The running theme in this, the fourth, episode of Treme is the balance between an impending sense of hopeless doom for the meagerly reinhabited city and an enduringly stubborn sense of optimism and perseverance. The episode’s title, a reference to an area known for its cemeteries is an early indicator of the themes of mortality covered throughout.

It really has been something to watch the city come as far as it has in the past 5 years and the progress that has been made (which in certain parts has exceeded that of the pre-Katrina city) is due entirely to the undying spirit and resolve of the deeply loyal and tirelessly working people who refused to accept the seemingly inevitable. Some of the major points made in this episode include the need that was present in the aftermath for a political cleaning of house as well as the emergence of “men of vision” to instill a sense of purpose and direction to the rebuilding process.

If there were any reason to doubt its long-term staying power, this week’s episode serves to prove that Treme is here to stay and as authentic a depiction of New Orleans as we’re likely to get on the television screen. 

This week’s locals guide:

The City

Touro Hospital – Touro was the first hospital to reopen in the city after Katrina. Wait times were obviously extremely long in those days. See The Music section for the significance of the song that Antoine sings in the waiting room.

Insurance Claims – There was nothing as disheartening or utterly frustrating as the process of attempting to collect on insurance claims for destroyed property after the storm. This was likely the largest single factor affecting the amount of people who ultimately were able to return to the city. No matter what your claim or how seemingly valid your policy, you could bet that the insurance companies would find some way to refute the validity of your attempt to collect. If you had flood insurance, the companies would say that the damage to your house resulted from damage to your roof and rain that came in from above. If you were supposed to be covered then they would say that you had to prove that your house had been declared above the 100-year flood plane at some antiquated date.

Potholes filled with gravel – New Orleans’ potholes are as notorious as its food and music are renowned. They exist largely as the result of the fact that the city’s streets pave over what is essentially underlying swamp that is prone to shifting and stretching. It is not uncommon to pass through neighborhoods where the largest gaping tire-obliterating potholes have been named and marked with signage to alert unwitting travelers. Entergy (everybody’s favorite utility monopoly who we mentioned in an earlier post) made matters worse when they dug holes all around the city presumably to address some sort of gas issue which (in typical New Orleanian haphazardry) they attempted to fill in with gravel rather than repaving the asphalt.

Westbank – The Westbank is the area across the Huey P Long bridge from downtown New Orleans. It can be accessed by car or by ferry and its best known city is Algiers. New Orleanians think of the Westbank as something of a separate world (and Westbankers, sometimes called ‘Wankers’ reciprocate the sentiment).

Houston Drug References – This is the second time in the series that there have been off-hand remarks about New Orleans being ‘dry’ and the drug dealers moving to Houston. In the months after Katrina the New Orleans drug trade was reputed to have moved in large part to Houston as a result of the displacement of many of the city’s drug dealers. Although further into the aftermath the drug dealers who spent their evacuations in Houston are known to have returned to New Orleans with newly made connections to the drug trade in Houston.

The Music

‘Touro Infirmary Blues’ – In the opening scene of this week’s episode, Antoine sits in the waiting room of Touro Hospital and begins to sing an improvised version of the standard: “St James Infirmary Blues” with lyrics updated for his situation. I was particularly pleased in this scene since St James is my favorite jazz standard of all time. For a particularly well-performed version of it check out New Orleans trumpeter/vocalist Shamarr Allen’s version from his album Meet Me on Frenchmen Street. (the music player at the lower right has the song available)

Q93 – In the first kitchen scene, the new chef turns the radio to Q93 the city’s local hip-hop and R&B station. The song that is playing is by local bounce music rapper 5th Ward Weebie whose song “F*** Katrina” plays later in the episode in the car that takes Sonny from Houston back to New Orleans.

John Boutte – The singer of the show’s theme song, and a great blues singer in general, appears in the Texas scene performing “At the Foot of Canal Street” with the band. Joe Krown appears on piano for this one.

The New York scenes reference some musicians with which I am basically familiar but not qualified to explain in depth. I’m sure that almost anybody who is vaguely familiar with Jazz recognizes McCoy Tyner’s name, but Terence Blanchard (a New Orleans trumpeter who often works with Spike Lee on film scores), and Wynton Marsalis (mentioned in our earlier post) are brought up as examples of the type of musicians who cut their teeth in New Orleans but find larger success due to their ability to play classical and modern jazz which is more in demand internationally than New Orleans Brass and Dixieland.

Steve Earle – The notorious country musician appears in this episode playing outside on Frenchmen Street with Annie. Presumably he is meant to be playing someone other than himself but it is still cool to see him on the show.

New Orleans Jazz Vipers – I must admit that I was unfamiliar with this band prior to Treme, but they piqued my interest as soon as they appeared in an earlier episode playing at The Spotted Cat and I’ve been wondering about them ever since. This is their second appearance on the show (again at The Spotted Cat) and I must again thank my other favorite Treme blog for filling the gap in my knowledge.

The Food (Bonus)

Mirlitons – In the dinner scene Albert makes a comment to his host expressing his surprise over the fact that she was able to find Mirlitons in the city after the storm. Stuffed Mirlitons are a quintessential New Orleans dish that consist of the bell pepper-esque vegetables served baked and stuffed with cornbread and shrimp, crab, or some other seafood with a sort of remoulade sauce.

Bread Pudding – In the same scene it is made known that the group is having Bread Pudding, a classic New Orleans dessert.

As always, we look forward to your comments, thoughts, and ideas.

-Patrick R

patrick@rabbitholeconsulting.com

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