"treh-MAY" - Episode #8: "All On a Mardi Gras Day"

(All photos/general information can be found @ http://www.poptower.com/treme-pictures.htm or Wikipedia.)

"FEMA SAYS THE BEADS WILL BE HERE IN APRIL"

This sign expresses one of the many sentiments felt by the people of New Orleans during the first Carnival since Hurricane Katrina. And everyone has their own traditions prior to the celebration:

LaDonna (Khandi Alexander) and her mom decide to light a candle at the cathedral for Daymo's safe return (LaDonna still hasn't told her about his death).

Sonny and Annie (Michiel Huisman and Lucia Micarelli) perform outside of the cathedral in Jackson Square and they comfort an emotional former New Orleanean who lost his home and some of his neighbors during Katrina and decided to come home for Mardi Gras.

Davis (Steve Zahn) and Janette (Kim Dickens) both enjoy "king cake" for breakfast. Antoine (Wendell Pierce), Desiree and their daughter Honoré also partake of the delicious king cake, but Antoine is lucky enough to find the "Baby Jesus" in his piece. Traditionally, it is said that the one who finds the "Baby Jesus" must buy more king cake for the next Carnival. It is also said that one is entitled to certain "privileges" after finding one, but as we already know, Desiree is not having that!

As the Carnival parade officially begins, Creighton (John Goodman), Toni (Melissa Leo) and their daughter Sofia are all dressed in feather boas and masks in various shades of blue as a family. As they're leaving, Creighton pushes play (and repeat) on his stereo for a song he considers to be an anthem, "Go To The Mardi Gras," by the late, great Professor Longhair. If you haven't heard it, here's the perfect word to describe it: INFECTIOUS!! Check it out for yourself right here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OH_hVEF7mY

Creighton's spirits dropped down as the parade marched on--disappointed by the low turnout, he decides to leave the parade early and head for home. This leaves Toni and Sophia confused as they have never known Creighton to leave a Mardi Gras celebration early before.

The spirit of Professor Longhair's wonderful song has travelled throughout the whole of New Orleans.

Davis, dressed up as pirate (and slave trader) Jean Lafitte (a fact that was unbeknown to Davis) for Carnival. He once again runs into Annie, dressed in a similar costume, whom he affectionately refers to as his "pirate wench" and they spend the entire day together sifting through the madness and delightful mayhem that is Carnival. Meanwhile, where's Sonny? Well, shortly before Annie left, he decided that he wanted to spend Mardi Gras on his own, telling her how the Rebirth Brass Band's "Do Whatcha Wanna" should be her mantra. "F**kin A**hole," she mutters after he leaves suspecting that Sonny just wants an excuse to do drugs.

Although Delmond (Rob Brown) is upset to learn that his father, Albert (Clarke Peters), will have to spend Mardi Gras in jail for hitting an officer (see Episode #7) while having lunch at The Praline Connection, this "straight no chaser" jazz trumpeter does manage to loosen up when he's greeted by some, well let's say "blessed" women who greet him outside of his hotel in the French Quarter to get him to drop beads down on them. And of course he does! Soon after Delmond meets a lovely girl at a party and they run into another group of Mardi Gras Indians on their way to Delmond's gig with Big Sam at Le Bons Temps Roule. For him, this was the perfect day.

LaDonna's family comes in from Baton Rouge for the celebration and she continues to keep Daymo's death a secret throughout Carnival. While at the parade, Riley, her former contractor, accosts her because the police arrested him over her civil suit against him for not repairing her roof. "F**K YOU" he continues to shout at her and Antoine immediately steps in her defense and shouts the same words back at Riley.

As the celebration winds down, LaDonna's getting ready to close her bar and lounge, Gigi's Place, for the night. With "Tell It Like It Is" playing in the background, and Antoine massaging LaDonna's overly tense shoulders, the mood was all but set. After she ignored an incoming call from her current husband, Antoine, her ex-husband, gave LaDonna a long, intense kiss.

Mardi Gras comes to an end and LaDonna must now make funeral arrangements for Daymo at the Majestic Mortuary.

"treh-MAY" - Episode #7: "Smoke My Peace Pipe"

(All photos/general information can be found @ http://www.poptower.com/treme-pictures.htm or Wikipedia.)

After Toni (Melissa Leo) offered new evidence to prove that OPP did indeed have David "Daymo" Brooks in custody during the storm, Judge Gatling (Tim Reid) orders the Department of Corrections to produce him within 72 hours. Judge Gatling gave Daymo's mother and his sister LaDonna (Khandi Alexander) a long overdue apology on behalf of both the state's screw-up and the ADA attorney's excuse of blaming this egregious error solely on the chaos of post-Katrina.

Toni and LaDonna's search for Daymo began almost immediately after the judge's ruling. They have no luck in finding him in the OPP prisoners' files. Toni reluctantly asks for the list of inmates who died while in custody. No luck in finding Daymo's name listed in there either, but LaDonna immediately recognizes her cousin's name on the list, who is very much alive. Toni suggests that Daymo may have used their cousin's name because he's doesn't have a police record and that she and LaDonna must go to the morgue immediately.

The "morgue" consists of long, climate-controlled trucks filled with dead bodies. Toni and LaDonna slowly enter one of the trucks and they stop in front of one of the many body bags lying around. When the bag is unzipped, it is indeed Daymo. His face is somewhat deformed and twisted with purplish bruises now covering his grey, lifeless form. This moment left me numb and I continued to pause the moment and just stare at his face.

Overcome with grief, LaDonna rushes out of the truck. Toni not only provides the officer with his true identity but also shares her outrage on how they've kept this person for five months under the wrong name. Immediately after, it cuts back to an emotional LaDonna just staring at all of the makeshift morgues around her--just lines of huge trucks filled with countless bodies since Katrina. You then ask yourself, "Like Daymo, how many others out there are lost in the system?"

Toni also learns from the officer that the cause of Daymo's death was a blow to the side of his head, possibly caused from a fall--suicide? REALLY? I ain't buying it!! And neither does Toni or LaDonna. However, LaDonna decides to keep the news of Daymo's death to herself until after Carnival, especially since her mother isn't in the best of health.

Albert (Clarke Peters) still continues the fight to reopen the projects so that people can come home, especially in time for Mardi Gras. He breaks into the housing complex and reopens the houses for his people. What's brilliant is that not only does he call the police, he also makes sure to call a TV crew at the same time to document the moment and hopefully put some pressure on the government to reopen the houses. "5,000 housing units shut down when the people want to come back," says Albert to reporters. They're not leaving!!! And when the "squatters" in the complex put out banners to also state that they are indeed home, Albert feels like a real stance against the Federal government, who shut down the houses, has been made.

Days into the protest, Albert is greeted by Sergeant Thompson, from the "Community Relations Division," to try and talk Albert into vacating before he's arrested for trespassing. Sergeant Thompson also throws out a rather "odd" statement": that the voters have not expressed a desire to open up the housing projects. Doesn't he mean the GOVERNMENT, aka the POLITICIANS who have most of the OPP in their back pockets? They're the ones who choose to keep the houses shut down. "Thank you for your visit, Sergeant...and come again!!" Albert is home, too!

The next day, the police arrive without fail and decide to arrest the squatters and Albert for criminal trespassing. He leaves the door open so that the officers will enter without the use of force. But they stormed in there anyway, cursing at him and demanding that he drop to his knees. Albert refuses to bow down before any man. One of the officers draws the blinds (clearly to avoid the cameras) and the other hits him with his nightstick. Albert hits back in self defense and they all jump on him, beating him for "resisting arrest." ALL OFF CAMERA!!