The new HBO drama “Treme” follows the residents of a small New Orleans neighborhood three months after Hurricane Katrina. The pilot of the series, “Do You Know What it Means,” opens as locals prepare for the first second–line parade, a New Orleans tradition, since the storm. Musicians warm up as others dress themselves in feathers and prepare to walk. Many of the city’s residents have not returned, but those who have are determined to continue in the character that New Orleans is known for.
Creators David Simon and Eric Overmeyer, also known for the HBO series “The Wire,” have strung together a band of characters that represent the varied responses to Hurricane Katrina. Mr. Peters (Albert Lambreaux) is a Mardi Gras Indian Chief who lost his house during the storm. As his daughter drives him over the bridge into the lower Ninth Ward he tells her to drop him off, to which she responds, “Drop you where exactly, Daddy?” As Peters looks at what was once his living room, grief washes over his face. As he walks through the remains of his home, pieces of carpet rip up with every step. Peter says to his daughter, almost to reassure himself, “when the insurance settles” before trailing off, acknowledging a sense of defeat. Peters is the anger and silent pride of “Treme,” he is determined to rebuild his home piece by piece, even if it requires squatting in a bar in the meantime.
Not so silent is John Goodman’s character Creighton Bernette, a professor and out-of-work novelist who voices his dissatisfaction with government neglect. The first time we see Bernette, he is being interviewed by a British journalist near the canal. Bernette says that Katrina was a “man-made disaster, a federal fuck-up of epic proportions.” When the journalist accuses Bernette’s city of having mediocre music and bland American food, Bernette defends New Orleans, describing it as “a city that lives in the imagination of the world.” Goodman’s character then throws the reporter’s microphone into the water and lunges after the camera, using the comedic Lebowski violence we love him for. Bernette’s wife Toni (Melissa Leo) is a civil-rights lawyer trying to locate a man who went missing from police custody during the storm. The Bernettes represent the active bodies that act on the frustrations of the more passive locals like Mr. Peters.
Another tenement to the spirit of Treme is Davis McAlary (Steve Zahn), an alternative disc jockey who is upset that the storm has driven out much of the musical voice of Treme. However, when McAlary is woken by the sounds of trumpets and drums, his faith is reaffirmed. As he sprints outside, someone tosses McAlary a beer and he joins in the second-line. Zahn’s character is determined to uphold the identity New Orleans had before the storm. In one scene, McAlary sets his speakers on the windowsill and blasts a mixture of jazz and rap into his genteel neighbors’ yard. The neighbors respond by blasting classical music out of their own speakers. McAlary reacts by lighting a joint and then leaving the house with the music playing loudly in his absence.
The neighborhood of Treme is known for its music, festivities and crime. Many criminals left the area as a result of Katrina, but the music remained. In the background of each scene, we hear soft trumpets and saxophones, as if to remind us that the resilience of New Orleans has not vanished. At first, McAlary is surprised by the amount of people who have turned out for the parade. It is clear that locals still find glory in enjoying wine and music, and no storm will change their reliance on good company.
The series focuses not on the destruction of the New Orleans, but of the rebirth — one reason why it takes place in the aftermath of Katrina. “Treme” is another gem from Simon and Overmeyer that embellishes the many treats of the South, but most of all, its music.
You can reach this columnist at scene@theeagleonline.com.
