20 Best TV Episodes Of 2017

10. The Deuce - My Name Is Ruby

The Deuce Finale
HBO

David Simon did it again with The Deuce, crafting another colourful, gripping TV series from a subject that, in lesser hands, could've been overly cliched. He - and his writing partner George Pelecanos - show a deft touch, and there's a remarkable amount of humanity shining through in the show, and especially in its finale.

The end of Season 1 sees the sex stream going mainstream, and My Name Is Ruby shows us both the winners and losers of that. The lead characters like Vincent and Eileen are largely coming out on top but, as ever with Simon's work, there's a real focus on those who get left behind too.

The show takes a couple of heartbreaking turns with this story, in ways as surprising as they are sad, and the writing from the show's creators combined with Michelle MacLaren's strong direction means these tragedies really land. Even the successes are dubious, as reflected in the relationship between Vincent and Abby.

It's a big episode for the series. It's a period of change - the next season, should everything go to plan, will be a different era - and it's not easy or pretty. But, as James Franco's Vincent says towards the end, "it's The Deuce."

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Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.