Finish It

I enjoyed getting to know these characters over the 3 season run. I actually didn't realize they were based on real people until I watched the behind the scenes bit after the credits of the final episode. I loved this show. The ending had me in tears. It will be missed.

The Deuce finale brings a poignant conclusion to the arcs of numerous characters and finishes with beautifully made sequence of reflection.

What it does particularly well is show the impact of the social and economic changes on the environment and characters. For it to have the full effect you need to have invested in characters like Eileen, Vincent and others, but there is no denying the quality of filmmaking.

Is there a hint of romanticising of the area before it became so disneyfied? Arguably there is and I'm sure there are many who are glad to feel safer walking the streets now than back in the 70s/80s. Have the social problems been rectified or just shifted away from the tourists and gentry? I think so.

All actors are on great form as ever and visually it is amazing, particularly the final sequence.

In the end, a flash-forward filled with flashbacks/ghosts on NYC sidewalks remind us that the generation we observed are just that... ghosts in the hands of time.

Did it all happen? Did it not happen?

It certainly COULD have happened.

And the characters will go down as the enjoyable stereotypes whom were our corrupt blinders throughout this 15-ish-year adventure.

Now Scorsese & Jagger need to revive Vynil!!!

Beautiful final episode where you feel the circle of life,you look back to the failure of your life with a nostalgic feeling of love.Amazing actors.

So sadly we have come to the end of this enthralling yet admittedly grimey series, where we have uncomfortably learned to ride along with the cast of often unlikeable characters, but also see the self-destruction of plenty of other decent others.

It was a short window for this world in New York, and here we see the sharp collapse of their world as the spectre of Aids arises, the move from professional theatre porn to low cost/low stature VHS smut and a gentrifying New York.

Our cast is older and wiser, but the cracks are still there, and it was interesting to see the arc of Lori Madisson and Candy develop further, when I thought they had closed off Lori's tale. Lori's tale is a sad story as you see that she has little escaped the hell she was trapped into, and now is under the clutches of others as despicable as her old pimp. Candy on the other hand is stuck trying to win over those who don't want to be, possibly naive of the changing nature of the market and who her customers really are.

The rest are still there and as this is the final season you see some quick kill offs too as is the norm. You watch as everything yet nothing changes in their lives, be it personal or work. The mob is still there and everyone is still under their thumbs.

This season has been fabulous, even till the last episode. The jump in time for the story I guess was as they had to call time on it early, which is a shame as there was still so much to tell. We all loved this more than we should have.

How Maggie Gyllenhall didn't win awards for this season's work really baffles me, and it shows that this is a show that is possibly counter to the prevailing social mores at the moment. She deserves better.

I'm going to watch it again sometime. An eye opener and one that hits the mark. Thank you to all who put this together, a wonderful treasure, and a wonderful send-off.