Treme

The flood protection system build by the army corps engineers

A.K.A. The federal government, failed!

I never thought I'd come back to see even this much of it.

What you even drive him over there for, Davina?

When you ever know anybody

To change his mind about any goddamn thing?

- And you think I can? - I think it's your turn to try.

Ain't none of your gang even around.

- Practice is Sunday. - You out of your damn mind.

He says your brother was locked up during the storm?

He said they was together on the bridge

Before the buses came and took them to st. Gabriel.

- You're busy tonight. - Every night.

What do people in this town crave now?

Good food, companionship, community.

- You two were married? - You wanna know what went wrong?

- Yeah, tell it, darlin'. - I married a goddamn musician.

Aw, desiree.

Listen, kermit, you still got that gig at Vaughan's tonight, right?

Come on down there to Vaughan's and swing out with us.

Right.

All right!

Awesome, man. That was just awesome.

Yeah, you're right.

The legendary Coco Robicheaux,

Live in the studio on this beautiful December morning

Here at the reconstituted, rededicated, relocated

W.W.O.Z.

In the completely soulless faux french market,

A shameful Shell and shadow of its former self.

What's up with that, bro?

Are they gonna let O.Z. Go back to Armstrong park?

I don't think so, bro. I don't see it. Not in the cards.

You don't get the good ancestor vibe up here--

All tourists and t-shirts.

Hey, you're preaching to the choir, man.

You're preaching to the choir.

So what are you doing there?

Tell the folks at home, Coco, a little play-by-play.

Well, if O.Z. Can't go back to Congo square,

We're gonna bring Congo square to O.Z.

Bringing the mountain to Mohammed sort of thing.

By lighting these spirit candles,

We're gonna summon

Erzulie dantor to us.

Cool.

Coco Robicheaux runs the voodoo down live.

Uh, Coco, this azalea chick who's gonna drop by--?

- Erzulie dantor. - Uh-huh.

- The loa of New Orleans. - The loa.

Yes indeed, a loa, just what we need.

The black Madonna, the beautiful mulattress

Whose earthly incarnation was Marie laveau.

The voodoo queen of New Orleans. Cool.

And the loa of lesbians everyere.

Lesbians. Very cool.

Uh, Coco,

Didn't you burn your apartment down

Some years ago-- candles,

Cafe Brazil?

Hopefully that ain't gonna happen here.

Yeah.

Whoa! Oh my God. What?

It's a chicken-- a chicken. It's a live chicken.

Ladies and gentlemen, a live chicken in the studio.

The loa needs proof of our devotion.

Yeah, what woman doesn't?

Ah, barbancourt.

Okay, that would be a knife.

It's a big one.

Are we entering some sacrificial realm here?

Why don't you play the next cut on that c.D.

As I summon the spirits?

Okay.

Whoo!

Me trying to scramble my breakfast on a hot plate--

Life on the frontier. Excuse me.

Hang on, hang on. Let me turdown the radio.

Oh, who knows?

Entergy says there's still water in the lines.

God, Julie, you're a lifesaver.

Fantastic.

Thanks.

Shit. Shit.

Shit.

Mom is sure, but sheriff says he never had him.

Sheriff said nothing went wrong at o.P.P. Too.

Most o.P.P. Prisoners went to hunt up in San Gabriel.

Yeah, and after hunt d.O.C. Dispersed them. I know that.

All over the great state of louisian'.

But how can I find him, andi?

That's what I'm asking. Which parish?

Well, it'sot like the state exactly kept track of who went where.

Didn't even really know who is who.

The prisoners had wristbands,

But they took 'em off, stole 'em.

And all the records underwater...

So we've been going parish to parish filing motions

Compelling the local sheriffs to provide us with the list

Of all the names of o.P.P. Prisoners in their custody.

So if daymo got picked up just before the storm...

- Something minor? - Mm-hmm.

He's doing Katrina time in East Jesus.

Most likely he'll be released for time served once you find him.

Family hasn't heard from him?

Still at the same number?

His mom is.

We found inmates incarcerated for months not given a phone call.

That's disturbing.

Huh-uh. Huh-uh.

I'll start on it this week, miss ladonna, guarantee.

I've been hearing that song.

You know what else I've been hearing?

That goddamn blue plastic tarp flapping around my roof.

I hear it in my sleep.

When are you gonna get started for real?

I need me money for shingles.

Mister, I already gave you money for shingles.

I had to use that for something else-- emergency.

Somebody else's roof.

This here is an emergency too, Mr. Riley, feel me?

My roof is the only roof you need to worry about

Today, tomorrow and the next day.

Yes, ma'am.

Understood.

I'm going to Baton Rouge

To see my kids and my husband.

I'm back tomorrow. If that roof ain't right,

I'm going courtside on y'all.

Shingles will be here. I swear.

I've seen worse. What'd you get up in here--

A foot, a foot and a half?

Bad enough. No insurance.

No insurance?

No flood insurance. The bank said I didn't need it.

I'm on piers, me.

Never thought I'd get water up in here.

Ain't like gentilly where you're at.

Yeah, well.

You sure you want to sheetrock over all this?

It gets wet-- you gotta gut it again.

In these old houses they knew what they was doing--

Cypress, plaster.

Floods-- just air it out.

This plaster's not in bad shape.

Look at it. It's all cracked and shit.

I can fix that for you.

- Expensive? - You want it done right?

Let me think about it.

I mean, what's the chances it's gonna flood again?

What's the chances it won't?

Might be easier just to sheetrock it.

Easier-- yeah. But you'll ruin the profile.

Ain't that what people do?

Tack sheetrock over perfectly good plaster?

Sure.

People do a lot of dumb shit 'cause it's easier.

- Let me think about it, all right? - All right.

Got errands to run next couple of days on my lunch break.

- You gonna be here? - Yeah, not a problem.