24/7 Episode 2… You Ready?

(Screenshot “courtesy” of HBO.com)

Last week’s Episode 1 of 24/7: Rangers/Flyers may have actually been better than any episode of last year’s incarnation, the first annual, which featured the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. Why? Well, it may just be that New York and Philly are better cities for it… last year’s show and Winter Classic was billed as the obvious one, which was Crosby v. Ovechkin. Meanwhile, in Philly and New York, we get two amazingly stoic and candid American cities (the former the first capital of America and the latter the unofficial one) that share a highway and a mutual hatred for any sports city that isn’t theirs.

It’s not like we’re even seeing a huge rivalry here between Philly and New York. We’re not seeing Cheese Steaks go head-to-head with Italian Sausages because, let’s face it, I’m sure each city makes those adequately. No, we’re seeing the battle-tested commuter life of New York City and the blue-collar supa’fly life of Philadelphia, mixed in with enough glitz, glamour, broken noses, and Black Keys songs to make this a fascinating hockey documentary.

Kudos.