Streaming [HBO] True Detective

[exile]

I enjoyed the storyline, as muddled as it was. Also, I could feel that Ray and Frank were never gonna survive the finale after that ambush on the russians went so smoothly, with still over half the episode to go.

Vaughn and Farrell absolutely killed it this season. Credit to Kitsch and McAdams as well, but Vaughn in particular exceeded my expectations.

 

[Always Ballin]

If one thing is clear, Nic is a ripper of a writer

Just seemed he tried to do too much in not enough time. Next season he should try and combine the theme richness and plot complexity of S2, with the scale of season 1.

 

[Buckleys Jocks]

If one thing is clear, Nic is a ripper of a writer

Just seemed he tried to do too much in not enough time. Next season he should try and combine the theme richness and plot complexity of S2, with the scale of season 1.

Great call, I could not agree more mate.

I think the standard of writing improved in S2 for sure, the setup just took too long but Nic is still fairly young as a screenwriter though so it's not surprising that he'd still be developing I suppose.

 

[Ry009]

Respectfully disagree on the previous posts.

Was padded out way too much, and most of the deaths really didn't hit that hard because we haven't been given enough time to really invest in them properly. The only bit of the finale that really had an effect on me was the final message to his son failing to send.

Really felt I could have gotten away with watching about 3 eps this season.

 

[phantom13]

http://www.tv.com/shows/true-detect...-episode-8-omega-station-review-143888078265/

This review goes a bit OTT but it mostly sums up my feelings. I didn't hate this season but even standing on its own without the comparison to S01 it was poor. I think it suffered from too much stuff with not enough time to flesh it out, alot of idea and nowhere to take them, alot of characters without the plot to develop them.

FWIW I thought Farrells performance got worse the longer the season went, VV got better as did Kitsch.

 

[Ry009]

Yep agree with above.

Kitsch yelling match with his mum, and Vaughn's literal dead man walking scene the highlights.

 

[Always Ballin]

Next season I hope they drop it back down to 2 leads, and shrink the stage down back to a small town/rural setting. Something like a desert town in Texas near the Mexican border would be cool. Maybe go for a more western style vibe.

 

[phantom13]

Next season I hope they drop it back down to 2 leads, and shrink the stage down back to a small town/rural setting. Something like a desert town in Texas near the Mexican border would be cool. Maybe go for a more western style vibe.

If theyre gonna keep it to 8 episodes that would be the first thing to do. The buddie cop thing was good and we got to learn about them so much more than we did with the 4 leads.

 

[Always Ballin]

Yep agree with above.

Kitsch yelling match with his mum, and Vaughn's literal dead man walking scene the highlights.

Kitsch to me the was the most interesting character. The thing is he really didn't have a lot of screen time, let alone story. But when he did, for example that scene you mentioned, i definitely felt it. Only time I can say I definitely felt a strong response with Ray was when his ex was threatening with the paternity test. McAdam's character honestly did nothing for me... I sort of interpreted her as Nic's response to all the season 1 feminist critics.

 

[Ry009]

Next season I hope they drop it back down to 2 leads, and shrink the stage down back to a small town/rural setting. Something like a desert town in Texas near the Mexican border would be cool. Maybe go for a more western style vibe.

Or really mix shit up and go for a futuristic setting with a Blade Runner vibe

 

[Always Ballin]

Or really mix shit up and go for a futuristic setting with a Blade Runner vibe

Whatever works

Really felt that LA was an extremely dull location... The only times the environment I felt had an impact was when Paul was in the tunnels, Ray in the woods, Frank dying out in the desert (Very symbolic and poetic location/scene) and when Paul was out with the nightlife and the prostitutes and gays... That was the only real moment I felt the environment respond with the character... You could see the uncomfort on Paul's face

 

[phantom13]

Its funny that Cali didnt work cause the middle of California is real eerie, just blank, dead and the true bible belt of America, then weve seen LA done brilliantly in the likes of Drive. Its like they picked the dullest possible areas of Cali. Like if they did Victoria and filmed in the eastern suburbs.

 

[Starburns_]

Difficult to shoot in those other areas when you center the story on a corrupt industrial 'city' that couldn't really exist anywhere else in California but LA.

 

[Always Ballin]

Difficult to shoot in those other areas when you center the story on a corrupt industrial 'city' that couldn't really exist anywhere else in California but LA.

That's true I guess. I just wished they spent more time on the streets and giving us that gritty, dirty and dark feel, instead of spending so much time in offices talking.

 

[Menzel As Anything]

Dull and pointless finale to a dull and pointless season.

 

[T2B_]

I thought the message not getting sent to his son was a bit cruel.

Okay I get the whole thing was not a happy ending and life isn't fair, but still.

 

[vast]

Farrell and McAdams very strong throughout.

I enjoyed the season probably wont rewatch though.

Season 3 Bezeridis meets up with Rust Cohle in Alaska.

 

[T2B_]

Season 3 Bezeridis meets up with Rust Cohle in Alaska.

And then burn their place of residence down from the hundreds of their ciggies.

 

[vast]

And then burn their place of residence down from the hundreds of their ciggies.

And then they try figure out why velcoros kids has red hair.

 

[Elixuh]

I didn't mind the season. Although its part of the same 'series', I found it hard to want or need to compare season 1 with 2. Thought they were completely different in style and execution. I actually liked having the 3 cops and Frank as the leads. If they had stayed with the 2 cop format people would have probably complained the other way that there weren't enough characters.

I did find some of the dialogue prolonged and unnecessary.

I don't know if it suits True Detective, but I would love a gritty serial killer season set in a remote/isolated city.

 

[Always Ballin]

And they need to pick a killer who isn't a 30 second character up until the reveal. They've done it twice now so they should take a risk and make it an integral character

 

[Red Black and Blue]

Loved the finale, though not killing Ani was weak and predictable. Vaughns walk the scene of the season. Farrell justified the casting. 8/10 season, a far reach from season 1's near perfection but still better than 99% of stuff out there.

 

[Always Ballin]

Season 3 should be a Hot Fuzz inspiration

Big city cop gets sent out to be the sargeant at a small town where nothing is what it seems. He teams up with another cop and a trail of murders happens and it ends up the whole town is in on it.... Or atleast a group of well known people in the town....

 

[MC Bad Genius]

Completely unsatisfying. I don't care who they get next season. I'm out.

 

[Jobe Watson]

The last few episodes really saved the season for me.

As others have said, story was jumbled and there were just too many characters to keep track of within the first 5 eps, but after that everything started to pick up and tie together and it finished very strongly. I still don't think the overall story was as engaging as S1, for me anyway (corrupt small town government and police department vs. brutal serial killer working within a powerful child raping cult), but was still good for what it was.

Ferrell was great, McAdams was great, Vaughan finished strongly in the final 2 eps, Kitsch was decent. Don't think any of them lowered their colours too much throughout.

I wonder if Nic purposely made the two female leads to be the only two survivors after the sexist/misogynist criticism he copped over the female characters in S1?