Topic: True Detective

[scottws]

Anyone watching True Detective?  I've been blown away by it, even more than when I saw the Battlestar Gallactica mini series for the first time.  That is saying something!  I'm hopelessly hooked.  The production values are top-notch and there is a triple-threat in the screenwriting, direction, and acting.

If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and start getting caught up now.  There have only been five episodes so far so it's not too late.

[PyroMenace]

I'm actually going to start watching it soon, looking at the trailers and hearing good things its got me really curious.

[Quemaqua]

I haven't seen shit on it except for one article that extensively detailed the influence of Robert W. Chambers and The King in Yellow on the show, so I'm already on board. I'll definitely try to watch it at some point when it hits Netflix or something.

[scottws]

I haven't seen shit on it except for one article that extensively detailed the influence of Robert W. Chambers and The King in Yellow on the show, so I'm already on board. I'll definitely try to watch it at some point when it hits Netflix or something.

It's a HBO show.  Do any of those end up on Netflix?

[Quemaqua]

I haven't the slightest, I don't really watch TV. Hence the "or something". We don't even have TV in the house, let alone HBO.

[scottws]

Ah.  I don't think HBO shows are available on Netflix, but I haven't used Netflix in a long time so I'm not sure.

[Quemaqua]

If it turns out as good as everybody's been saying, I'll probably snag the DVDs later on down the line if no other option presents itself.

[PyroMenace]

Caught up to episode 5. Man this is really fucking good.

[Cools!]

Yup, it's amazyballs!

[scottws]

Not sure how I feel about tonight's episode.  I definitely liked the last one more.  This one seemed to unnecessarily use the whole hour to provide laser focus on a character flaw.

[Cools!]

No doubt because the last couple of episodes had a lot of action.

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I think it's to reenforce Rust's point about everything repeating itself, people making the same mistakes, etc., and to provide yet another catalyst for him to go do his own thing outside of it all (whatever that may or may not be).

[scottws]

I've been thinking about the episode more, and it seemed to point out two things to me. 

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One is that, for one reason or another, Rust has become withdrawn and doesn't seem to trust anyone at all.  That's why he's investigating on his own.  The other is that Marty is the type of person that acts instinctively and doesn't seem to think about the consequences for his actions.  If he does think about them, he can't control himself regardless.

Why did the episode burn a whole hour with this late characterization?  After all, there are only two episodes left.  Despite the writers doing things to cast some level of suspicion on Rust, I would be surprised if he isn't just intensely focused on getting to the bottom of it and bringing some form of justice to the perps.  I would be much less surprised if Marty is involved.  Don't get me wrong, I don't really think Marty is part of it.  The only possible hint is with his older daughter, as she seems to have been exposed to something explicitly sexual early on.  But why else would the writers spend such considerable effort and precious time on Marty's characterization at this point of the season?

[Cools!]

The Atlantic has a review of the episode and I agree with a lot of the points.

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Yeah, the episode felt a bit disconnected, like they aren't sure how to fill in the missing years and build up to the conclusion. Pretty much everything in the episode we already knew about:

* Marty's infidelity. I found it really weird that they brought back the young whore and that's who Marty ends up cheating with. Not to mention the whole bag of tampons, how can you NOT cheat when you buy tampons? (Umm, why did he even bring the bags into the bar and not leave them in the car? ). Then there's the scene where she talks to him about having anal... sigh... or the little devil figurine in her room. Just too cliche. We get it, he's sinning.

* The sexual tension between Marty's wife and Rust. We already knew about it (he comes to cut the lawn and whatever else we haven't been shown). I hate that they had sex and how it was used. I would've preferred if Rust didn't fall for it but she still used the idea of it to get back at Marty). I'm not sure how I feel about that being the main reason for the split between Marty and Rust instead of having something to do with work (because we've had plenty of tensions already: like Rust covering up that Marty killed one of the rapists).

* A religious conspiracy. I really hope this is a red herring. I want crazy psychos and the main characters going crazy as they go deeper (the whole Yellow King and Cardosa references). A big religious organization behind it? Too predictable.

[Cobra951]

If this is where TV is headed, sign me up.  I doubt it's more than a happy fluke, though.  Gripping story and unbelievable performances from the leads.  I love the idea of a different miniseries per season, each with its own development and conclusion.  No cliffhanger needed.  After that stellar first season, an audience for whatever comes next is guaranteed.

[PyroMenace]

Yea I finished it off the other night, it's pretty fantastic. Some of the best television I've seen in a long time. There's some minor gripes with the end, but whatever, it was nothing compared to everything else it brought to the table. Really can't wait enough for the next season.

[scottws]

I preferred the first four episodes over the last four.  In particular, episode six ("Haunted Houses") seemed like a waste of precious time in just an eight-episode series.  That said, taken as a whole, the series was truly great.  Amazing job by Woody Harrelson and Matthew Matthew McConaughey.

[Cools!]

I preferred the first four episodes over the last four.  In particular, episode six ("Haunted Houses") seemed like a waste of precious time in just an eight-episode series.  That said, taken as a whole, the series was truly great.  Amazing job by Woody Harrelson and Matthew Matthew McConaughey.

I agree. I liked the series overall, but felt like it lost traction in the latter episodes, like it didn't know where to go after the action in the middle or how far to push the overall arch. The characters were amazing, but the ending felt too easy and "nice" for my taste.

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I thought the ending should've been a lot more negative, maybe with one of the characters getting killed or going completely insane because of all of this. It just felt like too happy of an ending even with Rust having his religious vision, which I guess could be a hint at insanity, it just didn't have much impact for me. I would've also liked it if they built up the final villain up more like they did with the one in the middle of the series.

[Cobra951]

I understand wanting a more dramatic climax, more surprises.  I don't understand

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why it has to be negative.  I guess I've missed where in the timeline of my life audiences went from expecting positive resolutions to expecting the death of protagonists and the enduring of evil.  It's hard to escape such depressing conclusions anymore, and I, for one, was glad to see things work out for once in serious drama.

[Cools!]

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Just my interpretation of the first half of the series, Cobra. The ending wasn't super happy either, but maybe not as powerful as it could've been. At least in my opinion. I LOVED the final confrontation with the villain, just wish there was a bit more to the episodes leading up to it. It's hard to explain, the 2nd half of the show just didn't feel as "complete" and lost me a bit. Still a great show.

Anyway, I'll probably end up watching the series again soon so my opinion might change.

[Xessive]

Sam & Max: True Detectives

[Cobra951]

Hahaha!

[Xessive]

I love the show's intro sequence

[Cools!]

Haha! Awesome!

[Cobra951]

I like the intro too, and that's all I was expecting, since the video is so short.  That got me smiling.  Then . . . I lost it.  Good thing I wasn't drinking anything.

[nickclone]

Yeah, I really like this series.

[Xessive]

Just rumors so far:
http://www.latinpost.com/articles/9160/20140319/hbo-true-detective-season-2-release-date-and-cast-rumors-mcconaughey-harrelson-out-brad-pitt-in-with-female-detective.htm

[Cools!]

However, in a sudden twist of events, it was confirmed that the two lead stars are no longer going to be back for the second season.

Nope. This was on Wikipedia even before the series started: "The series was pitched as an anthology format, with each season featuring a different cast of characters and story"

[Cobra951]

I pretty much figured they wouldn't be able to hold on to actors of this caliber for a long-running series.  I had it pegged in my mind as a one-season miniseries because of Harrelson and McConaughey.  Then I read about the "anthology" angle, and the whole thing seemed even more brilliant (assuming future seasons hold up the standard).  Great actors who won't be pigeonholed into long TV roles come in and do their magic for a season.  Wow.

[gpw11]

Watched the first three episodes on a plane the other day and just finished the rest up now.  Great series.

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I was expecting something tragic with the ending and was quite surprised when it didn't go down.  As much as a crumble into insanity for one of the detectives would have fit with the themes, I have no problem with everything working out. I think there was room for another episode (or just cutting of some filler) to expand upon some themes I would have liked to see more in depth: about the killer, maybe more of a trek to find him, etc.  You know, because NO ONE IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND HAS EVER PAINTED THEIR FUCKING EARS WHILE PAINTING A HOUSE (Once it was pretty much revealed who the killer was before the detectives made the connection I thought the green ears would be sound muffs...paint?).  Perhaps have had the finale be twice as long with more killer flashbacks (did that motherfucker sew his father's mouth shut?)

Like everyone else here, I thought it started up very strong and ended a bit weak. Still good, but Ledeux seemed like a huge menace, even though he had about 5 min of screen time.  That entire time I was pretty sure shit was about to hit the fan.  The final killer, however, just didn't have the same effect on me, no matter how creepy they tried to make him.

Anyways, I really enjoyed it and would like to see what a second season brings to the table.  I had no idea where this was going (if it was going to be really dark, sort of dark, have a super natural aspect, etc) and I think it'd be interesting to see what they do in the future and if they revisit some of the same elements, go in a completely different direction, or whatever.  I will say that I read a couple of threads on this on reddit after and the general reply to any citiciism of the show and it's resolution is to go read The King in Yellow and then watch the series again. THAT'S bullshit and something that worries me - the fanbase for this show is going to fucking suck.

[PyroMenace]

Season 2 just started and the general opinion is that it's off to a bad start. Though I'm having a hard time reading people's opinions since it feels like most of these people backlashed hard after season 1 and are prematurely judging it but we'll see in the next couple weeks.

[scottws]

I haven't had the opportunity to watch it.  If true, that's a shame because the first half of season 1 was incredible and it really hit the ground running.

[Quemaqua]

The trailers seem like they've got the same tone down, and the roster of actors is pretty solid. I'm looking forward to it. I'm not going to judge on the start or even a couple episodes, but the season as a whole, and that works fine for me because I don't want TV. If it's halfway decent, I'll buy the Bluray set, like I did with the first season.

I do hope they realize what made the first season so compelling and play more with that stuff. Maybe even take it to some weirder places. The first felt like a perfect introduction to a style and set of themes (and I really didn't feel like it fell off at any point, though the ending could have used a hint more lingering mystery or darkness to tantalize for the next season ... but I have no real complaints), and if they use subsequent seasons to work that stuff in, take it deeper, without going too far or too fast, I think they'd have a solid show that could easily last several more seasons without slowing down. It's got so much potential ... I hope they don't waste it by making it too safe, or filling it with crap we've seen enough of already. If they start tying some things together between seasons, that'll work for me too.

I hold out hope, slow start or not. I have faith in the writers.

I also don't get why people would suggest reading the King in Yellow in response to criticism. I've owned the book for some time and read it both before and after the show, and while I think it's cool that there's some influence, I don't really think there's all that much. Unless there's stuff I was missing, which I guess is possible. But if it's that thin, who cares? The Ligotti influence was obviously far more important, at least to Rust's arc.

[gpw11]

I accidentally came across some criticism before watching the premier of the second season and think it's a bit off base.  The first episode felt like the start of a story - it introduced a bunch of characters, hints at their pasts, and produced a mystery.  It wasn't quite as compelling as the first of the initial season but there are four main characters and I think that probably means there's a little bit more setting up that needs to be done.   

It was just different, that's all.

[PyroMenace]

That's how I read a lot of the criticism as well. Just jumping to conclusions that the whole season is just going to be bad.

[scottws]

I watched it last night. Perhaps it didn't start as strong as S1E1, but it still shows promise and I'll be tuning in again.

Heck, I didn't even like the first three episodes of The Leftovers but I'm glad I stuck that show out because it turned out great.  True Detective is a different beast, but there is no reason to abandon hope now.

[PyroMenace]

Yea it definitely didn't grab me. One of the complaints I saw was that it had the brooding sense of the first season with no substance. I disagree with that, there's substance here its just that brooding theme feels a bit forced at times, making parts of it a little over dramatic.

[scottws]

Personally, S1 was some of the greatest television I've ever seen.  S2 has a lot to live up to.  Chances are, it won't.  That's okay though, because if it even comes close it will still be great.

[Cools!]

S2 hasn't grabbed my attention yet as much as S1, maybe because there are too many key characters involved and it will take a bit of time for all of them to develop. EP2 was better, but still a bit of a mess.

[Cobra951]

Well, one key character sure didn't get a lot of development time.

And one thing I thought I wouldn't live to see is a thoroughly unattractive Rachel McAdams.

[Cools!]

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Yup. And that character is the reason I got excited about this season. I think we'll see him through flashbacks.