I can't be the only one here who watches True Detective, or at least I hope not. What do y'all think of the show? Last week's single tracking shot had me on the edge of my seat.
This week's episode left me scratching my head.
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Haven't seen the latest episode, but the episode two weeks ago was fantastic.
The show is fantastic.
I missed the opener and have to wait until I can catch it to start watching this season.
I tried to start after it and have it fill in blanks for me but, it didn't work.
Cannot wait until the completely legal dvd shops here in China that sell completely legal dvd's has this so I can watch it. Look fantastic.
Haven't seen it but have heard good things. Definitely on my watch list.
It started a little slow plot-wise, but I was initially drawn in due to the quality of the acting and the ridiculously high levels of cinematography, sound, and music. Then the fourth episode happened. In just four episodes, this may have become what I believe to be the best thing I have ever seen on television. Yes, even better than Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad (and I'm a chemist). That single tracking shot was just so tense. I heartily recommend that anyone who hasn't watched it should catch up as soon as they can.
From what I have read, it is only going to be eight episodes and then next season will be a different story with a different cast.
McConaughey should just be given the Emmy now and Harrelson is doing career work, too. The way they interact is fantastic.
"From now on, let's make the car a place of silent reflection."
I understand why they won't be able to get actors of the caliber of Harrelson and McConaughey to commit to multiple seasons and I guess the story arc probably won't allow it but wouldn't it be awesome if they could keep it going past 8 episodes? American Horror Story has made it work with different roles for the same actors.
It was essentially a one-man job creating and writing this season (which is unheard of in television). It was designed essentially to be an 8 hour movie, fit for binge-watching once it's all been released. Now that it's a hit, it'll likely draw extra writers so that a full run season would be more feasible.
My thoughts exactly. Harrelson has really grown into a great actor (or he's always been great and I've grown into accepting it), but he simply can't catch up to McConaughey. There is a fair amount of supporting acting that is outstanding, too, e.g. the victim's ex-husband whom they interview in prison.
The dialog is also excellent. For me that is often the make-or-break aspect of the writing, even more than pacing (sometimes more than the plot itself). But it all comes back to McConaughey and Harrelson delivering the lines.
I need to watch the last 2 episodes, but so far it's a great show.
It is interesting but slow at moments. The last two episodes were really good and cleared some stuff up for me. I'm afraid that the show will end up being too confusing for its own writers and it will become a jumbled mess. Is is me or does almost everyone on the show mumble? It drives me nuts.
I'm on my mobile so I can't figure out how to post a link to a story. Did anyone see the story in the news about the Pennsylvania woman who claims to have killed 20 people? This crazy lady is trying to say she was part of a nationwide satanic cult. I'm waiting for her to reference the yellow king.
Are you referring to the Craigslist Killer?
http://www.wjla.com/articles/2014/02/pa-woman-admits-craigslist-killing-...
It's definitely a dark show, but one of the better ones I've seen. Like some of you have said, it can be slow at times, but then you have those intense scenes that come out of nowhere. I still would put Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones ahead of it, for now, but it has the potential to be better than both.
I may have been a tad hyperbolic when I said it may be better than those two shows. The problem with comparing it to every other quality show out there is that it is only eight episodes. Other shows have had the luxury of full seasons to really get into a groove and define their characters. Game of Thrones was pretty awesome out of the gate, but it has taken time to truly reveal its complexity. Breaking Bad was not nearly at its apex in its first season. True Detective had to come out swinging in terms of really gettng to the essence of the two main characters. That may contribute to its quality since there is no time for narrative side-trips. It is like comparing novels to a really great short story. They are just different animals. So, what would you actually compare it to? I do not know of any other mini-series type show that can hold a candle to its quality. I think American Horror Story was in the "television mini-series or movie" category, but is somehow simultaneously ridiculously terrible and fantastic. True Detective blows it out of the water.
True Detective just seems like a unique experiment that has been very successful in the first five episodes. The key is if they stick the landing. After that, I am curious if they can maintain the quality into the second season with an all new cast.
As for the show so far, my money is on the Tuttle family being involved in the King in Yellow cult and that Cohle dropped of the grid to try and find the truth. I won't say anything else to avoid spoilers for those who have not yet watched.
Awesome show, and I agree with your last paragraph. I think his garage/storage unit is a big case room with him trying to track down the Yellow King.
I agree with where you place it in the spectrum of shows. BB and GoT both came to mind, as well as The Sopranos (which drug on the last few years) and Deadwood and Lost. I've never seen The Wire and am saving that up for a summer mass screening. I would put X-Files, Twin Peaks and Mad Men in the next category.
But an excellent point, this show will not have an opportunity to get stale. Maybe that's the new model, that this is really a 4 part movie (8 hours) as opposed to The X Files which ran for 9 years at 15 shows a year and 45 minutes each, over 100 hours of screen time....then they did a bad movie on top of it!
I would agree that this is stronger than AHS, which generally seems to loose its way 3/4 the way through. I really have no idea how Coven ended this year, I lost interest by the end.
I think I can see where TD is going. The beauty of Cohle's work previously is that he balances his addictions in his undercover life so beautifully with the sharpness of his mind. I'm sure he's gone 10 years off the map, drinking and shooting up his way into the underbelly of rural LA to try to become one of them, which isn't going to go over well with the new detectives. Unless, of course, they totally throw us off track.
The Wire... now THAT is a show.
The tagline for the show is something like "You can't touch darkness without darkness touching you." In the last episode, Reggie Ledoux says "you're in Carcosa now." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inhabitant_of_Carcosa) Taken together, I think we're going to see that one of the two detectives ends up being a killer (not necessarily THE killer). McCounaghey wouldn't actually make sense, because if it was him, we wouldn't need 3 more episodes to get to that conclusion. Nobody seems to think Harrelson is the bad guy, so it would make for the perfect season-ending twist.
I may have to try it again - I couldn't get into it the first 2 episodes- I literally fell asleep both episodes.
Great show! I heard it's just a mini series, one season kind of deal though. Sunday's episode was great and definitely got the ball rolling. I just love hbo - Sopranos (the greatest show ever), the Wire, Entourage, GoT are some of my favorite series ever, along with others like Curb.
We should just have a weekly thread for TV shows. House of Cards is killing it right now, so fucking good! And Walking Dead of course. I like Shameless a lot too, despite the trashiness and cheap thrills, there actually is some substance there as opposed to Showtime's other hit series Californication. I'm a series junkie, I stream series online non stop ha
walking dead has been so good this season. last sunday was tense!
I've been resisting bringing up TWD the entire time I've been reading this thread, so thank you for doing it for me! I would disagree about this season being good though. The ...what? Half season finale? was good, but I wasn't too impressed with any of the episodes before that one. I do like where they are going with things now though, and I enjoyed the latest episode, so I have high hopes for the end of the season
#SPOILERALERT
I liked the first half. We could have done without multiple episodes focusing on the governor but either way I enjoyed the first half. The whole getting sick from the pigs thing was another great element to the human aspect of TWD (so many people that won't watch it, won't watch because they're "not into zombies" but I try to tell them it's so much more about the human aspect than the walkers). I like the second half so far, how they're going into individual stories without even touching on the fact that Michone found Rick/Carl from the previous episode. But I thought it was cheesy to act like Rick was dead, cmooon man we know better.
SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
i actually liked the governor episodes. i thought it was interesting how he was coming back to humanity but then he just went full on governor again. dude cant help himself. either way i think we can all agree season 4 has been way better than let's hang around the farm and talk about our feelings season 2 or were going to war but lets discuss it for 5 episodes first season 3. as far as the mid-season finale goes (who does that?) it was just as bad to me as the red wedding. it was a great episode dont get me wron, but i was traumatized.
COUNTINUED SPOILERS. IM NOT KIDDING
I know what you mean, but I had honestly been waiting for...the big death in that episode... since midway through season 3 (I'm assuming thats what traumatized you). It was only a matter of time and I think it was a good way for the character to go out. The biggest problem I have is so you seriously expect me to believe that the group never made a contingency plan on where to meet should everything go to shit?? Especially when they KNEW they were about to be attacked?
Count me into the vast numbers of people who didn't do it because they're "not into zombies". And then I bought a Vita from Amazon around Black Friday, and it came with the Telltale Games point-and-click. That game blew my mind once I finally played it over Christmas, and singlehandedly convinced me to watch the show. And, 3 weeks later, I was all caught up (9th show now that I'm all caught up in... I have problems)
me playing/watching the end of the video game:
i've played many, many video games in my life and have never experienced anything like the telltale walking dead game. it is an incredible experience.
I'm finally all caught up. I just read something interesting, could the identity of the Yellow King been right under our noses this whole time? POSSIBLE SPOILER
How has Sons of Anarchy not been brought up in this conversation? Awesome Show!!
I hadn't seen any of it until last month when I decided to start from Season 1. I'm in the middle of season 5 now, love how the show has plenty of action (gunfire, fights, etc.) and doesn't stray away from killing off sigificant characters if it means keeping a good plot. Which keeps you from thinking 'well, same old same old, he's gonna find a way out because he plays a big enough role'.
I don't watch sons of anarchy but in terms of killing off significant characters, that seems to be the trend in popular shows these days. A bunch of shows are doing it -GoT, Homeland, House of Cards, Boardwalk Empire, Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, etc. I like it a lot too because it certainly makes the shows more unpredictable and more real.
SPOILER ALERT
It made me mad they killed off who they did in HOC that early though. (For obvious viewing reasons)
Haha for obvious reasons of course, I like how you think.
My coworker went to grade school with her and says it awkward to see her partially nude in the show. My response: "Well it's not awkward for me at all, it's preferred"
I guess somebody doesn't like Sons of Anarchy and down voted me. Listen children, down votes are for offensive post's, not for disagreeing with some one. Take your poop butts and boo boo lips to another site, adults are talking here.
So what do we think now after this last episode? I am slightly less buying into the theory that Marty is the Yellow King now, but there are a whole lot of unanswered questions with only 2 episodes left.
Was it just me, or was something REEEEEALLY off about present day Maggie? Kinda looked like her left orbital bone had been broken and it made her eye look really weird.
Yeah, we noticed that too....I thought she may have had a stroke as that one eye is definitely drooping.
I don't foresee any switcheroo's coming. Kohle will identify the real killer, there will be a crazy gunfight at the finish, it will come back to the preacher in some way and it will be sickening.
I think the stunning revelation will just be the depth of sadism in the cult's activities.
I loved this episode. Not much action but we know a lot more about the whole situation now and it was a good bridge between the past and the present. The next two episodes are going to be intense.
I still get the feeling that Marty's eldest daughter is going to be involved in the cult somehow.
me too, but as a victim or a member?
I'm not sure. She seems like a possible victim, but killing her would bring to much attention to the cult. All of the other victims have been low profile enough to keep the murders out of the news. Killing the daughter of a detective might be too hard to cover-up.
She could become a member out of spite and rebellion against her dad. If she is trying to become a member of the cult, it would make sense that the cult members with connections would try and steer the investigations towards Rust to cover up the newer murders but also in a way to figure out what Marty knows and see where his allegiences lie. Great, now I am confusing myself.
I am probably over-thinking it and she is really just there to illustrate how inattentive and completely oblivious Marty is to what is happening with his family. Apparently, being a human tampon really cuts down on family time.
In the previews for next week, Rust shows Marty a pic or a video of something that causes Marty to lose his shit. I'm wondering if it is his daughter being abused by a cult member, and this causes Marty to team up with Rust (who is still working undercover) to track down the leaders of the cult.
I did not see the preview for next week. My DVR cut off during the credits. So now I think you may be on to something with the daughter being a possible victim.
I think it is one of the few things that could get them to start working together again, if that is where the show is heading.
More likely, it's Maggie in the video. And I'd bet it isn't her being abused.
There is definitely that lean. Goth chick, rebelling against dad, the fact that they need someone close to the characters to tie it all together. Either that or his youngest daughter gets snatched. Has to be something really dark; HBO can't end the show with a whimper.
"The King in Yellow" is currently the #43 best selling book on Amazon, and it was as high as #4 a few weeks ago.
Anything that gets people reading old horror fiction is a plus in my book.
Chambers was a big influence on writers like H.P. Lovecraft who even mentioned Carcosa. Did you guys notice the Cthulu-octopus/swastika tattoo on Reggie Ledoux? I love the little touches like that that show up on this show.
Pretty sure no one else noticed that ya weirdo!
Totally kidding btw. As soon as I found out the yellow king was a reference to some old horror novel I had to look up. Kind of want to read it now.
I just really enjoy Easter Eggs like that. The little details really show the amount of time and effort that went into the show.
Also, if anyone wants to start reading older horror fiction, the one thing you have to keep in mind is that they got paid by the word. So even the best stories can drag on as the authors padded their word counts. This can sometimes be an obstacle for those just getting into that genre. Also, keep in mind when these stories were written, so rather unpleasant attitudes towards race, women, etc can rear their ugly heads.
The first story of that genre I read was "The Rats in the Walls" by H.P. Lovecraft. From there I was hooked. Besides, if it inspired some of Metallica's best work, it cannot be too bad. (In my mind, Metallica retired after "And Justice for All". They subsequently came out of retirement briefly enough to write "Enter Sandman" and promptly re-retired, thus cementing their legacy.)
Wait, what Metallica songs were inspired by old horror novels?
The Call of Ktulu-Ride the Lightning
The Thing That Should Not Be-Master of Puppets
It's available for free on the iTunes bookstore, and probably other places if you don't have an iPhone
OK- The weekend can end now. That made my day-
that was a good ending. I've caught myself up on the show in the last week and the finale didn't disappoint. cant wait for the next season, I wonder if it'll still be about the cult or if it will be a completely different case. either way bravo hbo.
Joe, found this article on DeadSpin and thought it was appropriate for this thread.
http://deadspin.com/31-buddy-cop-cliches-on-true-detective-1540310306
Brilliant.
I thought the finale was very good because it stayed true to the show. I also liked the Breaking Bad finale because it too stayed true to the show. Both were completely different endings. Vince Gilligan packaged everything neatly and tied it together with a bow on top, because throughout the series Walt and Jesse always fell ass backwards on ways to escape dire straits. For me, True Detective was never about Rust and Marty bringing the curtain down. It was about their relationship, and to a lesser extent the time is flat narrative.
Over 8 episodes Nic Pizzolato did an excellent job telling the 17-year story of Cohle and Hart. Additionally, events repeat in 2012 when the detectives blast away Errol, like they did Reggie Ledoux in 1995. In both cases, most of the mystery remains, and a lot of evil people are still at large.
If these characters had a second season, a big twist like Marty being involved with the cult (there were, seemingly, red herrings about Marty's daughter being abused) would have made for a wild story. Hart and Cohle chasing down and exposing the Tuttle family would have been very compelling. However, I think there's a fine line to balance between letting a story linger to its detriment, and finishing it early to ensure peak entertainment and excitement. I think Pizzolato did a good job of walking that tightrope. However, I'd watch 5 seasons of Marty and Rust writing out parking tickets because the acting by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson was so damn good.
Also, there's this gif.
What did everyone think about the first episode of season 2? It had a much different feel to it than last season, but I'm excited. I thought they did a great job of bringing the 3 detectives, who all have huge issues of their own, together at the crime scene.
It was slow...odd...and I am not ashamed to say I am slightly confused.
Not sure how I feel about Colin's role yet either.
I watched it twice. The first time I thought it was really slow and not much was happening. The second time though I really liked it. I think I had to watch most episodes from last season twice just to pick up on all the little details.
Yeah, but you have to admit, he has an awesome mustache.
Yeah I'm going to try and re-watch it before the next one.
I must say though...I miss Matthew and Woody...
Oh yeah it's great...he's playing his character extremely well lol
I have a feeling Colin is gonna get real real dark on us this season.
Think you are right about that for sure!
I think the last episode was just ok, definitely a set-up episode, but I have high hopes for the season, especially the second half of the season.
Last season was a real treat. High entertainment factor, known names, and a really cool stylized approach that differentiated it from the average show. Not quite as good as Justified, but still, a really good show.
First show this season? Jury's still out. I thought it was a little confusing, sometimes lame, never as engaging as the series last year. I am willing to give it some time to develop, knowing it was a set up and given that I have to buy in to Colin as someone I enjoy watching, but because of the absolute killer of a first year of the series, I am willing to give it time to get me.
I was decidedly "meh" on it. I think part of it is just that last season (and the premiere episode last year) just drew me in instantly and had such an odd and uncomfortable vibe about the story that it was unlike a lot of cop shows I had ever seen.
I didn't get that feeling from this premiere, but I am not going to hold that against it just yet. Definetely willing to give it time to grow into itself rather than trying to just compare it to last years brilliance right off the bat.
One thing thats worth noting is that the director of all of the episodes from last year is not working on this season. I could tell right away the difference, which I hope does not end up being detrimental.
loved last year's show. Haven't seen the new episodes for season 2
I thought the new episode was really good. We should start a new thread for season 2.
I thought about that, but laziness prevailed when I searched to see if anyone else already had and only saw this one from last year
I miss Russ's nihilism, but that's just me, and I guess there's a lot more time for someone to do the same sort of stuff. Tonally, the show is still pretty similar, just lacks that cerebral horror that I thought Russ brought so well.
The crime is less exciting too - Naked woman ritual cult/pagan sacrifices > corrupt LA real estate deals. I mean, it's not even really a contest, but I guess the burning of the guy's eyes with acid was pretty hardcore. Jury's still out, I guess, but I'm definitely not as immediately grabbed as I was initially by the first corpse. We'll see where it goes. Probably didn't help that the corpse doesn't really appear until the last 2 min of the episode.
I also really liked the story telling last season, where it was the flash-backs via the interviews. Lets you really see the before/after of the two guys, and wonder how Russ is going to go from clean-cut sorta weird guy to trashy full-blown alcoholic. I was more than a little bummed that this one is going to be more of a conventional story structure.
So I guess my early impressions - not quite as good as last season, but plenty of time to change that.
I think I've read where there will be some flashforwards (which is more accurate I think) this year too.
I think that the first episode of season 1 was far more nebulous than season 2's opener. However, SO FAR, I'm a little less intrigued this season than after the opening episode last season.
But it's still just game 1 of a long season...
TIL the meaning of 'nihilism'.
But I totally agree.