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 HBO's True Detective is returning  January 13th, 2019 , less than 8 weeks from now, so I've decided to start my rewatch in the next few days.Episode List Episode 1: Jan 13th, directed by Jeremy Saulnier (of Blue Ruin fame  )Episode 2: Jan 20th, directed by Jeremy Saulnier Episode 3: Jan 27th Episode 4: Feb 3rd Episode 5: Feb 10th Episode 6: Feb 17th Episode 7: Feb 24th Episode 8: Mar 3rd What is a True Detective? The title is a reference to pulp detective stories. A "true detective" is never crowned in either season, however the implication is that a True Detective is someone willing to go against the authority in order to close the case. Both seasons have featured detectives that are willing to work outside the law in order to stop killers and bring justice to those in positions of power who flaunt the law. What is True Detective? True Detective is the brainchild of Nic Pizzolatto (aka The Pizzaman to some posters) and initially was an acclaimed darling in HBO's line-up. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson starred in Season 1, which was set in Louisiana during the mid-90's and later 2012. Season 1 was a dark tale of cult activity, ritualized rape and murder, as well as containing themes of misogyny and control of women. It was very reminiscent of HP Lovecraft's work, though at the time or airing there was quite a bit of debate among goons as to whether or not it was meant to be a homage or a commentary on the horrors of man. Also controversial in the wake of the Season 1 finale were accusations leveled against Pizzolatto of plagiarism from both Thomas Ligotti and Alan Moore (iirc), as well as rumors that Pizzolatto clashed with the very talented director Cary Fukunaga, who many credit with the seasons success. Season 2 of True Detective was highly anticipated, again working with an all-star cast that included Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and Vince Vaughn. Season 2 had a very different tone than S1 and was closer in tone to Raymond Chandler than HP Lovecraft, changing location from Louisiana to California. Season 2 was viewed as a disappointment after such a spectacular debut season. Critics and goons took issue with a variety of issues and the final episode was admittedly very dumb, but we collectively fell in love with Stan, a minor character who played a major role in teaching us the value of loyalty, family, and friendship. Season 3 was a long time in the making. Much of the blame for Season 2's failure to live up to Season 1 fell on the fact that HBO rushed it following the success of the preceding season. Many were hoping the HBO would force Pizzolatto to take on a writing room, however they seemed to have compromised and instead he worked with David Milch for the script of one of the mid-season episodes. This season also employs a time skip device, following the investigation of a double murder over several decades. The Cast (from Wikipedia):   ^^^Mahershala Ali as Wayne Hays, a state police detective from Northwest Arkansas.  ^^^Stephen Dorff as Roland West, an Arkansas State Investigator whose career has been influenced by a baffling crime.  ^^^Carmen Ejogo as Amelia Reardon, an Arkansas schoolteacher with a connection to two missing children in 1980  ^^^Mamie Gummer as Lucy Purcell, a mother of two children who finds herself involved in a crime  ^^^Scoot McNairy as Tom, a father who suffers a terrible loss that ties his fate to that of two state police detectives over 10 years I've been avoiding spoilers for this season, besides the widely publicized details like the investigation taking place over several decades, and remind everyone about spoiler rules! I have a lot of TV that I want to watch, however this week I'll be jumping back into the office chair with Rust. Last time I rewatched Season 2 I liked it a lot more than I did at the time it aired, I'm hoping it will be even better this time around! Professor Shark fucked around with this message at 14:28 on Nov 24, 2018 |
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Nov 16, 2018 16:20
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Just hook any Noir directly into my veins.
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Nov 16, 2018 17:06
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I hope they give McNairy a big role and not just a side thing where he has a scene with the cops once an episode. He's the best talent involved in the season in my opinion, the more he's on screen the better it'll be.
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Nov 16, 2018 21:36
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Basebf555 posted:I hope they give McNairy a big role and not just a side thing where he has a scene with the cops once an episode. He's the best talent involved in the season in my opinion, the more he's on screen the better it'll be. Yeah I really like him too. I was a bit worried to see him down as a supporting role, hopefully he gets a lot of screen time because he's very talented. BTW, feel free to suggest anything I should add to the OP.
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Nov 16, 2018 22:16
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I had completely forgotten how Woody Harrelson's eyes and the expressions he makes with them were a main character on this show
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Nov 20, 2018 00:50
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Holy poo poo does the new version of Crave TV suck. It seems to have issues playing the first season of any show I try to watch. I was able to watch the first two episodes of TD without issue, now it's telling me I can only watch S2 on both FF and GC... IE is not supported. Crave demands screenshots of it not working, except clicking Season 1 and it no doing anything does not make for an informative screenshot... I miss TMNGo, which worked flawlessly 
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Nov 20, 2018 03:01
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The meth-head biker drug rip is still one of the coolest things I've ever watched on TV. I think it's my favorite scene in this series!
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Nov 22, 2018 15:53
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The scene where they rob the stash house? It's a small masterpiece.
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Nov 22, 2018 20:35
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Yep, that one. I finished up Season 1 today (no work, snow), now I'm onto Season 2. Playing them back to back makes the change in dialogue feel jarring. I'd forgotten how solid Colin Farrell is though.
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Nov 22, 2018 22:17
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S2E2: I remember being floored by the ending to this episode, thinking that Ray had actually been killed. The Crow Man was also mysterious and weird at that point, and the David Lynch opening of E3 was great. This season had so much going for it.
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Nov 23, 2018 00:28
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True Detective Season 1 is one of the best seasons of any show I've ever seen, period. True Detective Season 2 is not even close, let's be honest, but I like it for what it is and I think because it's being held up to the absolute brilliance of S1, it's widely seen to be a pile of poo poo when in reality it's a fine, ambitious if uneven, work on its own that I appreciate for trying to not just redo the first season (even if I do agree that S1 is far better). I think the only person I've heard say something positive about it is Matt Gourley. I actually think the closest comparison to S2 is Twin Peaks: The Return, especially given the enormous Lynch influence on it.
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Nov 23, 2018 02:33
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I didn't hate S2 either but it was just such a weak mess after the first one. Perhaps rewatching it now it would be easier to judge it on it's own merits but tbh it's not something I would like to do anytime soon. Definitely giving S3 q chance though.
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Nov 23, 2018 12:35
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I'm on episode 5 right now and maintain that the dialogue is the greatest issue so far. I think everything could have been fixed if HBO had made Nic work with someone on the script who would have told him "People don't talk like this."
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Nov 23, 2018 13:35
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Professor Shark posted:I'm on episode 5 right now and maintain that the dialogue is the greatest issue so far. I think everything could have been fixed if HBO had made Nic work with someone on the script who would have told him "People don't talk like this." I definitely believe everything Ray Valcoro says. He's a washed up rageaholic dummy. Everyone else didn't feel right.
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Nov 23, 2018 14:47
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i was really disappointed that season two had no hints at all at any kind of occult/supernatural elements. I mean, a lot of the season one stuff can be written off as Cole’s hallucinations but it was a very interesting part of the show regardless. I remember right after season 1 ended Pizzalotzo gave an interview where he said that season 2 was about the secret occult history of the California transportation department or something and that sounded pretty dope. I guess it got dropped.
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Nov 23, 2018 15:37
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beanieson posted:i was really disappointed that season two had no hints at all at any kind of occult/supernatural elements. I mean, a lot of the season one stuff can be written off as Cole’s hallucinations but it was a very interesting part of the show regardless. I remember right after season 1 ended Pizzalotzo gave an interview where he said that season 2 was about the secret occult history of the California transportation department or something and that sounded pretty dope. I guess it got dropped. Quite early in writing, apparently. 
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Nov 23, 2018 15:43
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Malcolm Excellent posted:I definitely believe everything Ray Valcoro says. He's a washed up rageaholic dummy. Everyone else didn't feel right. Yeah, Ray usually feels natural and Farrell blows everyone else away (though Kitsch, McAdams, and Vaughn didn't have a ton to work with), however "I'm feeling apoplectic" was his line and lol beanieson posted:i was really disappointed that season two had no hints at all at any kind of occult/supernatural elements. I mean, a lot of the season one stuff can be written off as Cole’s hallucinations but it was a very interesting part of the show regardless. I remember right after season 1 ended Pizzalotzo gave an interview where he said that season 2 was about the secret occult history of the California transportation department or something and that sounded pretty dope. I guess it got dropped. Yeah, I missed the Lovecraft cult stuff too. Considering Bohemian Grove was an inspiration behind this season I was sorry that there were no weird orgies and rituals around a giant owl statue.
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Nov 23, 2018 15:53
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Was Dixon set up with that shoot out by the brass, or did it just go down unexpectedly?
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Nov 23, 2018 16:26
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Professor Shark posted:I'm on episode 5 right now and maintain that the dialogue is the greatest issue so far. I think everything could have been fixed if HBO had made Nic work with someone on the script who would have told him "People don't talk like this." I dunno. You'd still have that entire subplot about the murdered extra that no-one could because the show never bothered to establish the character while he was alive. I get that the season's meant to be deliberately confusing -- knotted and looped like LA's transportation lines -- but I don't think that was a particularly good idea. For me, that's the biggest problem, and not the petty dig at Fukunaga or the crappy dialogue or the poorly handled queer stuff or whatever else people were pissed off about at the time, I can't really remember. Wait, no I just remembered the quality of some of the dialogue and I got blue-balls-of-the-heart-by-proxy. How is it even loving possible to write that line? First season was a fluke, there's no way this third season is going to be any good. Viva Fukunaga. Open Source Idiom fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Nov 23, 2018 |
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Nov 23, 2018 16:31
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Open Source Idiom posted:Viva Fukunaga. Yea all his stuff is pretty to look at. Maniac is worth a watch but you’d do fine just putting it on mute. the plot is so far up it’s own rear end I couldn’t really get into it.
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Nov 23, 2018 17:30
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beanieson posted:Yea all his stuff is pretty to look at. Maniac is worth a watch but you’d do fine just putting it on mute. the plot is so far up it’s own rear end I couldn’t really get into it. Maniac started out great as their weird, almost satirical look at a dystopian society with some anachronistic throwback tech, but as soon as their visions started, the show started to lose my interest. I appreciated them creating something offbeat, but in the end, it wasn't at all what I was hoping it would be. I felt similar disappointment after finishing Homecoming, after so many critics raved about what a creepy, twisty, weird "mystery box" show it was. It totally wasn't.
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Nov 23, 2018 17:51
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Open Source Idiom posted:not the petty dig at Fukunaga What was the dig at Fukunaga?
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Nov 23, 2018 19:35
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beanieson posted:i was really disappointed that season two had no hints at all at any kind of occult/supernatural elements. What about that hosed up bar that people speculated (at the time) that it was purgatory? That and the intro stuck with me, I've forgotten pretty much everything else about S2.
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Nov 23, 2018 19:41
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u brexit ukip it posted:What about that hosed up bar that people speculated (at the time) that it was purgatory? That and the intro stuck with me, I've forgotten pretty much everything else about S2. I don’t remember people speculating anything like that but I do recall enjoying the musician that was always playing in that bar. Lera Lynn. She was my favorite part of TD ssn2
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Nov 23, 2018 19:45
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I couldn't get close to finishing season 2, and i don't ever intend to try. However i'll be watching this thread and if anyone says "the mood/feel of S1 is back" then i'll be all over this. The ozarks are the kind of place you could do coolish stuff that's not too off from the desolate feel of Louisiana in season 1 so i'm kinda hopeful
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Nov 23, 2018 21:23
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Chairman Capone posted:What was the dig at Fukunaga? The scene with the Asian film director who was kind of an rear end in a top hat. It was super unprofessional of Pizzalatte.
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Nov 23, 2018 21:26
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The_Doctor posted:The scene with the Asian film director who was kind of an rear end in a top hat. It was super unprofessional of Pizzalatte. He claims it was unintentional: http://screencrush.com/true-detective-season-2-cary-fukunaga-pizzolatto/
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Nov 23, 2018 21:51
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One of the best things that season 1 had was the wonderfully created atmosphere of dread, and it was all very lovecraftian. That these were men fumbling around in events they could only scratch the surface of comprehending. Also the feeling that they were chasing insignificant things while all around them the very fabric of the universe was unravelling, and they couldn’t even see it.
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Nov 24, 2018 02:56
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Some review I read about Season 1 pointed out that Louisiana was the 3rd main character of the season and they were 100% right. I'm on the Season 2 finale and I'm enjoying it more this time around. Ray and Bezzerides' relationship feels better this time. Frank speaks more plainly the more "gangster" he gets, which I'd missed before but was happy to realize today.
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Nov 24, 2018 04:00
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Finished. My new opinion is that while Season 2 was perfectly fine, though not exceptional, NIC PIZZLATTO killed it in the WRITER ROOM with a THESAURUS IN A LIQUOR STORE BAG, at least in the first few episodes, which hurt it's reputation
Professor Shark fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Nov 24, 2018 |
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Nov 24, 2018 04:46
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You should add when the season will be over to the OP because why anyone would ever ever want to watch a season of True Detective week to week is entirely beyond me.
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Nov 24, 2018 08:03
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Professor Shark posted:Some review I read about Season 1 pointed out that Louisiana was the 3rd main character of the season and they were 100% right. Absolutely. I lived in Louisiana for 5 years, and it’s very much still my second home. It can feel very oppressive, and be staggeringly hot, and that sky will be grey and overcast somehow. They managed to convey that on screen amazingly well.
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Nov 24, 2018 13:12
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Teriyaki Hairpiece posted:You should add when the season will be over to the OP because why anyone would ever ever want to watch a season of True Detective week to week is entirely beyond me. Done Professor Shark fucked around with this message at 14:29 on Nov 24, 2018 |
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Nov 24, 2018 14:27
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Its apparent they learned no lessons from season 2 failures, looking at the cast roll. Season 1 was lightning in a bottle, alas.
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Nov 24, 2018 18:07
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What’s wrong with ssn 3’s cast?
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Nov 24, 2018 18:50
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In some ways I enjoyed S2 more than 1. It was never going to meet everyone’s expectations after the monster of season 1, but it was ambitious and interesting. Script could have used another round or two of revisions, but I still enjoyed it. The slow shots of the highway system filled me with the same level of dread as the shots of Louisiana nature did. Really looking forward to S3.
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Nov 24, 2018 19:21
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R-Type posted:Its apparent they learned no lessons from season 2 failures, looking at the cast roll. Season 1 was lightning in a bottle, alas. I think the line up looks solid, I know most of them from previous work and have confidence in them. Season 2 had a great line up of proven actors who didn't perform their best, I think it a lot of it has to do with the writing and Director 
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Nov 24, 2018 22:39
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the main thing i remember from season 2 was the GBS thread about it where people joked about pizzolato reading a word of the week thing and someone saying this week it'll be apoplectic and then it was used
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Nov 25, 2018 21:30
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I think Nic is talented as a writer but also very petty and a fart sniffer I also remember him coming down hard on Lovecraft themes in Season 1 despite there being quite a bit of controversy about him lifting from Thomas Ligotti. While I have high hopes for this season, Nic Pizzolatto seems like his own worst enemy and he could very easily tank the series. Let’s hope he went through a period of introspection between last season and this one!
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Nov 26, 2018 01:58
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beanieson posted:i was really disappointed that season two had no hints at all at any kind of occult/supernatural elements. I mean, a lot of the season one stuff can be written off as Cole’s hallucinations but it was a very interesting part of the show regardless. I remember right after season 1 ended Pizzalotzo gave an interview where he said that season 2 was about the secret occult history of the California transportation department or something and that sounded pretty dope. I guess it got dropped. Was it dropped, or was he just loving around? Because that sounds like sarcasm.
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Nov 26, 2018 02:07
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