The final scene of the episode seems to be stirring up a small controversy. As Albert and the rest of them perform the ceremony, a tour bus drives by and from behind the tinted windows, we see flashes of light and clicks. Obviously, Albert and the rest of them don't want to be intruded upon and the fact dawns on the driver after a while. The intent would seem to be to disparage those who visit the city to see the wreckage. But wouldn't those, like the tourists looking at New Orleans from the outside, include the viewers? We're are exactly the same as the tourists. We're watching New Orleans from our living rooms, detached but caring nonetheless. How are we suppose to react? The show basically flipped off the tourists AKA us. Do we watch the show thinking that we have no clue what it's like? Is the purpose of Treme to show us a realistic situational and tell us we will never understand it even though it's staring us in the face?
Aside from that, the show still has not picked up plot-wise or done anything truly unpredictable. The characters are great, the setting is great, but I'm repeating myself each week. There are great individual moments and a sense of continuity, but the larger issue--one that doesn't seem like it'll resolve itself--is the lack of a driving force other than the main themes of the show.
Detailing what the many characters do in the episode is rather tedious, so I think I'll focus on the character that sticks out the most. (Before someone comes here complaining about how short the review is, I don't get paid, so suck it.) Sonny and Annie weren't introduced in the pilot, but they came into their own in "Right Place, Wrong Time." Annie is moving on to better things while Sonny is left behind. He buys her wine and she likes it, but these small favors will do little once Annie is pulled away. In the end, Sonny is left by himself, unsure of himself and what to do.
Score: 8.8/10
