‘The Deuce’ Season 2 Finale: Consolation Prizes

James Franco’s wig as Vinnie is terrible. Otherwise “The Deuce“ is a realy terrific show!

There may be no greater fan of Simon's work than me, so it pains me incredibly to see casting and episodes like this get such praise. The forced "New Yawk" accents are utter cartoons. Simon seems to be hog-tied to the need for celebrities like Franco and Gyllenhaal who are indie hacks at best. Imagine how much better this show would be without the charades of their performances! I think the handling of Gyllenhaal's character is the most deplorable. She is an instant auteur, with no creative mis-steps. Where are the creative failures, the defeats she would reasonably run into that are the trials by fire that any great indie filmmaker goes through. No, she is an executive producer on this show, so she gets a free ride, that easy-win. It stinks, people. David Simon, I am so sorry you are forced to this position.

Good recap. The final episode brilliantly crystallizes all that has been building these past two years in this considerable achievement of a series. And the pan over the Mayor's model of the new Times Square development district, with its green towers that will soon dot the Deuce, is a terrific allusion to what is to come in the lives of these characters, and a cautionary tale for the present redevelopment of the West Side Yards. If you build it what will come to pass? And what will be lost? The grit and grime, yes, but also Leon's Diner, the many 42nd Street theaters that would soon, in 1980, bear Jenny Holzer's "Truisms" on their marquees, the broader film culture (thank you, VCR), the authenticity of neighborhood urban life in Manhattan. "Mystery Achievement" was a superb choice for the final montage: "I love pretending." It wings the series into the 1980s, along with the delirium of the final shot of the pulsing disco soon to be catastrophically exploded with the onset of the horrors of HIV/AIDS.

I've thoroughly enjoyed all of David Simon's shows, but I would hardly refer to The Deuce as "long-running". It will apparently end after next year's third season. Treme ran a bit longer, yet wasn't on as long as The Wire. In the end these quality, gritty and heartbreaking shows will never get the recognition they deserve, especially from the Emmy Awards. But I look forward to Simon's next project after The Deuce.

I've lived in NYC all my life except for the four years I was in the military. I worked in the Times Square area during the 70's and 80's. I will tell you ... The Deuce does a fantastic job of telling its story during that time. Bravo to a fantastic cast and the writers .... it's not just a story about porn and the porn industry, but also the people who were "trapped" in it whether by accident or by plan. As others have mentioned I am also looking forward to Season 3.

I was surprised that in the season which focused on the summer of 1977 the blackout of July 13 didn’t show up. It was by far the biggest event of the summer, and have repercussions that lasted for a very long time.

The Deuce is a gritty, very adult, look at a certain segment of New York City in the mid to late 1970's. It also puts in place, and reveals, the logic behind how it ultimately changed from a carnival-land of porn and adult excess to today's tourist Disneyland. For me it is a riveting show with stand-out performances by all the cast. I can't take my eyes off it. John~ American Net'Zen

I'm excited for season 3 - the early 80s when The Deuce (Times Square) gets cleaned up, AIDS wipes out casual sex and fun in NYC and drugs become a real problem. The cast is wonderful.

If Emily Meade doesn’t get an Emmy nomination it will be a criminal oversight. In a incredibly talented cast she’s been a consistent standout.