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True Detective - Season 2 - We get the Season we deserve - Sundays on HBO

People have a hard time following this show because they're being lulled to sleep during conversations and come out the other side of an episode with no mental highlights aside from the terrible one liners. Names and events are fired off at a machine gun pace, but the the lack of focus and storytelling chops means every single thing falls flat.

It's almost like a parody of noir where the convoluted crime story and "everything connects to everything because they all connect and this story needs a conclusion" writing is taken to the extreme but without any of the charm of classic noir. All you're left with is a plodding, dour series of pipes feeding into each other as we trace the path at arm's length (that, btw, also isn't directed with any flair). What does this show even want to be?
 

udiie

Member
So... why the hell did he torch two of his own clubs BEFORE attacking the Russians? Wouldn't that like.... I dunno.... give them the heads up that he might not be honest with them? What a dumb idea.

gas leaks man... they happen in pairs ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 

firehawk12

Subete no aware
Well, if nothing else, people can't say Mann's Miami Vice movie is nonsensical anymore with the whole mole thing that never goes anywhere. Colin Ferrel plays basically the same character in that too. lol
 

fallengorn

Bitches love smiley faces
Also, what the -fuck- at Frank's plan. He decides he wants to cash out finally. He's going to get everything in order, empty all his accounts, go rambo on the Russians during their money exchange, rob them, and then get a fake passport and tickets to vacation land and run off right?

So... why the hell did he torch two of his own clubs BEFORE attacking the Russians? Wouldn't that like.... I dunno.... give them the heads up that he might not be honest with them? What a dumb idea.

To them it just sounds Frank is being petty and cutting and running. They still don't have any reason to think Frank knows about the exchange.

(Although, the reality of it can change next episode if we find out they know Frank killed their mole.)
 
Also, what the -fuck- at Frank's plan. He decides he wants to cash out finally. He's going to get everything in order, empty all his accounts, go rambo on the Russians during their money exchange, rob them, and then get a fake passport and tickets to vacation land and run off right?

So... why the hell did he torch two of his own clubs BEFORE attacking the Russians? Wouldn't that like.... I dunno.... give them the heads up that he might not be honest with them? What a dumb idea.

because pizzaman is a fraud and he basically wanted to copy the plot to Michael Mann's Thief.
 

Gattsu25

Banned
Also, what the -fuck- at Frank's plan. He decides he wants to cash out finally. He's going to get everything in order, empty all his accounts, go rambo on the Russians during their money exchange, rob them, and then get a fake passport and tickets to vacation land and run off right?

So... why the hell did he torch two of his own clubs BEFORE attacking the Russians? Wouldn't that like.... I dunno.... give them the heads up that he might not be honest with them? What a dumb idea.

You can't possibly appreciate the genius that went into the planning behind this season.

You see, this is all part of his plan. The russians are going to think that it will be a massacre but then Frank will show up and give them an epic stare down.
 
Wait, so did I mishear? The raid was a set up to kill Dixon/fat cop? There's no way that's the sole reason but I could've sworn one of the true detectives said something along those lines.

lol Paul's dead.
 

coleco

Member
I think I give up. I wanted to watch the last two episodes to get some closure but I just can't care for anything that's going on nor any of the characters. This season has been a complete disaster. Don't know how nobody at hbo saw it coming while they were writing/storyboarding/filming the whole thing. What a waste.
 

Dmax3901

Member
Man If only this season had a clearer focus from the start it could have been great. Everything before down will come could have been far tighter.

I can secret why it is confusing. There seems to be two interlocking, but separate criminal conspiracies, neither of which killed Caspre.

It might have helped if they had included the names and pictures of characters in the starting credits.

These two posts are more confusing than this season of True Detective.
 
Q72lJEf.png


this is too good

perfect symbol of the unintentional hilarity running through this season

Its what they call a hallway shot..or a lead in
when a director wants the audience to not miss a particular part they might repeat part of a shot so that if someone was not paying attention or their eyes were focused on another area of the scene in the previous shot..to most people who dont have a computer they might see a few big words like M4 Rifle and flashbangs and kevlar vest and not see the rest of the list and assume that hes going to have a scarface like finale

but its probably just lazy storytelling

ill be honest and say that i have still not fucking idea what the fuck was going on until this episode apart from

1) Some dude got killed
2) Average joes gym lost alot of money out of it
3) Colin Farrell drinks allot and is working for average joes to get back at global gym
4) Guy who rides motorbikes and has sex with random men
5) nympho cop with knives has creepy hippy dad and was probably raped
6) With their power combined they solve nothing about a murder and kill a bunch of Mexicans
7) Aww Hell no black chick makes the cops go under cover undercover
8) They steal some documents from a sex party and read off a number of names which none sound familiar
9) Aw Hell No ends up dead
9) The irish sons of anarchy are taking over average joes
10) Average Joes gets burned down
11) Nympho Knive cop and not so alcoholic colin farrell hug each other
12) Motorbike cop forgot to remove GPS dildo and got shot in the head by cop who reminds me of a waiter called Nigel from a movie i cant remember

Next week
# Average joes vs the Irish Sons with special guests Nympho knife cop and i just out my kid is actually mine after being mortally wounded in the last scene colin farrell
 

oneils

Member
Also, what the -fuck- at Frank's plan. He decides he wants to cash out finally. He's going to get everything in order, empty all his accounts, go rambo on the Russians during their money exchange, rob them, and then get a fake passport and tickets to vacation land and run off right?

So... why the hell did he torch two of his own clubs BEFORE attacking the Russians? Wouldn't that like.... I dunno.... give them the heads up that he might not be honest with them? What a dumb idea.

Yeah that part makes no sense. If I were osip, I would move the meeting spot.
 

Arkeband

Banned
Okay... that reddit thread someone linked was really helpful.

Basically what I learned:

  • The diamonds are one of the most important plot points in the show, instead of being random 30-second vignettes with hasidic jews and people shrugging over them.
  • The names of every minor character who are actually SUPER IMPORTANT characters.

I think the show's pacing sucks because it spends so much time on the main characters, but really they serve zero purpose outside of solving the case.

My remaining question is, why did Birdman let Velcoro live but killed Woodrugh?
 
Okay... that reddit thread someone linked was really helpful.

Basically what I learned:

  • The diamonds are one of the most important plot points in the show, instead of being random 30-second vignettes with hasidic jews and people shrugging over them.
  • The names of every minor character who are actually SUPER IMPORTANT characters.

I think the show's pacing sucks because it spends so much time on the main characters, but really they serve zero purpose outside of solving the case.

My remaining question is, why did Birdman let Velcoro live but killed Woodrugh?

You needed Velcoro there to wrap up the case and put a ribbon on it.

You don't need Paul anymore, at this point he's about to blow up the stuff they were trying to keep covered up by wrapping up the case in the first place. So killing him, a criminal, works since there aren't any consequences, you'll get his phone to follow up and find the contracts, and now you can find the last two people who are hiding out and clean up this mess
 
Okay... that reddit thread someone linked was really helpful.

Basically what I learned:

  • The diamonds are one of the most important plot points in the show, instead of being random 30-second vignettes with hasidic jews and people shrugging over them.
  • The names of every minor character who are actually SUPER IMPORTANT characters.

I think the show's pacing sucks because it spends so much time on the main characters, but really they serve zero purpose outside of solving the case.

My remaining question is, why did Birdman let Velcoro live but killed Woodrugh?

We don't know for sure. My guess (and many others) is that bird man is one of the orphans. His first murder was an intentional warning to everyone involved "I'm coming for you." Velcoro said it himself, "why would they murder him like this? It just brings attention to the case." (Paraphrase). I think it's because it's the orphan kid trying to screw everyone involved over and kill them.

Velcoro got caught in the middle and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Orphans aren't interested in murdering innocents (they know what that feels like), they want revenge.
 

Rixxan

Member
gotta say, the moment between Ani and Velcoro was one of the best scenes in a season with very few notable ones

that awkward tension which eventually gave way to their romantic moment

you could sense they've bonded over their shittily dealt hands in life - both of them have been through some traumatic stuff, and both of them lead pretty miserable existences.

the two of them developing feelings for eachother through that was pretty nice to see. Think the show was at least partially successful in this particular area - despite its many failings
 

nbnt

is responsible for the well-being of this island.
This was my face when they named off about ten different characters connected to the case and I couldn't remember who they were talking about.

3RmZWoO.gif


Jonny B. Whimwap had a meeting with Vinny C. Zammyzum before Casper got killed? Tina Pipa watched this happen? Sure, why not.
Haha, same here. But hey, everything is fucking.
 

Hamlet

Member
Another pretty decent episode and best episode so far for Vince Vaughn.
The final shootout with with Paul was pretty fun to watch even it didn't end so well for him in the end. Shame to see him go, though his death was a tad hokey.
Looking forward to seeing how Pizzolatto tries to wrap this up with the 90min finale.
 

mre

Golden Domers are chickenshit!!
What if the season ends with Ani dead/getting away and living on a hippie commune, but with Velcoro getting arrested and going down for the murder of the State attorney lady.

The final shot is Velcoro, sitting on a bench, staring hard across the prison yard at the guy who actually raped his wife.
 

Jarnet87

Member
Okay... that reddit thread someone linked was really helpful.

Basically what I learned:

  • The diamonds are one of the most important plot points in the show, instead of being random 30-second vignettes with hasidic jews and people shrugging over them.
  • The names of every minor character who are actually SUPER IMPORTANT characters.

I think the show's pacing sucks because it spends so much time on the main characters, but really they serve zero purpose outside of solving the case.

My remaining question is, why did Birdman let Velcoro live but killed Woodrugh?

Is Birdman Lieutenant Burris? Are you just assuming he is Birdman because he shot Velcoro and Woodrugh or did I miss something?
 

mre

Golden Domers are chickenshit!!
Is Birdman Lieutenant Burris? Are you just assuming he is Birdman because he shot Velcoro and Woodrugh or did I miss something?
I think most people have decided that Birdman is the child whose parents were killed back in the 1990's and that this kid is currently
the set photographer from the movie shoot that was in that one episode.
 
Watching this episode makes me think that this season would have gotten a better reception if it was released all at once.

I know some of you don't agree with this but the show has been somewhat hard to follow for most people and has had some weird pacing issues. It's just been a pretty awkward season.

I think being able to just binge watch the whole thing would've helped the season in the long run.

interesting idea, and there's probably some truth to it. my wife and i binge watched season 1 earlier this year (first time) and it certainly helped to keep things in order. not that anything was particularly confusing mind you.

same thing with the Serial podcast. i can't imagine having week-long breaks between episodes.
 
I dont think this season being released over a span of weeks is the issue. I think the story telling being piss poor regarding the main plot thread yet getting so much exposure to fertility issues and gay closeting was a poor choice by Pizzaman and co. I don't mind character building but it's all for nothing if it's being built upon a castle of sand.
 
Actually really enjoyed a lot of that episode. It still had trademark facepalm moments of this season, but it was directed and edited much better than probably any other episode this season. Last 30 minutes were pretty great and I admit, that scene with Woodrugh's baby mama smiling while watching the movie, juxtaposed with Woodrugh dying, got me.

But oh my god, what a waste of a season.
 

otapnam

Member
Is Birdman Lieutenant Burris? Are you just assuming he is Birdman because he shot Velcoro and Woodrugh or did I miss something?

pretty sure birdman would be velcoros old boss. They showed him watching over woodrugh when he was googling at the PD. He's seemingly operating separate from woodrugh boss n the catalyst contractor crew.
 
What if the season ends with Ani dead/getting away and living on a hippie commune, but with Velcoro getting arrested and going down for the murder of the State attorney lady.

The final shot is Velcoro, sitting on a bench, staring hard across the prison yard at the guy who actually raped his wife.

Ya done it again, Pizzaman!
 

oatmeal

Banned
Last few episodes have all been good. Too bad the first half of the season was such a mess.

Excited for the finale!

During the exposition in the motel I looked to my wife and said "This is such a bad way to do this...they're talking about people I don't even know!"

Glad I wasn't alone on that.
 

kaskade

Member
I really enjoyed last nights episode overall, besides that cop somehow knowing exactly which door Paul was going to run out of. My biggest problem with the show is that all this huge information feels glanced over at times. Some minor character we saw for 2 minutes becomes some major player in the story. I feel like I should've been taking notes or something. I'm actually going back and watching the whole season this week again before the finale. I want to see how actually understanding what's going on impacts my enjoyment.
 

Vastag

Member
This was my face when they named off about ten different characters connected to the case and I couldn't remember who they were talking about.

3RmZWoO.gif

I'm glad I'm not the only one, I feel stupid not been able to follow up with all the names.
 

TwoDurans

"Never said I wasn't a hypocrite."
Can someone explain the murder conspiracy to me like I'm five?

I could be way off, but here's what I believe is going down:

Casper committed a robbery in 1992 that resulted in two kids being orphaned. It looks like they took their revenge, but the timing could not have been worse for the town of Vincci since a lot of rich people were moving in to buy cheap property that the state of CA was going to need to build a high-speed rail.

Casper ripped off Frank for $3M, claiming that his part of the land deal was $10M (it was only $7M), this would have been okay, but before Casper was able to make the land purchase he was murdered. What we don't know is if he would have purchased the land had he not been killed, since Casper had planned to muscle Frank out of town entirely by making a backroom deal with a Russian gangster. As of episode 7, the Russians moved forward with their plan to take over all of Frank's bars and clubs, and in his financially weakened state.
 

zewone

Member
Also, what the -fuck- at Frank's plan. He decides he wants to cash out finally. He's going to get everything in order, empty all his accounts, go rambo on the Russians during their money exchange, rob them, and then get a fake passport and tickets to vacation land and run off right?

So... why the hell did he torch two of his own clubs BEFORE attacking the Russians? Wouldn't that like.... I dunno.... give them the heads up that he might not be honest with them? What a dumb idea.

He was really selling that gas leak in the AC lie.
 

Hari Seldon

Member
I went from being meh on this show to actively fucking hating this season after last night's episode. This show needs the red letter media treatment it is so fucking convoluted.
 
I went from being meh on this show to actively fucking hating this season after last night's episode. This show needs the red letter media treatment it is so fucking convoluted.

Agree 100%. It's so convoluted that it comes off as pretentious when in actuality it's just bad writing. The fuck is the point of even making a show if more than half your audience can't understand what the hell is going on? It's even more disappointing considering how the first season was probably one of my favorite seasons of TV in recent memory. I'll watch the finale, but only to pinch off the turd that this series has become.
 

Aurongel

Member
Vaughn seemed at his best :)lol) in this episode mostly because they never kept him on screen long enough to spit out any dumb lines. I don't think he's a great actor even with good material but he really is the most ridiculously written character on the show and I feel like that accounts for 80% of why people hate him.

Robin Williams was a comedic actor too but he sold his character in Insomnia because a lot of his dialogue avoided the hammy prose that Pizzaman loves to indulge in. Having a comedic actor chew scenery in order to make them seem menacing will just keep reminding you that there's a comedy performer beneath it all.

It's part of the reason why I really do believe that having multiple directors is the biggest flaw from S1 > S2. Season 2 is just an amalgamation of a million tiny and avoidable issues with direction that make every part of the narrative/characters and editing feel disconnected. Episode 5 was the worst offender here because it spent like 40 minutes reiterating character beats that the previous directors already covered.

It really makes you wonder how other shows like Game of Thrones handle that multi director setup and feel as consistent as they do.
 

pantsmith

Member
I really enjoyed last nights episode overall, besides that cop somehow knowing exactly which door Paul was going to run out of. My biggest problem with the show is that all this huge information feels glanced over at times. Some minor character we saw for 2 minutes becomes some major player in the story. I feel like I should've been taking notes or something. I'm actually going back and watching the whole season this week again before the finale. I want to see how actually understanding what's going on impacts my enjoyment.

Before going underground, Paul's lover mentions there being eyes on them.

Its not a huge stretch to imagine the sound of gunshots were heard, and the cop, probably being well versed in exits Paul could take out (I imagine the entrance was already covered) caught him by surprise.

Paul had to die anyways, since with him on their side in the finale, especially well armed, it would probably go in their favor.
 
It's not surprising that people don't like actually having to pay attention compared to the first season where the mystery was solved off camera and ended in random special needs incest.
 

Jarmel

Banned
Before going underground, Paul's lover mentions there being eyes on them.

Its not a huge stretch to imagine the sound of gunshots were heard, and the cop, probably being well versed in exits Paul could take out (I imagine the entrance was already covered) caught him by surprise.

"These tunnels go all over LA" (or something along those lines). It really doesn't make sense but it's not a big deal.
 

RangerX

Banned
Just caught up with the episode. It was fantastic and equalled any episode from season 1 for me. The kid from the jewellery store robbery seems to be their only hope now. It looks like they'll have to take on a serious amount of Chisanis goons though. Everything from the acting, writing( yes, writing), direction and soundtrack was excellent this episode. I really like Franks arc in this episode too. There was an ominous feel to all his scenes. Everyone gives this season shit but its still better than 90% of stuff on tv for me. Really looking forward to the finale. Also I genuinely felt bad when Paul was killed, I really liked his character.
 
It's not surprising that people don't like actually having to pay attention compared to the first season where the mystery was solved off camera and ended in random special needs incest.

Yeah, this must be it--we're all still super lazy after having watched a show a year ago that we just don't want to use our brains now.

I agree about the S1 finale, though.
 
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