You know what I've figured out, though? I don't 'hate' him the way I hate other characters. Usually when I dislike a character, it's because he's poorly written or badly acted. That's not the case here. The actor is actually decent, and the writing is such that you come to despise the man not because he isn't believable, but because he is. We all know someone like this guy. Self-centered, childish, incapable of seeing past his own nose, and still loved by people whose affection he doesn't deserve. We despise him because we understand him. Maybe some of us are him. Nine episodes later, my original prediction stands. When all is said and done years from now, and they've had enough time to tell the story they came to tell, Treme is going to be one of, if not the best thing HBO has ever produced.
One thing "Treme" lacks that "The Wire" had in spades is villians; there are no Avons, Stringers, Omars, or Marlos to hook viewers in a traditional sense. But, "Treme" has a few flawed characters that still burr their way into your attention in a way that is arguably much more difficult to do without the benefit of a good vs. evil motif. - Sonny is an easy target because he has no redeeming qualities, and I think your description of him is spot on. But his inclusion helps make Annie a more interesting character than she'd be on her own. - Unsurprisingly, I found myself sympathizing with Toni when she basically accused Creighton of being a huge pussy that quit on life. I found myself thinking "shouldn't I feel bad about this suicide?" until I realized that I'd had this same conversation in my head before when past acquaintences in my own life had killed themselves. It was eerie that a show could till up those kind of emotions, and I found myself feeling terrible for Toni and Sophia, even to the point of pitying them a little for the huge bag of shit Creighton left them standing with. - Surprisingly, I have to admit that Davis grew on me by the end of the season. I think my initial reactions to him (an unbearable hipster douchebag) were completely justified, though as several characters on the show came to realize (Janette, Annie, the gay neighbors) there is actually a well-meaning, decent dude buried underneath all that too-cool-for-school sarcasm. Many props to Steve Zahn for hitting some very hard-to-hit notes with that character. - Major props go to Wendell Pierce as well, though I confess it's easy and tempting to see at Antoine as little more than Bunk Moreland with a trombone and Kangol.* Maybe it's the conflation with his two characters that makes the disappointment all the more visceral as you watch him constantly make his life more difficult as he struggles with a complete lack of self-discipline. - Nothing more needs to be said about my man-crush on Clarke Peters, except to say that I will now be referring to him in posts as Big Chief Lester Smooth. All in all, I never frothed at the mouth all week in anticipation of new episodes like I did with "The Wire" but it kept me coming back every Sunday nonetheless, and it'll keep me coming back next season too. *There was even an echo of The Bunk this past week when Antoine said "I'm a strictly cooked fish eating motherfucker", because as we all know The Bunk is a strictly suit-and-tie wearing motherfucker.
I think that what separates the way people think about this show is how it's dealing with the surviving aspect. People survived 9/11 and Katrina, and they were such life changing events. This show is just showing us a little of the rage and other emotions that we all felt watching from our safe living rooms. It's the same things we feel every day over other events, whether it's another natural disaster or the oil spill that doesn't seem to have an end. This show has captured just a little bit of our feelings and forced us to look at them. The bullshit that happens on this show really happened/happens. Comparing this show to the other stupid shit on television isn't really why this show is so compelling. I'm sure that we can all agree that Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Wire are all excellent shows. But, with Treme, it's something entirely different.
I was fucking furious with his character by the end of the episode. Livid. I had so much respect for the man: his views, his willingness to speak out, his struggle with his own artistic competence, his love for his family. Even before Toni said it, I felt the same way she did. He fucking quit. He forced his family to suffer the pain of his loss and he forced the audience to witness their heartbreak. I don't know that I've ever felt this degree of disappointment in a fictional human being. The sense of betrayal was so overwhelming that I had to remind myself that Creighton wasn't real. Then, I read an article about the finale that discussed how common this sort of thing was post-Katrina. Apparently, suicide was a problem even among wealthier members of the New Orleans community. People who hadn't lost their houses or livelihoods simply couldn't deal with the devastation they had witnessed, or with the seemingly insurmountable task of rebuilding the city they loved. The anger I felt toward Goodman's character dissipated somewhat after reading this, I was reminded of how utterly complex and realistic these characters are. The absence of the good-evil motif speaks to that complexity. We all know that real people are never wholly good or bad and that all are subject to weakness of character. These people aren't on this side or that side of a given conflict. They just are. The thing about Zahn's character is this: I know several Davis McAlarys. Some of them are good friends, some I can't stand. Like you said, underneath all cringe-worthy behavior, there's often a thoughtful , intelligent person who taps into creative areas that aren't accessible to people who worry too much about what others think of them. Either you're able to deal with the bullshit, or you aren't, but you can't have one without the other, and if you can put their eccentricities into the proper context, you'll often find a really worthwhile human being. So while I never really hated him, I was definitely waiting for him to offer some sort of redemptive character traits that would balance out all of his nonsense. I think he succeeded in that respect. This is Zahn's best work to date.
I loved Treme. I don't know where they're going to go next season, but I'm excited to find out. I read an interview where Simon said something like "New Orleans is all about moments" and I think the show is the same way. It's overall plot is not as compelling as that of The Wire, but I think it does an even better job depicting the culture of the city. I'm also consistently blown away by the music. Granted they have some strong material to choose from, but it's all perfectly integrated into each episode. I hope they release a soundtrack so I don't have to try to track my favorites down one at a time.