What I’m Watching: Treme

Treme: Season 2, Episode 8 “Can I Change My Mind” (B+)

We’re coming to that point in the latter half of a show’s season that there are plenty of turning points for a number of the characters and there’s a sense that a new wind is blowing. Sophia getting arrested is a major part of that, as her rebel arc seems to come to an end with Toni breaking down about Creighton in front of her and in turn needing to be comforted by her daughter, suddenly innocent again. It’s impressive to see just how quickly and strongly Toni rallies to her daughter’s defense, and her identification as mother rather than lawyer in court is meaningful. Her new hire, the very efficient investigator, is proving to be an intriguing character, if not one who was necessarily needed as an addition to the show. Ladonna gets a more central tragic showcase this week as her husband finds out about what happened to her, and while that’s something that was obviously coming sooner or later, it’s no less difficult to watch. Janette seems to be bouncing around to her own tune in New York, shuffling from restaurant to restaurant, and while I like the character, I question the value of keeping her around if she’s not going to be connected to anyone. I liked everything involving Davis in this episode, from the start with his crowd-pleasing impression of George W. Bush during his band’s gig to his very adorable unseen watching of Annie as she performed her song at the end of the episode.