True Detective

Started by Punch, January 13, 2014, 07:42:56 AM

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03

Quote from: OpO1832 on June 27, 2015, 12:15:36 PM
Its pretty bad actually but there was some good moments
please be from alabama please be from alabama

©brad

All this inner city politics stuff is just boring. If it is going to be the focal point, I hope they find a way to make it more engaging. I'm finding it difficult to give half a shit about this murder too, unlike last season which was immediately gripping from the get go. Kitsch and Vaughn are the weak links, largely because their characters lack any sort of dimension or humor. It would be nice if every character on the show wasn't playing the same shade of misery. Things do perk up when Farrell and McAdams are on screen. She in particular is outstanding.

There were some good moments though. The end was terrifying. I have hope.


OpO1832

brad my sentiments exactly

Garam


polkablues

I, decidedly in the minority, am liking the plot, the writing, and the acting of this season so far. The one area in which it feels woefully insufficient is in the directing. The lack of Fukunaga has been glaring, especially in the past two episodes, where you've had a couple of Just Some Guy directors taking over for the steadier hand of Justin Lin. But without a consistent stylistic voice, this feels a lot less like True Detective and a lot more like any old TV show. Imagine the final sequence of this past episode directed by Fukunaga (or even Lin); we would have been blown away. As it is... I wouldn't say "underwhelmed," but I was definitely just whelmed by it.
My house, my rules, my coffee

Jeremy Blackman

^ I feel 100% the same way. That's actually kind of spooky.

During the action sequence, I kept thinking wow this is pretty great, but shouldn't it be better? It's not a terrific sign when you're trying that hard to like something. A great scene should absolutely floor you, like the famous long shot in the ghetto from Season 1 (which, unfortunately, this seemed to reach for a bit).

On the plus side, Vince Vaughn and/or his character is completely fascinating to me for some reason I can't really explain.

Taylor Kitsch's material is getting juicier too. The way he was comfortably in his element in battle was interesting.

Tictacbk

Welp, it lost me.  I might finish just because I'm so far in already, but I no longer give a shit.

©brad

Last night went all Eyes Wide Shut on us and it was pretty good right? McAdams was good (molly/MDMA does not make one hallucinate but whatever). Vince Vaughn is finally settling into his role and did good. The music during the orgy sequence was very good. I'm kinda less confused than I was plot-wise, which is good.

diggler

Ani finally using a knife was great, although I'm not sure why she had to infiltrate the party in the first place. The score to that scene really made the sequence, probably the most distinctive stylistic touch of the season.

I'm not racist, I'm just slutty

Jeremy Blackman

Yes indeed. The last half of this episode was an absolute joy, from the supervised visit onward. The party was my favorite sequence of the season so far.

This season is so different from the first. The horror and oblivion from Season 1 have been replaced by pulpy intrigue and a whole bunch of weirdness. Taken on its own terms, this is a pretty fun season of television. (Which is not necessarily how one would describe Season 1.) It feels more like Fargo S1 than True Detective S1.

Quote from: diggler on July 27, 2015, 07:11:52 PMalthough I'm not sure why she had to infiltrate the party in the first place.

I think she would have done more actual evidence collecting had she not been drugged. She used what capacity she had to at least see a bunch of faces and find out who was there. While that's not really evidence, it presumably tells them exactly who they can't trust, and now they have evidence as well. Also I think she was specifically looking for her missing person.

polkablues

Things I liked: Chad just wanting to eat some pizza and watch some Friends.

Things I didn't like: Ray talking shit about Friends.
My house, my rules, my coffee

03

spoilers i guess


got caught up in one day.
good god is this season garbage.
i mean they are definitely in the 'hard act to follow' category but jesus this is just awful.
i mean i guess its a good show, but its definitely not true detective.

was this scene:


supposedly attempting to come anywhere close to the majesty of this scene:


if they're just trying to make some random show, then cool, but i think we can all agree this feels like as if a season of breaking bad was hijacked by the creators of ncis or house or something.

©brad


Tictacbk

Well, that was a... uh, season of television. I guess?  There were some great moments, to be sure. But as far as a cohesive story worth caring about? Not so much.  There were also some pretty laughable moments.

My positive spin on this is that now with season 3 they've got something to prove. 

polkablues

Yeah, now that it's all wrapped up, I can comfortably say the season was a misfire. The mystery turned out to be largely irrelevant, which would be fine if the character work was on point, but that never really landed straight either. The strength of the first season was the simmer. Plot points and character development and clues and revelations were constantly bubbling under the lid, soaking in the flavor of each new ingredient tossed into the pot.

This season, to further torture this food analogy, was like having a tray of raw ingredients laid out in front of you that never really make sense as a meal. "Try the anchovy and the peanut butter together," the show would offer, as though not aware of how insane that is.

SPOILERS

Ray's death was over the top. The bit about his recording to his son failing to send was over the top. The kid having his grandpa's badge on the table next to him at recess was over the top. The paternity test revelation was over the top. Everything about Ray's arc was bungled in this episode.

Frank's death march was actually kind of great. Lyrical and powerful in a way that this season has rarely achieved.

Nicky Pizza is going to continue to get shit on for the gender politics in his work, and he will continue not to understand why.

The deductive leap the detectives made in the first season to finger the lawnmower man (the green paint thing) feels like a lost Sherlock Holmes story compared to how Ray figures out the killer in this one. Based on the old photograph of the two orphans, he just sort of randomly remembers a character who had appeared in one scene back in episode three (at least seven or eight months ago in story time at this point), and decides there's enough of a resemblance to the kid in the picture that it must be their guy. This is lazy, lazy storytelling.

Damn it, I still love this cast, and I still love the potential of what True Detective can be. What this season proved above all is that season three needs a strong directorial hand to guide it. Get Refn or somebody. Somebody with a voice of their own that can push back against and sharpen Pizzolatto's own.
My house, my rules, my coffee