THE DEUCE SEASON 2 EPISODES

HBO PR
HBO PR
Sep 6, 2018 · 9 min read

Chronicling the rise of pornography and the multibillion-dollar industry’s transformation of American culture, the critically acclaimed drama series THE DEUCE, created by George Pelecanos and David Simon, returns for its nine-episode second season SUNDAY, SEPT. 9 (9:00–10:00 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. Resuming five years after the culmination of the first season, THE DEUCE returns to the world of 1977, capturing the Times Square area of midtown New York at its most garish and volatile.

The series is also available on HBO NOW, HBO GO, HBO On Demand and partners’ streaming platforms.

Episode #17 (season 2, episode 9): “Inside the Pretend” (season finale)

Debut date: SUNDAY, NOV. 4 (9:00–10:10 p.m. ET/PT)

Photo: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Lindemann (Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note this is a promotional photo for press only.

As “Red Hot” premieres, Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), Harvey (David Krumholtz) and Frankie (James Franco)get caught between competing investors. Vincent (James Franco) and Abby (Margarita Levieva) must deal with an unexpected loss. Lori (Emily Meade) is afraid to go to LA without C.C.’s (Gary Carr) permission. Paul (Chris Coy)turns to a familiar source to help finance Tod’s (Aaron Dean Eisenberg) dream. Darlene (Dominique Fishback) comes clean. Goldman (Luke Kirby) and Alston’s (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) plan for cleaning up Times Square hits a roadblock.

Written by David Simon; directed by Minkie Spiro.

Photos: Emily Meade; Gbenga Akinnagbe, Dominique Fishback
Photos: Margarita Levieva, Sepideh Moafi; James Franco as Vincent Martino (Credit for all: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note these are promotional photos for press only.

Episode #16 (season 2, episode 8): “Nobody Has to Get Hurt”

Debut date: SUNDAY, OCT. 28 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)

Photo: Mikey Moughan, Maggie Gyllenhaal (Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note this is a promotional photo for press only.

Rudy (Michael Rispoli) and Matty the Horse (Garry Pastore) buy Lori (Emily Meade) away from C.C. (Gary Carr), who has a back-end agenda. Abby (Margarita Levieva), Dave (Sebastian Arcelus) and Loretta (Sepideh Moafi) warn Ashley (Jamie Neumann) about the dangers of her aggressive activism. Goldman (Luke Kirby) shares his plans for cleaning up the Deuce with Alston (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.). Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe) is reunited with a girl from his past. Vincent (James Franco) turns to his father (Armand Assante) for relationship advice. Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) puts the finishing touches on “Red Hot” in advance of its premiere.

Written by George Pelecanos; directed by Tanya Hamilton.

Photos: Emily Meade; James Franco as Frankie Martino, Gary Carr
Photos: Gary Pastore, Daniel Sauli, Michael Rispoli, Gary Carr; Kayla Foster, Gbenga Akinnagbe (Credit for all: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note these are promotional photos for press only.

Episode #15 (season 2, episode 7): “The Feminism Part”

Debut date: SUNDAY, OCT. 21 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)

Photo: Gary Carr (Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note this is a promotional photo for press only.

Trapped by his own success, Vincent (James Franco) envisions an idyllic rural life with Abby (Margarita Levieva). Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is frustrated by her mob backers’ misogyny and weighs telling her son, Adam (Mikey Moughan), what she really does for a living. Shay (Kim Director) reverts to form, to Irene’s (Robeta Colindrez) dismay. Joey (Michael Gandolfini) falls in love. Darlene (Dominique Fishback) deals with unexpected news. Lori (Emily Meade) hits a roadblock in her quest for adult-film stardom. Alston (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) faces a dilemma involving his old partner, Flanagan (Don Harvey). Paul (Chris Coy) and Kenneth (Michael Stahl-David) arrive at a crossroads.

Written by Will Ralston; directed by Tricia Brock.

Photos: Sebastian Arcelus, Sepideh Moafi, Jamie Neumann; Don Harvey, Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Photos: Emily Meade, Gary Carr; James Franco as Vincent Martino, Daniel Sauli, Michael Rispoli (Credit for all: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note these are promotional photos for press only.

Episode #14 (season 2, episode 6): “We’re All Beasts”

Debut date: SUNDAY, OCT. 14 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)

Photo: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emily Meade (Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note this is a promotional photo for press only.

Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) shoots her opus guerilla-style on the streets of New York. Vincent (James Franco) makes a confession to Abby (Margarita Levieva), along with a promise to change. Ashley (Jamie Neumann) and Abby help a prostitute escape the Deuce, with a little help from Vincent. Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe) gets a promotion. Paul (Chris Coy) celebrates the opening of his new upscale club. Bobby (Chris Bauer) turns to Vincent to find work for his wayward eldest son, Joey (Michael Gandolfini).

Written by Megan Abbott & Stephani DeLuca; directed by Susanna White.

Photos: Mustafa Shakir, James Franco as Frankie Martino; David Krumholtz, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Photos: Margarita Levieva; Gbenga Akinnagbe, Dominique Fishback (Credit for all: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note these are promotional photos for press only.

Episode #13 (season 2, episode 5): “All You’ll Be Eating Is Cannibals”

Debut date: SUNDAY, OCT. 7 (9:00–10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Photo: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Alysia Reiner (Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note this is a promotional photo for press only.

Temporarily flush with cash, Frankie (James Franco) is tapped by Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) to be a co-producer on “Red Hot.” Lori (Emily Meade) eyes a plum role in the film, but still feels the burden of C.C.’s (Gary Carr) yoke. With Rudy’s (Michael Rispoli) blessing, Big Mike (Mustafa Shakir) and Black Frankie (Thaddeus Street) hit a gambling house in the Bronx. Bobby (Chris Bauer) finds himself stigmatized at home and at the Hi-Hat after a surprise raid overseen by Alston (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.).

Paul (Chris Coy) encounters resistance to his elaborate renovation plans. Out of rehab, Shay (Kim Director) is convinced to move in with a nurturing Irene (Robeta Colindrez). As she and Abby (Margarita Levieva) deliver on their promise to provide medical care to sex workers, Ashley (Jamie Neumann) decides to confront her past…and doesn’t blink.

Written by Richard Price & Carl Capotorto; directed by Zetna Fuentes.

Photos: Maggie Gyllenhaal; Chris Coy
Photos: Margarita Levieva, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Franco as Vincent Martino; Roberta Colindrez, Clifford Smith (Credit for all: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note these are promotional photos for press only.

Episode #12 (season 2, episode 4): “What Big Ideas”

Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 30 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)

Photo: James Franco as Vincent Martino, Thaddeus Street, Michael Rispoli (Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note this is a promotional photo for press only.

Ashley (Jamie Neumann) and Abby (Margarita Levieva) resolve to track down the identity of a 16-year-old sex worker killed in a recent fire. Vincent (James Franco) is shaken after witnessing the brutal side of Rudy’s (Michael Rispoli) operation. Frustrated by the progress on her new film, Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) recruits new faces to help with the production. Frankie (James Franco) finds his dry-cleaning business a less-than-perfect fit. Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe) shows off his improvisational skills. Lori (Emily Meade) looks to forge a deal with Kiki (Alysia Reiner) while keeping C.C. (Gary Carr) in the loop.

Written by Anya Epstein; directed by Uta Briesewitz.

Photos: Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Luke Kirby; James Franco as Vincent Martino, Chris Coy
Photos: James Franco as Vincent Martino, Margarita Levieva; Jamie Neumann (Credit for all: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note these are promotional photos for press only.

Episode #11 (season 2, episode 3): “Seven-Fifty”

Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 23 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)

Photo: Emily Meade (Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note this is a promotional photo for press only.

Lori (Emily Meade) envisions a sunny future in LA after attending the AFFA Erotica Awards with Harvey (David Krumholtz) and Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who’s looking to connect with west-coast producers who are willing to turn her fairy tale into reality. Paul (Chris Coy) and Kenneth (Michael Stahl-David) approach Vincent (James Franco) about a loan for a new nightclub, free from mob ties. Goldman (Luke Kirby) visits Alston’s (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.) precinct to share the mayor’s vision for cleaning up theDeuce. Frankie (James Franco) wins a hand of poker, but risks losing his job. Back in NYC, Ashley (Jamie Neumann) pushes her reform agenda on Abby (Margarita Levieva), while trying to avoid C.C. (Gary Carr). Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe) and Darlene (Dominique Fishback) learn a bitter lesson about supply and demand. Rudy (Michael Rispoli) sends a message to his rivals, but invites retaliation.

Written by Chris Yakaitis; directed by Steph Green.

Photos: James Franco; Mustafa Shakir
Photos: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dominique Fishback; Gary Carr (Credit for all: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note these are promotional photos for press only.

Episode #10 (season 2, episode 2): “There’s an Art to This”

Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 16 (9:00–10:00 p.m.)

Photo: Maggie Gyllenhaal (Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note this is a promotional photo for press only.

Confronted with the changing realities of prostitution and porn, C.C. (Gary Carr) doubles down on his assets, while fellow pimp Larry Brown (Gbenga Akinnagbe) eyes a new opportunity. Growing creatively frustrated, Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) turns to Genevieve Furie (Dagmara Dominczyk), a onetime porn director who’s graduated to slasher films, for filmmaking advice. After a customer is mugged outside his bar, Paul (Chris Coy) is approached by Matty the Horse (Garry Pastore), a rival of Rudy’s (Michael Rispoli), who promises Paul the mob protection he deserves. Following a nostalgic road trip to Coney Island with Vincent (James Franco), Abby (Margarita Levieva) attends a meeting of activists, and recognizes a familiar face from Times Square.

Written by Richard Price; directed by Alex Hall.

Photos (L-R): Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Luke Kirby; James Franco as Vincent Martino; Aaron Dean Eisenberg, Chris Coy
Photos: Dominique Fishback, Margarita Levieva; Margarita Levieva, James Franco as Vincent Martino (Credit for all: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note these are promotional photos for press only.

Episode #9 (season 2, episode 1): “Our Raison d’Être”

Debut date: SUNDAY, SEPT. 9 (9:00–10:00 p.m. ET/PT)

Photo: Margarita Levieva, Dominique Fishback (Credit: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note this is a promotional photo for press only.

Times Square, 1977. After his early successes managing the Hi-Hat and French Parlor, Vincent (James Franco) is now proprietor of a new mob-backed disco, Club 366, while his girlfriend Abby (Margarita Levieva) has brought the nascent punk-rock culture into the Hi-Hat. Vincent’s twin brother, Frankie (James Franco), remains a problem, “borrowing” money from Show Land, the sex emporium he manages, to pay off his debts. Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), now a “triple threat” as a porn actress, producer and director, is looking to make more artful, ambitious adult films, over the objections of her collaborator, Harvey (David Krumholtz). C.C. (Gary Carr) pulls a con on Bernie Wolf (Stephen Gevedon), the director of a porn film starring Lori (Emily Meade), to get her more money. Hoping to launch a more upscale gay nightclub, Paul (Chris Coy) looks to sever mob ties from his current bar. Alston (Lawrence Gilliard, Jr.), now a homicide detective, is approached by Gene Goldman (Luke Kirby), a civil servant appointed by Mayor Koch to clean up Times Square.

Written by David Simon & George Pelecanos; directed by Alex Hall.

Photos: David Krumholtz, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jim Parrack; James Franco as Vincent Martino, Margarita Levieva, Kat Cunning, James Franco as Frankie Martino
Photos: Gary Carr, Emily Meade; Don Harvey, Lawrence Gilliard Jr. (Credit for all: Paul Schiraldi/HBO). Please note these are promotional photos for press only.

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