The Deuce

The Deuce does not bring forth a dramatic narrative, nor does it have an all-encompassing arch or a main character. On the contrary, it uses the series structure to spread out the chronicle of a single place, mapping a certain them. That place is the titular part of Manhattan at the time of the pornography boom or, more precisely, from porn’s emergence as an industry at the beginning of the 1970s, through its peak as a creative medium and offshoot of show business at the end of the decade, to its destructive focus on quantity in the 1980s with the rise of video. The show’s creators inventively divide these three periods into separate but interconnected series. Individual characters representing real people or composites of multiple archetypes infuse this environment not only with life, but also with personal peaks, valleys and everything in between, thus creating a captivatingly textured evocation not only of the time, but primarily of the system around sex work (whether in front of or behind the camera, or on the street and in various kind of establishments) and the commodification of the body and pleasure, which deprives these themes of one-sided arguments and, conversely, shows the ambiguity of this entire world that is simultaneously dirty, gleaming, repulsive, exciting, superficial, ambitious, predatory, career-focused, cruel and fascinating in its intertwined nature and complexity. Although one can marvel at the perfect evocation of the period, The Deuce is not a retro series, but rather a provocative chronicle that calls for consideration of the various aspects of pornography and sex work, as well as gender norms, misogyny, emancipation and the roles that people adopt for themselves, which help them to accept the status quo of their surroundings. At the same time, thanks to the varied cast of characters, the narrative does not fall into a dry didactic thesis, but rather brings to consciousness the fact that with each similarly seemingly depersonalised and general social theme, the particular stories, faces and emotions of people, most of whom having already “fallen into the embrace of time”, are valued. (10.11.2019)

The series does not capture the beginnings of pornography in the United States. We would have to go back a few decades in the past for that. The series focuses on pornography's golden era when it became emancipated and transformed into a profitable industrial sector within the business of erotica. Specifically, it covers a 15-year period from the mid-1970s to the end of the following decade. Then, the center of pornographic production moved to Central Europe - Czech and Hungarian "actors" were cheaper (as was the entire filmmaking infrastructure), and they were not constrained by concerns about AIDS. Additionally, the laws and social atmosphere were extremely lenient. The boom of Central European "shameful" production lasted another decade until it was ultimately disrupted by the rise of the internet, social networks, and free voyeurism. In short, the second sexual revolution swept pornography away. Reviewing The Deuce is not easy for me. It's not like I didn't immediately recognize its strengths - the top-notch production that allows one to write superlatively about every profession, the feeling of perfect authenticity, the atmosphere, the carefully treated details, and the fact that you have a perfect imitation of the seventies with all its vices and decaying centers of American cities plagued by street violence, drugs, gambling, and the uncontrolled spread of organized crime. All of this has its place in the series. Giving it five stars after five episodes is easy and deserved. However, as the episodes progress, you realize that the project has a problem with being too broad. While the independent prostitute portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco, as a skilled bartender who knows his way around, stand out among a vast number of characters, they cannot be considered the main characters in the true sense. The series resembles Robert Altman's films, where the environment and a certain segment of society take on the main role. The creators set out to map the changes in the business of erotica, and in front of your eyes, prostitutes, police officers, and mafia members, as well as a large group of people from the environment on the edge of crime and honorable livelihood, all parade by. Too many micro-stories and motifs dilute the project, and only some of them have potential, so it is likely that over time, you will reduce your star rating for the show slightly. The Deuce is not at all a series for those who prefer epic and dynamic storytelling - those folks will significantly miss the point of the project. The series does not shy away from explicit depictions of sexual practices, but it is not the sole purpose of the show. Maggie Gyllenhaal is excellent in her role, but that is actually a given within her acting career. Overall impression: 85%. (06.05.2019)

As it turns out, the official description on HBO Europe does not match what the series is actually about. The development of the porn industry was pushed to the background for the most part. It was more of a gritty chronicle of downtown New York, which I enjoyed most of the time. Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco’s performances clearly stood out, and I enjoyed the show despite a weaker second season. (15.03.2020)

I must admit that the authors decided to tackle quite an interesting topic. This TV show deals with the beginnings of the porn industry in New York City, which will probably win them an honorary award for best topic for a TV show in 2017. It would be quite hard to find a topic that would be more interesting, more original and better executed… there’s no point even discussing that. HBO handled it quite well once again and they managed to find characters who were pivotal in the matter. The bad boy James Franco produced and directed this one and on top of that he plays a pretty good dual role. But who’s even more shocking is Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose acting in this show goes all the way to the bone and since we are talking about the beginnings of the porn industry, we could say that her character starts at the very bottom and keeps growing with every episode. It’s got drive, it’s got the grace of the 1970’s and the 1980’s and for a while it’s so brutally sarcastic that it’s pretty hard for me to find an alternative. As far as TV shows go, this is a very good effort, but after the first season and midway throught the second season I keep searching in vain for a moment that would break me and force me to give it a five-star review, that would make me say that this premise is so good that it’s actually perfect. (14.11.2018)