History by HBO: Televising the American Past by Rebecca Weeks

Author:Rebecca Weeks [Weeks, Rebecca]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: Performing Arts, Television, History & Criticism, Social Science, Popular Culture, Media Studies, General
ISBN: 9780813195315
Google: _-B1EAAAQBAJ
Publisher: UP of Kentucky
Published: 2022-07-12T21:06:41+00:00

New Orleans Matters: The Series

A work of history, be it written or filmed, should seek to answer historical questions and present a clear and persuasive argument. Narrative histories, such as Treme, must fulfil this function too, “even if their arguments, slippery as eels, are difficult to fish out of the oceans of story.”105 Looking at Treme as a whole, one can start to identify questions driving the narrative: Why does New Orleans matter? Is it a unique American city? Why should it be rebuilt? Simon and Overmyer pose these questions across the seasons using the techniques discussed previously—conversation, commentary, action, and editing, among others. They also offer an argument in response to these questions: that the culture and traditions of New Orleans are worth saving and that it is “a great city that lives in the imagination of the world.”106 This argument is crafted not only through the characters and their actions but through the detailed exploration and documentation of New Orleans culture. Brass bands, modern and traditional jazz, Mardi Gras, second line parades, and New Orleans cuisine are incorporated throughout the series, while bounce music, jazz funerals, and other elements of New Orleans culture are covered to a lesser extent. Arguably the most prominent and compelling aspect of local culture incorporated by the show is the Mardi Gras Indians.

In keeping with Treme’s particular brand of narrative complexity, little context or explanation is initially provided on the Mardi Gras Indians and their traditions, but over the course of three and a half seasons a comprehensive study emerges. Towards the end of the pilot episode, Albert Lambreaux emerges out of the dark attired in a fantastical full-length orange feathered and beaded costume. He sings that he is the “Big Chief” and dances in the center of the road for an audience of one. No explanation is given for the suit or for what Albert is doing, but it is a visually arresting scene that works to pique the interest of the audience. During the rest of season 1, as Albert attempts to reorganize his tribe, the Guardians of the Flame, the groundwork for understanding the Mardi Gras Indian tradition is laid and subsequent seasons continue to develop and flesh out their cultural practices. In a sense, what is produced is not unlike an example of what anthropologist Clifford Geertz termed “thick description,” reworked to fit within the format of a television drama. Thick description is a “technique which interprets an alien culture through the precise and concrete description of particular practices or events,” allowing someone outside of the culture the chance to fully understand its function and meaning within a particular society.107

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