Arlowe_

Take The Wire, add a dash of Deadwood, a hint of The Sopranos and mix it with Taxi Driver, and you have The Deuce.

That's a rather simplistic way of summarising the series but it's practically correct.

I put this show off for years because I feared more than anything that it would merely be a 70s retro fetishistic event, but after a few episodes the 70s window dressing vanishes and you're simply living besides these character's lives. By Season 2 and 3, the scope broadens to encompass the golden age of porn and the efforts to gentrify midtown Manhattan, and much like The Wire you realise, as cliched as it sounds, that, true to its title, you're not watching a show about characters but a show where the city (and in this case, a certain time in the history of the city) is the character. It almost felt criminal that it had to end and not continue on for another two seasons ago and evaluate crime and crime-fighting in New York City into the 1990s and 2000s. I wish this show, even with new characters, could have gone on longer.

I was concerned halfway through this season that the show had set up too many leads, too many loose ends, that it was pointing too many fingers in too many different directions that would give the show an easy out (as well as the opportunity to leave an open edning which I don't care for) , but it tied itself together in a fairly compelling way.

When the truth comes out though, while it all makes sense, it felt kind of sickening.

The villain is treated almost as an off-shoot, which on the one hand I prefer, it means they get no attention in the faux-documentary happening within the show, but I kind of wanted a little more of them. One scene, one interview, give me something to hate, because all we get are interviews and wrap-ups with victims - not necessarily innocent victims but victims nonetheless - and it leaves a really bitter taste in my mouth. Just a real undercurrent of sadness and loneliness.

Good season of TV. Hope there's at least one more to come. Could watch this show on a loop.

I love Ron Perlman. Would watch a spinoff with him.

I love the positivity the show ends with, after starting the season in the dumps, it finally embraces friendship and camaraderie in a really nice way. I wish the show was 10 episodes longer though because there are so many characters to explore, everyone on this show rocks for the most part.

Could watch Britannica re-install her brain her day.

Those were some nice tits.

Dylan Maxwell is Bart Simpson as played by Channing Tatum

Yo they finally fixed Rob Lowe's hair

It's basically a more down-to-Earth, realistic Dennis Reynolds teaching high school. Reminds me of Community, too, but if Jeff Winger cared less.

Like it a lot.

This left the most sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The first reveal is probably the most horrifying thing the show has done (and this is a show that made an episode about a snuff film).

:(

Maybe the most rewarding show on TV at the moment, never fails to entertain me with its ingenious concepts.

Jason Bateman's facial expressions are a thing of beauty. Some of the finest face acting on Netflix.

Gotta give it points for opening all the lies and throwing them on the table for all to ponder over. It's rare for TV to solve dilemmas like these with actual honesty instead of added melodramatic conceits.

Shame the rest of the episode is full of melodrama of a different kind (traffic accidents, missing kids, drowning).

Such a good season, the show really reached its full potential as a thoroughly complete crime procedural once it shredded the weight of personal connections (no Pablo reputation to worry about, no Boyd Holbrook). Just a slick season of TV and I hope the behind-the-scenes production problems don't halt the fourth season too much, I am real excited to see how far down the bleak rabbit hole this show can get.

Nothing succeeds more in turning my good mood - stemming from putting a new episode of BoJack on - into tears and depression.

A perfect episode of TV. Todd pulled this one off.

I think I understand Mulholland Drive a little better now.

Walla - walla - what? The fuck?

It's beginning to dawn on me that Season 5 works as a meta commentary on TV and as a bit of an indictment on its own audience, or lack thereof. "What's that, nobody's watching? What do people want from a cop show then? I know: serial killers!"

The theme of the cold open to Season 5 was, "this is America, people will believe what they're told."

Here we see our new paper boy, Scott, and old familiar McNulty, both making their stories up. Tall tales is what this season is all about. Bring it on.

Over eleven hours of build to the point where the relationship between the quartet really shows its wide fractures.

Naymond gets bitchslapped the way he deserves for picking on Dookie but he is brought immediately to tears. His tough guy/bully persona has worn completely thin.

Michael gets kicked out of the gym - possibly the last refuge from the harsh conditions of his - for sticking up for a friend and putting and end to some needless abuse. His entire character arc may be the show's greatest tragedy because he's capable of so much more but the game has nurtured instead of any of the proper systems ( Michael, not Naymond, should be the one in Colvin's program, he needs that mentor-ship from a positive source instead of getting it from Chris).

Randy is a pariah for doing literally nothing.

And Dookie. Poor Dookie, he's the one who deserved to be adopted (man fuck Naymond) and instead, he's destined to be the new Sharrod. :(

As dark as this season gets - and it gets dark - it's nice to see McNulty has found a happy medium. And so has Bodie in a way. While he may be have a hard time he has made it this far and a lot of that is because he's pretty affable all things considered.

The most endearing moment of the entire series may when Avon agrees to pay for Cutty's boxing equipment. An insignificant but very sincere moment. It also highlights the underlying difference between Barksdale and Bell: Avon is putting money back into the community, Stringer is only focused on getting it out. Not that Avon's motives are completely altruistic but maybe he was the better dude.

I need to finish the re-watch, but, I really don't remember respecting anybody more than I do Slim Charles come the end of this series.

Stringer Bell is crooked as hell but there's something about watching him legitimise himself that's genuine. "No more hiding, this is in our own name." He's made it.

Amazing until the end. Maybe not as compelling as Season 1 but the actual investigation goes so much deeper, it's rich and rewarding watching Sergei go down and seeing Bunk and Freamon clear the 14 murders. Satisfying as hell TV.

Larry is a victim of a world that cannot deal with its own insecurities as much as its a show about him roaming around being an insensitive prick. This episode is a great example of that duality.

Great, now I have sympathy for Hitler. Thanks, Preacher.

This show has the best hair. And the worst hair. But still the best hair.