical performances. I understand that not everyone liked Steve Zahn's overly enthusiastic DJ Davis, or could get past the challenges of the local politics and issues. But screw all those people. Every one of them. Because I loved Treme, and I hated, hated, hated seeing it end. Not that it ended badly; far from it. The characters got the endings they deserved - not necessarily happy ones (it's a David Simon show - would you expect any differently?), but the right ones, with a mixture of hope and cynicism that the show always carefully walked. And if there was a sense of resignation and hurt to this season - as character after character wondered if they were even making a difference with what they did, in what had to be a meta-commentary by the showrunners - it's a fairly earned one, and appropriate for New Orleans in the rebuilding period after Katrina where everyone began to wonder if anything would ever be as fixed as they hoped. But to the show's credit, there's more hope here than in The Wire; while not everything is perfect, there's change, and evolution, and a sense of maturity that's coming to some of these people. And as a TV series? It ends on a perfect image that both represents the frustrations and the glories of the show perfectly, wrapping it all up beautifully in an image that doesn't need a single word. Like I said, I get why Treme never caught on. But I'm already sad that it's gone, and taking with it some of the richest, warmest, most rewarding character relationships I've seen on TV, some phenomenal actors and actresses, and the best soundtrack around, period.
- Josh Mauthe
- Josh Mauthe
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