So I watched the season 2 premiere last night and while it was a solid effort with a lot going for it, they seemed to have put the mystery on hold for this episode to instead focus on our 3 miserable protagonists. There was some real nice cinematography going on and I loved the dirty and industrialized view of California that you so rarely see. The acting was top notch and the writing was HBO caliber and I suspect this will help reestablish the careers of Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell and maybe even finally launch Taylor Kitsch into something worth a damn. Story wise, it was a little predictable and by saving the crime scene that brings the 3 protagonists together till the very end did help build intrigue for later episodes, but for an opener it didn't leave much to chew on besides guessing why all 3 main characters are so fucked up and who will be redeemed by the end of the series. I'm really hoping for a continuation of the Lovecraftian horror elements and themes from season 1 though, and we really didn't get that in last nights episode.
All that being said, there's a moment where Colin Farrell's character is beating the shit out of a 12 year old kid's dad right in front of him and says that he'll "butt fuck his dad with his moms headless corpse". To me that's worth the price of admission alone.
Wait, what?! Apparently I've been asleep.
Thom Yorke
06-22-2015 09:33 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoathsomePete
(Post 1604663)
True Detective
So I watched the season 2 premiere last night and while it was a solid effort with a lot going for it, they seemed to have put the mystery on hold for this episode to instead focus on our 3 miserable protagonists. There was some real nice cinematography going on and I loved the dirty and industrialized view of California that you so rarely see. The acting was top notch and the writing was HBO caliber and I suspect this will help reestablish the careers of Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell and maybe even finally launch Taylor Kitsch into something worth a damn. Story wise, it was a little predictable and by saving the crime scene that brings the 3 protagonists together till the very end did help build intrigue for later episodes, but for an opener it didn't leave much to chew on besides guessing why all 3 main characters are so fucked up and who will be redeemed by the end of the series. I'm really hoping for a continuation of the Lovecraftian horror elements and themes from season 1 though, and we really didn't get that in last nights episode.
All that being said, there's a moment where Colin Farrell's character is beating the shit out of a 12 year old kid's dad right in front of him and says that he'll "butt fuck his dad with his moms headless corpse". To me that's worth the price of admission alone.
It's going to be tough for it to escape the shadow season 1 cast over it. EVERYONE is going to compare the two to death no matter how much they try to distance themselves from it by giving it its own unique story/feel. If this was a new series, there is no way in hell it would be sitting at 61 on Metacritic right now.
I thought the early scene with Farrell and the lawyer was a nice touch. Made the viewer think it was going to be another flashback-style theme. Felt like it was a nod to the first season saying that they're aware of the comparisons but want to make this season its own thing.
Tough to judge this episode though. It was essentially all backstory and character development. Now that they've all been brought together at the end, the real fun will probably start in regards to actually advancing the plot.
LoathsomePete
06-22-2015 11:04 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Batlord
(Post 1604671)
Wait, what?! Apparently I've been asleep.
It's a very minute reference to The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, who was an inspiration for Lovecraft. He even incorporated ideas into the Cthulhu mythos, mostly about grand ideas/ revelations causing insanity. The show more focuses on Chambers' writing though, but the ritualistic pagan sacrifice was similar to "The Dunwich Horror" by Lovecraft. While he didn't necessarily invent the genre of Weird Fiction, Lovecraft is kind of the face of it, so when people talk about it he's more likely to be name dropped than anyone else.
Here's an interesting read that showcases the references.
It's going to be tough for it to escape the shadow season 1 cast over it. EVERYONE is going to compare the two to death no matter how much they try to distance themselves from it by giving it its own unique story/feel. If this was a new series, there is no way in hell it would be sitting at 61 on Metacritic right now.
I thought the early scene with Farrell and the lawyer was a nice touch. Made the viewer think it was going to be another flashback-style theme. Felt like it was a nod to the first season saying that they're aware of the comparisons but want to make this season its own thing.
Tough to judge this episode though. It was essentially all backstory and character development. Now that they've all been brought together at the end, the real fun will probably start in regards to actually advancing the plot.
It's true, this season wasn't going to have an easy ride, but honestly the way people are just jumping all over this one episode really just screams "Everyone look at me, I have a contentious opinion about something that is almost universally loved, aren't I deep and edgy?". That said, it would have been nice to get more of the crime scene in this episode and how these messed up individuals are going to go about solving it, and how it relates back to each of their neuroses.
Here's my theories on each character.
Spoiler for Potential Spoilers?:
So it's pretty obvious that Farrell's character has some massive anger issues, both evidenced by his display to his son at the school, and how he mentally scarred his son's bully. What's the bet that his wife was having an affair and the "rapist" was actually just her lover, for whom he mercilessly beats and or kills?
McAdam's character is a little harder to figure out. She has intimacy issues which could suggest some kind of molestation from her past, but I dunno, that seems like a long shot. Her mother's suicide is definitely a catalyst point for her, and I think her father hit the nail on the head when he said her decision to go into law enforcement was more due out of rebellion to his hippie philosophies. The only reason I go to molestation is her disdain when she discovers that her sister is a cam girl. Her character is definitely the one I feel I know the least about, but I am interested in learning more about her.
Finally we have Kitsch's character who I think is going to be the moral center of the show. His Lieutenant mentioned his work as a mercenary for a group I'm going to assume is the show's parallel to Blackwater. Given Blackwater's repugnant reputation and Kitsch's suicidal tendencies, I think it's safe to say that he was involved in the death or deaths of an Iraqi citizen, probably a child, and escaped punishment.
The Batlord
06-22-2015 11:26 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoathsomePete
(Post 1604711)
It's a very minute reference to The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers, who was an inspiration for Lovecraft. He even incorporated ideas into the Cthulhu mythos, mostly about grand ideas/ revelations causing insanity. The show more focuses on Chambers' writing though, but the ritualistic pagan sacrifice was similar to "The Dunwich Horror" by Lovecraft. While he didn't necessarily invent the genre of Weird Fiction, Lovecraft is kind of the face of it, so when people talk about it he's more likely to be name dropped than anyone else.
Here's an interesting read that showcases the references.
Alright, I didn't want to read that whole thing, and possibly ruin a bunch of ****, but just tell me this: is it a possibility that the true villains of the series might turn out to be the Old Ones? Cause if so, I gotta get me some of this ****.
LoathsomePete
06-22-2015 11:30 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Batlord
(Post 1604717)
Alright, I didn't want to read that whole thing, and possibly ruin a bunch of ****, but just tell me this: is it a possibility that the true villains of the series might turn out to be the Old Ones? Cause if so, I gotta get me some of this ****.
No, like I said, they are just tangential references that might explain the killer's motivation but beyond that there's no supernatural elements to the show for either season (thus far at least).
The Batlord
06-22-2015 11:58 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by LoathsomePete
(Post 1604718)
No, like I said, they are just tangential references that might explain the killer's motivation but beyond that there's no supernatural elements to the show for either season (thus far at least).
:(
LoathsomePete
06-22-2015 11:59 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Batlord
(Post 1604731)
:(
Still a great series regardless and most definitely worth your time.
Moss
06-22-2015 01:45 PM
Wow, thanks for the King in Yellow article. Very interesting. So much great dialogue in True Detective I found myself rewinding quite a bit to re-listen although it kind of ruins the flow of the show. But stuff like " Look, as sentient meat, however illusory our identities are, we craft those identities by making value judgments: everybody judges, all the time. Now, you got a problem with that... You're livin' wrong."
I so want to start a metal band and call it "Sentient Meat".
Can't wait to start the new season tonight.
Chula Vista
06-22-2015 02:53 PM
Late to the party here. Just started watch TD because of the this thread. I'm two episodes in and am absolutely floored with it so far. Took a little while to get use to the slow rhythm of it but damn - super high quality acting, dialogue, cinematography, storyline so far, and a very creepy disturbing undercurrent to it all. McConaughey and Harrelson are each playing characters that they've done many times before but they've got them so freaking perfected that it's not distracting at all.
