Pilot (The Deuce)
"Pilot" is the first episode of the American television drama series The Deuce. It premiered on September 10, 2017, on premium cable network HBO; the pilot was released in advance on HBO streaming service HBO Go on August 25. The episode was written by creators and showrunners George Pelecanos and David Simon, and was directed by Michelle MacLaren. Plot In 1971, Brooklyn bartender Vincent "Vinnie" Martino (James Franco) is beaten by muggers while he is performing a cash drop for his employer's bar. Vinnie's identical twin brother, reckless gambler Frankie (Franco), owes money to several mobsters and bookies. Fed up with his unfaithful wife, Andrea (Zoe Kazan), Vinnie leaves his family and decides to focus on his bar. Pimp C.C. (Gary Carr) recruits Lori (Emily Meade), a new arrival from Minnesota, as a prostitute. C.C's prized possession is Ashley (Jamie Neumann), who is in love with C.C. and becomes jealous of Lori. Eileen "Candy" Merrell (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a prostitute and single mother, chooses to work without a pimp. She explains the realities of the sex trade to a nervous teen trying to lose his virginity, and later visits her son in the suburban home where he lives with Candy's mother.