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True Detective - Season 2 - We get the Season we deserve - Sundays on HBO
- Thread starter Cornballer
- Start date
Visually, intro is great. Leonard Cohen is great and his song in the intro is great too. They don't really mesh that well though. Not as well as in season 1 intro.
The pilot was ok but it didn't have to be all about setting up the characters without delving into them too much. Ok so McAdams has problems of sexual nature, Kitsch has PTSD, Farrell is a cop with problems and Vaughn is a crooked businessman. That's... basically it. Actors play mostly well, but I hate Vaughn so it isn't helping. Well, and they mostly feel borderline caricaturized. OK it's harsh judging it by the pilot episode, but in an 8-episode short series I feel characters should be more interesting already. Right now I feel they are troubled people with dark secrets. Cool. Or maybe I'm spoiled by season 1.
With no counterweight the dialogue is too heavy and too unwieldy. It's all complete grimdark, no witty dialogue like in conversations between Marty and Rust that clashed their outlook on life, just morose monologues. Monologues that fall flat and feel '2deep4me' by themselves. And that scene with Farrell's character beating up the kid. Why. It just went too far. This, blowjob scene, Kitsch speeding at 100 mph on his motorcycle and stopping instantly. It almost feels like a parody at times.
Finally, the industrial setting doesn't work for me that well. The mysticism that permeated season 1 was magical. Beckoning, fascinating. California falls flat. Sure, it may be a different side to California, but it's still California which has been done to death in the television. It's simply not interesting.
We still don't know a lot about this season, but that doesn't mean we can't criticize what we've already seen. It may work out just well, but the spark that was there in season 1 is absent. Maybe it will subvert expectations. Maybe it will stun and shock us. But the foundation is still not there tbh.
The pilot was ok but it didn't have to be all about setting up the characters without delving into them too much. Ok so McAdams has problems of sexual nature, Kitsch has PTSD, Farrell is a cop with problems and Vaughn is a crooked businessman. That's... basically it. Actors play mostly well, but I hate Vaughn so it isn't helping. Well, and they mostly feel borderline caricaturized. OK it's harsh judging it by the pilot episode, but in an 8-episode short series I feel characters should be more interesting already. Right now I feel they are troubled people with dark secrets. Cool. Or maybe I'm spoiled by season 1.
With no counterweight the dialogue is too heavy and too unwieldy. It's all complete grimdark, no witty dialogue like in conversations between Marty and Rust that clashed their outlook on life, just morose monologues. Monologues that fall flat and feel '2deep4me' by themselves. And that scene with Farrell's character beating up the kid. Why. It just went too far. This, blowjob scene, Kitsch speeding at 100 mph on his motorcycle and stopping instantly. It almost feels like a parody at times.
Finally, the industrial setting doesn't work for me that well. The mysticism that permeated season 1 was magical. Beckoning, fascinating. California falls flat. Sure, it may be a different side to California, but it's still California which has been done to death in the television. It's simply not interesting.
We still don't know a lot about this season, but that doesn't mean we can't criticize what we've already seen. It may work out just well, but the spark that was there in season 1 is absent. Maybe it will subvert expectations. Maybe it will stun and shock us. But the foundation is still not there tbh.
Robot Pants
Member
I dunno. I feel like its more about the characters than California.
I honestly was so against everything I heard about this season from the getgo, and is someone who really hated how the first season ended, so I went into season two with the worst of expectations and 100% ready to just roll my eyes at everything just out of spite. But I watched this episode twice back to back which really shocked me.
I like it, i just hope it ends with a good payoff.
Even though I'd love for it to fail because Pizzaman sounds like such a pretentious dick.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
I'm really curious about the bar owner at the end. Scarred face, seems familiar with Ray, he seems to like her. What's the history there?
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Something to mull over that was mentioned in an interview Lena Lynn (the singer who did 'The Only Thing Worth Fighting For' and 'My Least Favorite Life', she sung it in the bar):
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015...music-for-the-true-detective-season-premiere/
(spoilered the bit that fuels my speculation)
It's probably a stretch, but
If this is related (speculation below):
then everyone's gonna be chasing their asses looking for political/financial motivations... but the torture and murder of Ben Casper is personal. Perhaps related to the rapist killed by Ray? Maybe someone's targeting Frank (from when he was a crime boss) and now everything's gone to hell cause of it. Maybe Frank had something done to Ray's wife and framed the wrong man so that he'd have a cop in his back pocket?
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015...music-for-the-true-detective-season-premiere/
(spoilered the bit that fuels my speculation)
It's probably a stretch, but
If this is related (speculation below):
then everyone's gonna be chasing their asses looking for political/financial motivations... but the torture and murder of Ben Casper is personal. Perhaps related to the rapist killed by Ray? Maybe someone's targeting Frank (from when he was a crime boss) and now everything's gone to hell cause of it. Maybe Frank had something done to Ray's wife and framed the wrong man so that he'd have a cop in his back pocket?
UrbanDandy
Member
Something to mull over that was mentioned in an interview Lena Lynn (the singer who did 'The Only Thing Worth Fighting For' and 'My Least Favorite Life', she sung it in the bar):
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2015...music-for-the-true-detective-season-premiere/
(spoilered the bit that fuels my speculation)
It's probably a stretch, but
If this is related (speculation below):
then everyone's gonna be chasing their asses looking for political/financial motivations... but the torture and murder of Ben Casper is personal. Perhaps related to the rapist killed by Ray? Maybe someone's targeting Frank (from when he was a crime boss) and now everything's gone to hell cause of it. Maybe Frank had something done to Ray's wife and framed the wrong man so that he'd have a cop in his back pocket?
Interesting theory.
Upon seeing the ep, my opinions/concerns
1. I liked the song. (the way I interpret it, it's like a song about secrets/double identities, however, the first time i heard it, it sounds like a song about Satan living among the populace - currently listening to it for the 5th time)
2. I thought the ep suffered from the too many cooks syndrome (I'm hoping for subsequent episodes that two of the characters have a good relationship similar but not exactly like Rust and Marty).
3. Out of all the characters, Colin just blew my mind.
4.
I like the in-beteween shots of Ben being taken away (I had to watch the ep again to make sense of it).
Fallout-NL
Member
Haven't seen the first episode but I'll try watching this show as if it has nothing to do with or even compare it to True Detective season 1. Might do the trick
That is how I'm approaching it. I think the time for comparisons with S1 is after S2 is over so that I have a better perspective. If I hyper analyze ever episode with S1 in mind, I'm almost certainly going to be disappointed.
Discotheque
Banned
it was alright. i can tell this won't be as satisfying as the first season because there's like 3 rust cohles and no marty.
colin farrell was hilarious though, he was quite entertaining. opening song was a bleh letdown, not a fan of leonard cohen at all.
also that final scene felt like a blatant trailer shot, these 3 strangers just staring at each other like "yeah we're the leads of this show and we all finally met, lets go on an adventure"
i didn't mind anybody in here except for vince vaughn. dude's presence (lack of tbh) bores me. the other 3 are fine so far though.
colin farrell was hilarious though, he was quite entertaining. opening song was a bleh letdown, not a fan of leonard cohen at all.
also that final scene felt like a blatant trailer shot, these 3 strangers just staring at each other like "yeah we're the leads of this show and we all finally met, lets go on an adventure"
i didn't mind anybody in here except for vince vaughn. dude's presence (lack of tbh) bores me. the other 3 are fine so far though.
Fallout-NL
Member
Yeah, that felt really unnatural. Same goes for most of the dialogue. Like compare most of the shit in this first episode with the brilliance of something simple like that locker room scene in episode 2 or 3 of S1, where Rust comments on the way Hart smells. It's just not even close to that level of excellence. Really hope it picks up after this.
Langdon Alger
Banned
That celebrity the motorcycle cop pulled over looked like Hillary Duff.
I was reading this article on vox. I think that is a good recap and gives hope.
True Detective's season 2 premiere was a new pilot. That's why it was so bad.
True Detective's season 2 premiere was a new pilot. That's why it was so bad.
He's also a former/current criminal that is trying to say things to sound smarter than he probably is.
phazedplasma
Member
all i could think of during that scene
It's decent at best. It's certainly not great.
His line reading was off, though, and the fact that it was set up in such a ridiculously expository way made it even worse.
DoktorEvil
Banned
Looked like Blake Lively if you ask me.
Anton Sugar
Member
Yeah, I felt like that scene would have worked if it was the meeting of four people who were once involved with each other but hadn't seen each other in forever. As it is, it's four people who are logically pulled into the same case, which is a situation much better suited to a round of handshakes and quick intros, rather than staring at each other dramatically.
Perfect Blue
Banned
He's way calmer than I'd be
It's Ashley Hinshaw, and she looks like neither.
She shows up again in episode five.
That was an embarrassingly bad scene. When I saw it in the trailer, I thought, "Oh, that's a cool promotional scene."
To have it be an actual scene from an episode, the first at that, is just bad.
Cornballer
Member
- Grantland's Hollywood Prospectus Podcast: True Detective, Ballers, and More
theepicoftyler
Member
After how disappointing I thought the rest of the episode was, this segment of the episode sold me on the whole thing. Loved it.
Oh yes thank you it's been bugging me, I knew she reminded me of someone but I couldn't place it. Looked very similar to her in that scene.
Well, one character is named Antigone... If that isn't inspiration, I don't know what is!
Rachel McAdams buried alive confirmed.
anarckitty
Member
My husband and I watched most of episode 1 for the second time last night. I remember we both looked at each other after Rachel McAdam's character seems to immediately go to the church after she and her partner serve the eviction notice. It didn't make sense for them to do it, until of course we find out that the church's leader is her father. It made even more sense when you think about the scene where she decides to bust her sister after "hearing a rumor" about it.
We both HATED the intro song. I like the intro itself, but not the music. As others have said they should have either reused the same song from Season 1, the promotional song, or even the song the chick sings in the bar.
And that last shot with all three characters looking at each other....it made my husband and I both laugh out loud at how corny it was.
That being said, it was only the first episode so we'll keep watching.
We both HATED the intro song. I like the intro itself, but not the music. As others have said they should have either reused the same song from Season 1, the promotional song, or even the song the chick sings in the bar.
And that last shot with all three characters looking at each other....it made my husband and I both laugh out loud at how corny it was.
That being said, it was only the first episode so we'll keep watching.
Thought it was a solid episode, can't see why it's garnered so much criticism, first season was slow to get going too.
Couple things
-Cinematography on this show is still top-tier
-Don't think the title song corresponds with the imagery, the track in the bar for Vaughan and Farrell would have been a better pick, or even the one they used in the first teaser trailer
-Miss the ominous atmosphere of the Deep South, occult angle set True Detective apart I think.
Also
Couple things
-Cinematography on this show is still top-tier
-Don't think the title song corresponds with the imagery, the track in the bar for Vaughan and Farrell would have been a better pick, or even the one they used in the first teaser trailer
-Miss the ominous atmosphere of the Deep South, occult angle set True Detective apart I think.
Also
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
So...
...
Where's the goddamn music, HBO? The Nick Cave and Lena Lynn tracks. I thought after each episode they were supposed to be released on iTunes?
...
Where's the goddamn music, HBO? The Nick Cave and Lena Lynn tracks. I thought after each episode they were supposed to be released on iTunes?
Thought it was a solid episode, can't see why it's garnered so much criticism, first season was slow to get going too.
Couple things
-Cinematography on this show is still top-tier
-Don't think the title song corresponds with the imagery, the track in the bar for Vaughan and Farrell would have been a better pick, or even the one they used in the first teaser trailer
-Miss the ominous atmosphere of the Deep South, occult angle set True Detective apart I think.
Also
MikeHaggar
Member
Thought it was a solid episode, can't see why it's garnered so much criticism, first season was slow to get going too.
Couple things
-Cinematography on this show is still top-tier
-Don't think the title song corresponds with the imagery, the track in the bar for Vaughan and Farrell would have been a better pick, or even the one they used in the first teaser trailer
-Miss the ominous atmosphere of the Deep South, occult angle set True Detective apart I think.
Also
yep, i agree with all of this. kind of funny how divisive the title song is. i thought it was super cheesy, but my girl said she thought it was really good. however, she has horrible taste in music in general so... yeah. and i'm kind of surprised to hear people slamming the crazy zoom out in the last shot. i thought it was pretty amazing and i enjoyed the cinematography throughout. i definitely think it's lacking the atmosphere of the first season though and i'm not sure there's much they can do about that given the setting.
Cornballer
Member
Looks like they have two Lena Lynn tracks up now. Not sure what's going on with the Nick Cave.
so did this dude actually say this outside of the show, or is just a line from it?
-Pyromaniac-
Member
hahahaaha
It's a great song.
anarckitty
Member
It's just Ray's line from the show lol.
Dice//
Banned
I liked it when the female vocalizations kick in, adding a bit more melody to the brooding track.
Best line/s/:
Youre supposed to savour that.
Let me try it again.
Worst/funniest:
"You ever bully or hurt anybody again, Ill come back and butt fuck your father with your moms headless corpse on the goddamn lawn"
I still think that last line was so over the top and deranged that it worked given how fucked up his character is.