Product Details

• Actors: Steve Zahn, Wendell Pierce, John Goodman, Kim Dickens
• Format: AC-3, Box set, Color, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 4
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: HBO Studios
• DVD Release Date: April 17, 2012
• Run Time: 600 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B004UXVFIO
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,751 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Treme: The Complete Second Season" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

You won't find many television series whose defining event occurred before the first episode of the first season. Then again, there aren't many, if any, series like HBO's Treme. Created by writer-producers David Simon (of The Wire) and Eric Overmyer, this show has as its driving force, its raison d'être, Katrina, the hurricane that decimated New Orleans and the Gulf Coast in 2005. The debut season began a couple of months after the storm passed through, leaving misery and chaos in its wake; the first of 11 episodes in this, the second season, starts about a year after that. Most of the action still centers around NOLA, where the locals are continuing to pick up the pieces and get on with their lives in a city now plagued with violence and disorder. Some of those who left are returning, but some may be gone for good (several scenes throughout the season take place in New York City). Some are trying to rebuild their homes (which means the endless wait for federal funds continues); others, hewing to a mantra that "no disaster should go to waste," include venal businessmen looking to capitalize on the city's pain by rebuilding New Orleans "properly." And as one character puts it, "Everybody is out of their minds."

As before, there are numerous characters and story lines to keep track of. Trombonist Antoine Batiste (Wendell Pierce) takes a job teaching music to schoolkids while also putting together a hot new band, the Soul Apostles. His former wife, bar owner LaDonna (Khandi Alexander), spends much of the season suffering from the effects of a brutal assault. Chef Janette Desautel (Kim Dickens) now lives and plies her trade in Manhattan, while her former boyfriend, DJ and aspiring rapper-music exec Davis McAlary (Steve Zahn), has taken up with up-and-coming fiddler Annie Tee (Lucia Micarelli). Activist lawyer Toni Bernette (Oscar winner Melissa Leo) tries to get to the bottom of a killing that may have involved police misconduct, while daughter Sofia (India Ennenga) struggles to adapt to life without her dad, who died in the previous season. Part of the show's appeal is the fact that these folks and the others whose story lines we follow are not superheroes or world-beaters; they're just people dealing with life's daily, if not exactly ordinary, vicissitudes. But as before, it's the music that remains the show's soul and constant heartbeat, whether it's provided by regulars like Antoine, Annie, and trumpeter Delmond Lambreaux (Rob Brown), who's trying to simultaneously update and honor the traditional New Orleans sound, or guest artists including John Hiatt and Shawn Colvin. You might tune in for the writing and acting (both excellent), but in the end, it's the sounds of Treme that will keep you coming back. --Sam Graham

Product Description

Fourteen months have passed since Hurricane Katrina, but residents of the Crescent City are finding it harder than ever to rebuild their lives, much less hold on to their unique cultural identity. Some have become expatriates in distant cities. The insurance checks that never arrived for homeowners were followed by the bureaucratic nightmare that was the Road Home program, and a land-grab is underway as developers and disaster capitalists press their advantage. Crime and drug use are up, and corruption and graft are endemic, with civic institutions unable to counter any of it. And yet the culture of New Orleans somehow endures.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Down Here In New Orleans July 16, 2011

By prisrob TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

"We got magic, good and bad
Make you happy or make you real sad
Get everything you want, lose what you had
Down here in New Orleans"
Dr John

'Treme' HBO's magnificent season one, introduced us to the New Orleans of post-Katrina, the music, the people, the problems, the lives of the everyday people trying to make it work. In Treme's second season we see and really feel how the natives live and die.

'Treme' season two moves to the lives of the musicians, the businesses trying to thrive and into the police stations and politicians pockets. The regulars like Antoine Batiste, played by Wendell Pierce, find themselves trying to rebuild their lives. In his case, he is a trombonist and works in the local school band by day and in the clubs by night. Terry Colson, played by David Morse, is a detective in the police department, where he feels out the greed and graft of his colleagues. Melissa Leo, plays Toni, the local lawyer who fights for her clients and now finds herself trying to help her daughter, Sofia. Sofia, played by India Ennenga, who is reacting to a tragic loss, has become the teenager with rebellion andresentment. Chef Janette, played by Kim Dickens has moved to New York City to try and ply her wares in the big time. Professional trumpeter Delmond, played by Rob Brown also moved to NYC to find his profession.

'Treme' season two looks at the day-to-day journey of its people. A lot going on in the second season. In every episode there are surprising finds. I became involved in the characters lives, and their struggles. Ladonna, played by Khandi Alexander, has a personal tragedy that leads to more grief. There is so much personal grief and trauma that all of the crinme in New Orleans takes its toll. We look at the spirit of the people of New Orleans and in particular, the people we follow. Anthony Bourdain contributes to the food scene. New romances abound, crime increases, the musicians become more authentic. Jon Seda, who plays Nelson Hildago, gives us a glimpse of the FEMA corruption that we have heard about all throughout the aftermath of Katrina. Such wonderful character development by the superb writing team of David Simon and Eric Overmyer. Treme may become as important and as wonderful as my all time favorite series, 'The Wire'. Treme gives us a wonderful drama, a snapshot of a city, and its people, all changing with the seasons.

Highly Recommended. prisrob 07-16-11

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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't understand the bad reviews April 12, 2012

By Eric Rufa

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

One of my favorite shows of all time. People who gripe about lack of specific plot development just don't understand that the show's creators are just trying to create a tapestry. Interwoven layers looking into the lives of the characters... Smart intelligent writing and brilliant acting.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Only TV Drama That Matters April 5, 2012

By JZ52

Format:DVD

David Simon's "Treme" is simply the best dramatic series currently on TV. Period. The second season continues the story of New Orleans with its mosaic of characters from musicians, chefs, chiefs and carpetbaggers looking to make a quick buck from the Big Easy's misfortunes caused by Katrina. If you require loads of explosions, buckets of blood and a car chase ever five minutes this well written program is Not for you. "Treme" is like a great American novel with its many characters and layers that gives the viewer a Dickensian look at one of America's greatest cities, New Orleans. While there is plenty of drama (The Danziger Bridge killings, street crime and City Hall backroom deals) it is the music and the musicians that are consistently the focus in this outstanding series.