True Detective

[Poison_Ivy21]

I adored the first season so I really hope this second one picks up. Honestly I was bored watching the first episode. Her cam model sister has some kick ass blue hair though.

But I really don't see how it'll be possible to top Matthew McConaughey's performance. In my humble, movie addict opinion, he's one of the greatest actors of our time. Actually fuck it, all time.

 

[mynameisbob84]

Things I liked -

Farrell and McAdams are really good in it. They both play flawed people but they play them very well.

It's beautifully shot. I question whether the season as a whole is going to fully withstand Cary Fukanaga's departure and the absence of his direction, but if nothing else, it's well shot and looks appropriately dark and moody.

The music: T Bone Burnett's involvement with this show as its music supervisor and the impact his musical choices have on its atmosphere can not be overstated. Leonard Cohen in the opening credits, the folk singer singing "this is the worst day of my life", Nick Cave's California lament over the closing credits... the music adds so much to the feeling of the show.

The Lynch-ian vibe did not go unnoticed and was much appreciated.

Things I didn't like -

The episode as a whole was underwhelming and felt a little scattershot with no firm direction. Now that the murder that should bring all these characters together has been revealed, hopefully the rest of the episodes will have a more singular focus.

Tayor Kitsch and Vince Vaughn are yet to impress me. A big problem with all four main characters is the broad influences they're drawn from (the corrupt cop, the gangster going straight, the ex military man suffering from PTSD, etc) - there's no enigmatic Rust Cohle here, just characters we've all seen a hundred times before. Farrell and McAdams had a bit more of interest to work with in the first episode, so maybe Vaughn and Kitsch will shine a bit more in later episodes.

There was a lot going on for one episode and not all of it was remotely interesting. I really can't see myself becoming emotionally invested in Vince Vaughn raising funds to buy in to a railroad development, or McAdams "saving" her sister from something she doesn't need saving from.

The biggest problem with the episode is probably the one problem it's not going to overcome and probably shouldn't be expected to. It's just not as good as the first season.

 

[gingerhobbit]

I agree that last season was better, but that's to be expected. That first season was something rare and special, and it's very difficult to capture that again.

However, I really enjoyed the first ep of this season. It was an intense slow burn, which I don't mind as long as it seems to be heading somewhere and this does.

As far as having seen all these character types before, that's true, but remember that most of the character's in season 1 were like that. Even Woody Harrelson as the plodding, philandering detective was a trope. Cohle was the one truly unique character in that one, and he stood out all the more for it.

Rachel McAdams is gonna be the one to watch this season.

There is something deeply broken in her...the obsession with blades, the impulsiveness of staging a large raid based on a rumor, the refusal to believe her sister is doing ok, her obvious daddy issues, her behavior at the casino, etc etc. Plus whatever weird sexual stuff that freaked out the dude in the beginning.

She is going to be the deeply complex character who is going to have the most interesting arc, I think.

But even the stuff with Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn is not as simple as it might first appear. Usually, the crime boss and the corrupt cop despise each other. But in that scene at the bar, there seemed to be some deep, genuine friendship and concern. Remember what they bonded over...Vaughn helping him find the guy who raped his wife. I think that relationship is also gonna be complex and interesting.

With the CHP guy, I'm not sure yet that it's just the same ol' PTSD thing. When he was in bed with his gf, she asked about his worst scar and he told her it happened before the military. He seems like a pretty fucked up guy, and it also seems like he was that way for a long time.

I'm really looking forward to the dynamic between Farrell, McAdams and the CHP guy as they investigate the murder, which does not seem to be related to the high-speed rail scam.

This season is written by the same guy who wrote season 1, so it's probably going to have some really good moments as well.

 

[mynameisbob84]

During the flashback scene with Vaughn and Farrell in the bar, the way Vaughn asked how his wife was doing and the way the camera lingered on him after Farrell walked away suggested to me that at the very least, Vaughn knew who raped the wife, and might have even been responsible for it himself. But then the way that Farrell refused to get the paternity test that would have (likely) helped the police track down his wife's rapist suggested he might know something too. There's definitely something there ready to erupt at some point in the season.

 

[eclipse76]

I'm just 15mn in the episode but: a camgirl studio in the U.S.A.? with like 7-8 women and one male "pimp"? And extremely poor lighting and sound proofing?
This looks unlikely.