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True Detective (2014 - present)

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  • TuuliaTuulia
    Posts: 2,081
    I'm not excited about the cast, but I'm very much looking forward to seeing season 2.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,456


    Is anyone else freaking out about how AMAZING this looks, or is it just me? I was already pumped enough when I saw that first teaser, but the trailer here has me beyond excited. Bring on June 21st!
  • TuuliaTuulia
    Posts: 2,081
    Yay! Thanks for posting that, @Creasy47.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    Oooh, this does looks great! Very intriguing. All the actors seem primed for this. Can't wait!! :-bd
  • FLeiterFLeiter
    Posts: 315
    The new version of 'True Detective' airs on Sunday night(June 21st) on HBO. If it's anything like last year's hit, that would be great.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,456
    Did anyone watch the premiere tonight? If so, please post your thoughts! I'm about to watch it.
  • TuuliaTuulia
    Posts: 2,081
    I did. I... umm... I'm cautious. Which means I wasn't immediately fascinated and hooked like with season 1. This looked more ordinary to me, but let's see how it develops.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,456
    Thoughts so far now that we are three episodes in? Honestly, the pilot was a big let down, but the pilot is created to market the entirety of the season, and isn't necessarily reflective of the season in general. I watched the past two episodes and now that the characters are established and the story is moving along, I'm liking it more. Not a huge fan of Vaughn in this and I really miss that hard hitting, philosophical dialogue from season one. While McConaughey and Harrelson's characters were flawed, they were also likable, and that doesn't seem to be the case for just about anyone in this second season.

    Also, how they got away with casting someone like Kitsch in this is beyond me. Horrible, horrible actor.
  • TuuliaTuulia
    Posts: 2,081
    I'm still waiting for it to offer something special like season 1 did (very quickly). I don't watch tv series a lot (very, very rarely... hardly ever nowadays, in fact), and with this I really need to make an effort. (Never an issue with season 1 - on the contrary.) The main 4 actors put together aren't as good as McConaughey and Harrelson on their own, nor as interesting as characters.
  • OHMSS69OHMSS69
    Posts: 2,341
    Since I do not subscribe to HBO I will have to wait until it comes out on DVD...
    I did like the first season and can't wait to see what this season 2 has to offer.
    Looks interesting, more characters an complexities
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited July 2015 Posts: 40,456
    @OHMSS69, it's hard not comparing the seasons, but that's really the best thing to do. If you go into season two expecting the grand complexity and rich detail of the first season, you will inevitably be disappointed. You just have to take it for what it is.

    The new episode marks the halfway point of the season tonight, so I wonder if things will really get rolling then. Personally, I am looking forward to it. I try to completely separate my experience with it from that of the first season, which makes it a little better. The only main cast member I truly care for is Farrell's Velcoro, because he sort of reminds me of his role as Crockett in 'Miami Vice.'

    Wouldn't it be nice if we got a long take tonight that mimicked the finale of episode four in season one? Doubtful, but it would be a nice nod.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,456
    So, is anyone still with me on this season or no? Six episodes in, and I still feel like we're truly getting nowhere, it's a shame how much of a drop in quality we've received. There's too many characters and subplots and emotional tales they're trying to wrap up that it's taking way too long to make any progress in the main plot of the show: who killed Caspere? I still tune in every week once it airs, but I just haven't been impressed in the slightest this season. The scenes for next week's episode don't look terribly inspiring, either. I really hope the fan reviews give anyone involved in the show a solid kick in the ass, and we get some truly groundbreaking stuff for a third season.
  • TuuliaTuulia
    edited July 2015 Posts: 2,081
    Yeah... The only reason I'm still watching at all is season 1 - if this was a completely new series I would have dumped it long ago. There is nothing special in season 2.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,456
    @Tuulia, I would've been done after the second episode if this was a totally different series, but since it's 'True Detective,' I'm sticking with it. With only two episodes left, I don't see there being any redeeming moments that'll save the season, and I most certainly won't ever bother purchasing it on blu-ray or even giving it a rewatch after this. What a shame, they had me very pumped for this season with those teasers, too.
  • TuuliaTuulia
    Posts: 2,081
    Yup. Such a shame.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,456
    Eight episodes later, and we hit the season finale last night, and wow, what a horribly awful ending that was to a terrible season. The only redemption it could've found is wrapping things up quite nicely, and it couldn't even handle that, because (MAJOR SPOILERS FOLLOW):


    The killer(s) of Caspere - as obvious as it was - are realized as some fleeting idea by Velcoro, and it's wrapped up in a very short and rather dull scene. Also, I keep thinking of this season's tagline, "We Get The World We Deserve." If that's the case, why does Velcoro get hunted down like a dog and murdered without getting to send that final voice message to his son? Why does Frank get all of his money back (after a very generic shootout) just to get stabbed and killed in the desert all alone? Were they both such terrible people that that's what they deserved? I don't think so. And then boom, let's cut to one year later, and all the bad guys still got away, Bezzarides had a kid with Velcoro, and she's now with Nails and Jordan in Venezuela. The End.

    Horrible, horrible, horrible, HORRIBLE way to wrap up the show. No redemption, no freedom for anybody, nothing. The good guys are slaughtered like dogs, some of the bad guys commit suicide (or are killed), but that's about it.

    The only high notes are the sort-of romantic connection between Velcoro and Bezzarides (which is totally believable: two highly damaged souls connecting in a way they couldn't with anyone else), the fact that Velcoro IS the father of his son, Velcoro absolutely WRECKS some of those guys out in the woods, Frank does get his revenge (albeit long lived), and that's it, really. The build up to it may have been intense or rather interesting, but the way it's wrapped up completely ruins the entirety of the season for me - which was already in a really bad spot.

    If you haven't caught it yet, I'd suggest that you don't. Perhaps it would be better as a binge watch or a marathon run, but I still can't help but recommend that you steer clear from this season.
  • FLeiterFLeiter
    Posts: 315
    Disappointed with Season #2. The dialogue was stale and they seem to run out of a compelling plot from the get go. Every time the young son appeared on the screen, I thought of the young boy in 'Bad Santa'. And all the high angle shots of highways got old fast. Yuck!
  • TuuliaTuulia
    Posts: 2,081
    Yes, that was a baaaaad season. *shaking head in disbelief* I completely agree about the terribly depressing and just bloody awful finale, too.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,456
    Awful, awful stuff. I still can't get over the drop in quality from season one to season two. Well, here's to some more competent work in season three, if we even get one.

    Next thing that I'm looking forward to from HBO is 'Westworld.' That new teaser they released today is amazing.
  • DRush76DRush76
    edited August 2015 Posts: 533
    Season Two of "TRUE DETECTIVE" struck me as no better or worse than Season One. Well . . . I take that back. I understood Season Two a lot more than I did Season One. The downbeat ending was very easy for me to understand. It was a true reflection of the extent of corruption in politics. As for the Season One finale, I still can't believe that the two main characters spent all of those years tracking down a serial killer that turned out to be a lunkhead. Oh well.

    But since I disliked both seasons, I don't think I'll watch Season Three.
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    Well I've managed to avoid spoilers on it and I'll watch it sometime this fall probably, if I can find a way to. Sounds quite disappointing after a fantastic and compelling, so well acted and well written first series.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Yikes, the reactions here have me worried. Was I right to wait this long to tune in? I'm going to take the leap soon and watch it anyway, sink or swim. If it's really as bad as so many fans have said, I need to see it for myself.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,690
    @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Just do not think about season 1 at any time while viewing season 2. It's a good season when compared to other shows, but very underwhelming when compared to True Detective season 1.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    DaltonCraig007 wrote: »
    @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Just do not think about season 1 at any time while viewing season 2. It's a good season when compared to other shows, but very underwhelming when compared to True Detective season 1.

    Forgetting season 1 would be impossible, in every sense of the word. It's stuck in my head, forevermore, thankfully. This doesn't spell well for me and season 2, then.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,690
    0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 wrote: »
    DaltonCraig007 wrote: »
    @0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Just do not think about season 1 at any time while viewing season 2. It's a good season when compared to other shows, but very underwhelming when compared to True Detective season 1.

    Forgetting season 1 would be impossible, in every sense of the word. It's stuck in my head, forevermore, thankfully. This doesn't spell well for me and season 2, then.

    It will be very tough, because the story dies down drastically from episode 4 to episode 7. Really, the entire plot could have been made in a 3/4 episode season, but they felt obliged to make it 8 episodes like season 1.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,028
    Season 2 was strange. It was obviously inferior to the first and in retrospect, parts of it were plain dull - however at no point did I feel like I was going to stop watching. I felt compelled to watch it for some reason.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,456
    Season two was one of the worst seasons of a show I think I've ever watched. Holy hell, what a major disappointment it was in just about everything but the action sequences and the cinematography. The acting, the plot, the pacing, the script, all of it was terrible and beyond inferior to the first season.

    Personally, I can't sanely recommend that you watch season two, but if you're itching for more 'True Detective,' then go for it. I will say that it's much better when you watch it straight through, as the show tends to bring up the smallest of characters or events in later episodes that I had a hard time recalling when I watched on a week-to-week basis. Just prepare for disappointment.

    Like @CraigMooreOHMSS states, I, too, felt compelled to watch it, but that's mostly because I was waiting for it to turn around and blow me away.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,690
    @Creasy47 I don't plan on watching season 2 ever again. I'll skip it if season 3 is better, and just watch the first and 3rd seasons.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited December 2015 Posts: 40,456
    With the backlash that season two received, I see the next season being much more grounded and focusing on two characters once again. There was way too much going on and a whole lot of backstory and side plots for such a short season. Felt overly crowded and stuffed, and that didn't help, either. Just get two phenomenal actors for season two, set it in another state/city that could really play off of the setting (Maine? Miami in the 80's?), and you're set. Oh, and a competent writer this time who can work with the showrunner without being pouty and childish.

    Or...we bring back Fukunaga, since his latest project of the 'IT' remake isn't being helmed by him (still can't express how absolutely upset I am over this.)
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    With the backlash that season two received, I see the next season being much more grounded and focusing on two characters once again. There was way too much going on and a whole lot of backstory and side plots for such a short season. Felt overly crowded and stuffed, and that didn't help, either. Just get two phenomenal actors for season two, set it in another state/city that could really play off of the setting (Maine? Miami in the 80's?), and you're set. Oh, and a competent writer this time who can work with the showrunner without being pouty and childish.

    Or...we bring back Fukunaga, since his latest project of the 'IT' remake isn't being helmed by him (still can't express how absolutely upset I am over this.)

    @Creasy47, I thought Pizzolatto wrote all the scripts just like season 1. Have there been rumors of him being difficult?
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