The Man Who Came Uptown by George Pelecanos brings Washington, D.C., to life in a high-stakes story of tough choices, where an ex-offender must choose between the man who got him out and the woman who showed him another path. The king of D.C. crime, George Pelecanos, is back with a standalone wonder in the…
Take what comes. But show no ambition. Sandra learns that corruption and power are perpetual motion machines. Her source won’t go on the record. He’s taken a deal of his own and left her without a story of a city complicit in the sex trade. Rather, he’s given her “the same old story” of country…
Well, I am a degenerate. I can be a nitpicky viewer, and last time I pointed out the lack of heroin in The Deuce’s fairy tale of New York. And what do you know? We get an overdose this time around, though I won’t say who. About midway through the episode, I started wondering where…
After last week’s emotional high point, you have to expect a low, and this is an enjoyable coast toward the inevitable. We learn the why behind the “No Go Zone” of Times Square. The culmination of free speech rulings allowing pornographic films to be filmed in the United States and the Knapp Commission scaring the…
She was an American Girl, raised on promises… We see a lot of promises broken this episode, ones made to others and to themselves. Maggie Gyllenhaal breaks our hearts as Elaine runs from stoop to lamppost to corner fleeing Method Man Rodney’s best game after a robbery and a beating from a john leaves her…
The last shot of the wonderful opening credits sequence always makes me gag; that barefoot splashing into a filthy Times Square puddle. Walking in sandals in New York City is still a gamble, and I wonder if podiatrists have to treat rare bacterial diseases of those who dare. But enough about feet, this episode is…
They found the smoke! Abby needs a job. She’s following the want-ads, and the office she interviews at is full of old white men and looks hazier than a dirty fish tank. But I’m getting ahead of myself. This is another fine episode that gives us a look into the power structure of ‘70s New…
“There’s not enough smoke.” That’s one criticism I overheard about The Deuce, HBO’s 8-episode series set on 42nd Street in the ‘70s. Everyone lights up, but there’s no cancerous haze across the barroom; you can actually see people. That’s one thing I don’t miss. I’ll admit, I never frequented bars in Times Square back in…
As nostalgic as I am for the '70s and ‘80s Times Square, I’m glad that George Pelecanos and David Simon’s new show The Deuce wastes no time getting the first mugging out of the way. Vinnie Martino is dropping the bar receipts in the night deposit box when two goons in a Barracuda shake him…
With only two episodes left of Season 7 of Game of Thrones, people are starting to wonder what their next Sunday night show will be. Well, don’t change the channel because HBO is bringing a new David Simon and George Pelecanos-created show called The Deuce! Premiering Sunday, September 10th, The Deuce explores the rise of…
