HBO's True Detective
HBO's True Detective
#1HBO's True Detective
Posted: 1/13/14 at 6:45pmAnybody catch this as counter-programming to the Globes or on DVR? The pilot was really promising. It's crime anthology series. It's a pretty literate, novelistic kind mixture of pulp and existentialism. I looked up the creator Nic Pizzolatto's main stock and trade is a novelist. There are definite shades of Cormac McCarthy in the dialogue. Some call it too stilted and proud of itself but it seems to openly acknowledge how heightened and theatrical it all seems. I really like McConaughey's performance in it and think Harrelson is an ideal foil/scene-partner with him. The whole series is directed by Cary Fukunaga (he did Sin Nombre and that recent adaptation of Jane Eyre). There's definitely a sense of atmosphere and sense of place. Really interested to see where this season is going. The framing device of the season leaves some ideas not left to the imagination but I am intrigued.
#2HBO's True Detective
Posted: 1/13/14 at 10:13pm
I'm going to give it a go, if only because I'm pretty sure there'll be no second season (I think I have that right, at least with these characters) - it's not going to be a big long commitment I'm not even sure is worth it, a la Boardwalk Empire or others I've started watching and continue with because...well, I've started so I'll finish. Matthew McConaughey said it's a contained story.
Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$
Updated On: 1/13/14 at 10:13 PM
#2HBO's True Detective
Posted: 1/13/14 at 10:53pm
Yeah, I have it waiting on my DVR--just too busy right now.
But yes, Jay--it's an anthology show the same way America Horror Story is. I admit, the term confuses me since I tend to think of an anthology show being like Twilight Zone, or the UK's current (pretty great) Black Mirror--a new story and characters each episode.
#3HBO's True Detective
Posted: 1/13/14 at 11:23pm
...or Tales of the Unexpected, which I've been catching up on courtesy of youtube - just watched one with Julie Harris.
Anyway, good.
Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$
#4HBO's True Detective
Posted: 1/14/14 at 12:41am
I'm pretty positive there will be a second season of the show. The plan is for each season to have really big name actors for the self-contained story.
Regarding the first episode I really loved it and need to watch it again. McConaughey continues to be the best and it having one helluva year (I'll count this as being 2013).
"Pardon my prior Mcfee slip. I know how to spell her name. I just don't know how to type it." -Talulah
#5HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/12/14 at 9:03am
This week's episode was fantastic. I'm really appreciating Cary Fukunaga's work. That final tracking shot was incredible. Must have been a nightmare to pull off.
I'm hooked. It's by far my favorite new show of the year.
#5HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/12/14 at 9:03am
This week's episode was fantastic. I'm really appreciating Cary Fukunaga's work. That final tracking shot was incredible. Must have been a nightmare to pull off.
I'm hooked. It's by far my favorite new show of the year.
#7HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/12/14 at 9:08pm
I'm hooked too. After the 2nd episode, this series became my personal fave followed closely by Cinemax's original series BANSHEE. It was McConaughey's brilliant work that finally drove me to see THE DALLAS BUYER'S CLUB on a somewhat related note. Harrelson holds his own as well. My only nit is that Michele Monaghan's character seems a bit underdeveloped and Michael Potts' and Tory Kittles detectives characters could have been condensed into one. I don't expect to see them both interrogate McConaughey's Rust and Harrelson's Marty for the entire series' run.
And the writing...I had to pull Nick Pizzolatto's bio to confirm my suspicions that he hailed from the region. Those characters are so true-to-life. I'm glad Nick didn't attempt to sugar coat the language.
The final tracking shot had me on the edge of my seat. At one point, I found myself rooting for the bad guys depending on your perspective. That was a tour of force bit of directing on the part of Cary Fukunaga.
Cary Fukunaga and Nick Pizzalatto have delivered a gem!
#FactsMatter...your feelings not so much.
WiCkEDrOcKS
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/13/04
#8HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/12/14 at 10:45pm
TRUE DETECTIVE is one of the more frustrating shows I've watched on TV in a while. It's so ploddingly slow at some points, but when it picks up, it's fascinating and thrilling. That said, I really do think it is building with each episode quite nicely. Each episode is stronger than the one before, and I'm excited to see how it all ends. The acting couldn't be better, even when the writing (which is never not smart, it should be noted) does drag a bit.
The last episode was excellent and the final tracking shot was breathtaking.
#9HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/12/14 at 11:08pmI'm still not sure if I can fully judge this on an episode to episode basis even if I really am really grabbed by a lot of things in it. I know TV recap culture wants everything to be a weekly event but I'd rather just see the whole thing before watching it. I like the show a lot more than The Killing, which Nic Pizzolatto wrote for believe it or not, and e'er there were a show that you should have hold judgment on until the final moments of the episode, it was The Killing. I get a little anxious when these murder mystery shows are the who did it. I know Broadchurch has been praised but dear lord, talk about a show where the reveal just collapsed on itself. I'm just hoping for nothing silly in the finale. I like my weirdness, the various off-beat McConaughlogues, and the tasteful directorial work by Fukunaga, but I really don't want every week committing to it as 'BEST SHOW EVAH!!!!'. I like challenging, off-beat pulp but the point of pulp is that it is a self-containing heightened universe where the storyline begins and ends. I really want to see the end-game first to see how this show looks, but I am liking what I'm seeing.
#10HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/24/14 at 7:15am
I finally got wise and caught up on this show this weekend. What a beast. I know we're not even done with season 1, but I already think this is the most brilliantly constructed and ambitious dramatic series HBO has had since The Wire.
There's been some really interesting analysis of the show on The Daily Beast and i09 which dives into the metaphysical philosophy, the nature of storytelling and the Yellow King mythology and literary allusions. I won't pretend to be smart enough to understand it all, but it makes a brilliant show even more intriguing.
#11HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/24/14 at 10:21amThis has been some of the best television I've watched since, well, "Breaking Bad". Harrelson and especially McConaughy are both superb, and the show as a whole is so eerie and fascinating.
#12HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/24/14 at 8:46pm
I am kinda rooting for more crazy, outlandish, pretension because it seems too many TV 'critics' on social media have made up their minds (**shaking my fist in the direction of Emily Nussbaum**) about the show. Last episode was not at the level of 4 or 5 but Michelle Monaghan was pretty excellent and I am so on her side in the Maggie vs. Marty war. You get on with Rust, even if you're screwing a nihilist incapable of connection if just to get back at your husband.
Anyway, 'theme' song, a deep cut by The Handsome Family, is my new obsession:
Far From Any Road
#13HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/24/14 at 9:29pm
I'm kind of rooting for whatever the **** Nic Pizzolatto and Cary Fukunaga want to do next. At this point, I have near total faith in their ability to bring this baby home in a deeply compelling and original way.
StrummerGirl - Yeah, I'd agree about Emily Nussbaum. While it's possible we're so caught up in this magnificent show at the moment that we're overpraising it, I also think that anyone who considers herself a serious critic should really wait until this truly unconventional story concludes before making such dismissive remarks.
Yes, that Handsome Family song is amazing. That T Bone Burnett sure as hell knows what he's doing. I wonder if the rest of their stuff is as strong. Will have to dive in.
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#14HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/25/14 at 9:13am
Great show and McConaughey is, with one exception, fantastic.
That exception: way too often I can't understand what the hell he is saying.
#15HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/25/14 at 9:26amHenrik - I don't disagree, but I kind of like the way in which he says some things right under his breath. It feels, somehow, right for his character in the same way it felt right for Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. That being said, I have found it much easier to enjoy this show by watching/listening with headphones and, even occasionally turning on closed captioning.
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#16HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/25/14 at 3:51pmHorseTears, I agree completely. I'm actually fascinated by everything he's doing here, including his inaudible intonations. Still, I would like to understand what he's saying. Maybe I need close captioning.
#17HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/25/14 at 5:57pmI gave up halfway through the pilot. I just didn't care who they were or what happened to them. I found them excrutiating and obnoxious.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#18HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/25/14 at 7:08pmHenrik - I believe most tvs manufactured since the 90s have closed captioning capabilities. I'm a cord-cutter and watch HBO Go on my iPad where CC is just a touch away.
#19HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/25/14 at 7:48pm
Yeah the info on the King in Yellow stuff is fascinating. I knew nothing about CHambers' books
Oh dear, what did Nussbaum, usually my fave TV critic, say??
#20HBO's True Detective
Posted: 2/25/14 at 8:17pm
Oh dear, what did Nussbaum, usually my fave TV critic, say??
Eric:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/television/2014/03/03/140303crte_television_nussbaum
I disagree with her stance on the portrayal of women in this show. For one, I think think Pizzolatto and Michelle Monaghan have created a fascinating, complex character in Maggie Hart. And, secondly, surely the fact that the rest of the females are viewed through the perspective of the male characters is intentional and says something --I'm not quite sure what yet--about the limitations men consciously and unconsciously place on women. Pizzolatto seems to be too insightful not to have more compelling female characters up his sleeve--I'm sure we'll see one or two in the next season. And I imagine Michelle Monaghan is going to have some very interesting moments in the final two eps of this season.
#22HBO's True Detective
Posted: 3/5/14 at 6:15pm
What did you guys think of ep 7? It was a surprisingly mixed bag for me. I understand why this episode had to happen. They needed to move the story forward, they needed to reunite our protagonists, and Rust needed to catch Marty up on his multi-year investigation. But, it somehow didn't feel as special as the prior episodes. I mean, that was a hell of a lot of exposition for one hour. In the prior six eps, I was completely immersed in the experience. While this ep was still better than anything else on tv right now, I found it much easier to step outside of the narrative and question some of the choices being made. For example, I know that without those damning photographs and videos, Rust would have had a much harder time convincing Marty to join him, but the whole grand larceny/crime caper bit about Rust invading Tuttle's home felt a bit far fetched for the world of True Detective--felt more like a Breaking Bad plot point. I know that seems like such a minor quibble, but in a show that's gotten it so right prior to this it felt uncharacteristic.
While I know that this has been telegraphed from the earliest episodes, I kind of hate that we're headed to the unveiling of some grand conspiracy involving a weird extended family cult. Conspiracy theories almost always ring false to me because I find it hard to believe that no one breaks rank and tries to come clean. And, yeah, I get that this show is arguing that the state PD and other local law enforcement groups are in on the conspiracy--sometimes without realizing it--but it still beggars belief.
I'm still really interested in seeing how Dora Lange is connected. She certainly wasn't a virgin, so that either means the group wasn't just interested in "innocent" victims or perhaps that she learned of the crazy cult, tried to get word out and was ritualistically tortured and killed to send a message to anyone else contemplating doing the same. I'm probably whining for no good reason. Perhaps Pizzolatto will find a way to tie this all together in the remaining hour that doesn't ring false. Quibbles aside, I still can't wait.
#23HBO's True Detective
Posted: 3/6/14 at 8:27amI had no idea we were at the Season finale already! Was so excited to finally be out of the interview/plot setting stage and then BAM... almost over. Either way, it's been a thrilling journey. Very interested to see what they do with next season.
BroadwayBoobs: I'll give all of you who weren't there a hint of who took the pictures ...it rhymes with shameless
SOMMS: I knew it was Tink!
#24HBO's True Detective
Posted: 3/6/14 at 8:54am
I agree with everything you say in your post Horse. I think this is another show that could benefit from a longer season. Everything seemed to be on fast forward in the last episode and I have no idea how they are going to wrap everything up in one hour.
This is kind of off topic but I've read that Cary Fukunaga has been tapped to adapt Stephen King's It into two feature films. Considering his work on True Detective I'm kind of excited to see what he can do with a killer clown.
Stephen King's 'It' to Be Adapted by Cary Fukunaga Into Two Films
Videos