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

A

Admiral Woofington

Member
I've been looking everywhere for a video of Velcoro's kid turning around to tell his mom he'll be there in a minute, then turning back to where his dad was for him to be gone. I want that video with Batman music when he's not there.
 
T

Tugatrix

Member
Admiral Woofington said:
I've been looking everywhere for a video of Velcoro's kid turning around to tell his mom he'll be there in a minute, then turning back to where his dad was for him to be gone. I want that video with Batman music when he's not there.
Click to expand...

I though the same, perfect batman scene in a not batman movie
 
G

glow

Banned
Admiral Woofington said:
I've been looking everywhere for a video of Velcoro's kid turning around to tell his mom he'll be there in a minute, then turning back to where his dad was for him to be gone. I want that video with Batman music when he's not there.
Click to expand...

That would be brilliant. Someone please do this
 
T

thenexus6

Member
ec4PvoB.png
 
B

BobTheFork

Member
Had my roomate ask me last night if I had watched this season because they didn't understand it. I haven't and I think I'm going to wait until it's all out so I can just blast through it and see what I can pick up.
 
L

lamaroo

Unconfirmed Member
If there's one criticism I don't get this season is that it's confusing.

The main story is incredibly straight forward, disappointingly so.
 
T

Tsukumo

Member
Sad to see this show torn apart for things that were almost fanatically appreciated in the first season.
I think people aren't really paying attention to the show and just bashing it for not being more of the same.
There's a lot going on in this season that's quite remarkable:
first the story doesn't surrender to cliché. The bad guy looks like a nice guy, while the mayor looks like a crook: for some reason, this is seen as "boring" and "inconsistent" when it's quite an original, fresh way to depict a bad guy in a cop story.
Both Vaughn and Farell characters seem, and talk, somewhat educated: this is interpreted as some sort of cardinal sin, kind of hinting that it's unrealistic. As if it's mandatory for a cop or a gangster to sport anything above a rap-video colloquialism. Forget that one has managed to change his entire enterprise into a legitimate one, which naturally doesn't require any degree of economy knowledge right? or that the other is a detective who before the aggression happening to his wife was depicted as a somewhat earnest, by the books beat-cop.
Why does Rusty's character get away with his ramblings and Velcoro doesn't? Well maybe Farell's philosophical rant are less intricate and more comprehensible, so you can't trick yourself into believe you have to act like you understood it completely. Otherwise you'll look dumb.
The macho character is gay. Isn't this also original? That the tough, handsome, cool, good guy is immediately likeable for his qualities yet not immediately relatable for his sexual identity?.
Triple that down with a female protagonist who came out of a cult, struggling every day with habits which threat her independence and the identity she created outside of her family, there's much to like here in my opinion.
I think there is something really intriguing into a character who's a gangster on the brink of legitimization and about to start a family, who once put into a corner gradually reverts to his older self and actually starts to like AGAIN the whole shtick of killing, torturing and extort money from people.
It's even more intriguing when his fall to old habits is accompanied by a cop who has now find a reason to clean himself up, when not even the love for his son was able to do so.
Another aspect I appreciated is not entangling the three main characters into a love triangle, but create a sort of family dynamic where Farell and Mc Adams act as mother and father to Kitsch: especially because they are failing big time as mother (or pseudo mother, to her sister) and as father in their own lives.
And there is so much win in this show's dialogues!
But no, let's make fun of the "unrealistic" shooting while the first season gets away with a couple of fake elbows to the head. Let's make fun of the guy swearing in the middle of the street because he can't cope with who he is, while the first season gets away with Geraci screaming like a maniac in front of the Fontenot's tape.
I understand people having different opinions. I understand having expectations. But to see this show rekt mercilessly, where everything done right is minimized and everything done even remotely wrong gets blown out of proportion, is really confusing and depressing.
This is why we can't have nice things XD
 
L

lamaroo

Unconfirmed Member
The two biggest reasons for success in the first season were acting and directing, which were about a million times better than season two.

I think Justin Lin did a serviceable job the first two episodes. The last two have been very poorly directed, and the big shootout scene, which should have been a standout, was just awful.

I don't even hate season two, but let's be honest here.
 
T

TheChewyWaffles

Member
Too may damn characters. Dialog is utterly pretentious - it sounds like Tycho from Penny Arcade wrote this shit. Acting is awful outside of maybe Farrell. Finally, as someone else said, the plot is straight up Episode 1 Trade Federation blockade yawner bullshit.

edit: one more thought. This season desperately needs a little levity. Everyone is frowning, mad, drunk, pissed off, or suicidal this season 100% of the time. Can you imagine 4 or 5 Rusts being in Season 1? That's what season 2 feels like.
 
The English Conquistador

The English Conquistador

Member
true-detective-freeze-frame.gif


Lol, so good. I actually laughed when this happened in the episode. There's something weird and hilarious about it.

Eh, I really like this season even though I totally get why others don't.
 
T

TheNamesPlissken

Neo Member
Apologies if this has been covered already, but anyone notice the watch from the insurance photo does not match the actual watch in pawn shop? There's some line of text in the watch face in the picture that's not on the actual watch.

I mean, it fits the clear implication that the pimp was framed but it's very explicit.
 
T

Talon

Member
Tsukumo said:
Sad to see this show torn apart for things that were almost fanatically appreciated in the first season.
I think people aren't really paying attention to the show and just bashing it for not being more of the same.
There's a lot going on in this season that's quite remarkable:
first the story doesn't surrender to cliché. The bad guy looks like a nice guy, while the mayor looks like a crook: for some reason, this is seen as "boring" and "inconsistent" when it's quite an original, fresh way to depict a bad guy in a cop story.
Both Vaughn and Farell characters seem, and talk, somewhat educated: this is interpreted as some sort of cardinal sin, kind of hinting that it's unrealistic. As if it's mandatory for a cop or a gangster to sport anything above a rap-video colloquialism. Forget that one has managed to change his entire enterprise into a legitimate one, which naturally doesn't require any degree of economy knowledge right? or that the other is a detective who before the aggression happening to his wife was depicted as a somewhat earnest, by the books beat-cop.
Why does Rusty's character get away with his ramblings and Velcoro doesn't? Well maybe Farell's philosophical rant are less intricate and more comprehensible, so you can't trick yourself into believe you have to act like you understood it completely. Otherwise you'll look dumb.
The macho character is gay. Isn't this also original? That the tough, handsome, cool, good guy is immediately likeable for his qualities yet not immediately relatable for his sexual identity?.
Triple that down with a female protagonist who came out of a cult, struggling every day with habits which threat her independence and the identity she created outside of her family, there's much to like here in my opinion.
I think there is something really intriguing into a character who's a gangster on the brink of legitimization and about to start a family, who once put into a corner gradually reverts to his older self and actually starts to like AGAIN the whole shtick of killing, torturing and extort money from people.
It's even more intriguing when his fall to old habits is accompanied by a cop who has now find a reason to clean himself up, when not even the love for his son was able to do so.
Another aspect I appreciated is not entangling the three main characters into a love triangle, but create a sort of family dynamic where Farell and Mc Adams act as mother and father to Kitsch: especially because they are failing big time as mother (or pseudo mother, to her sister) and as father in their own lives.
And there is so much win in this show's dialogues!
But no, let's make fun of the "unrealistic" shooting while the first season gets away with a couple of fake elbows to the head. Let's make fun of the guy swearing in the middle of the street because he can't cope with who he is, while the first season gets away with Geraci screaming like a maniac in front of the Fontenot's tape.
I understand people having different opinions. I understand having expectations. But to see this show rekt mercilessly, where everything done right is minimized and everything done even remotely wrong gets blown out of proportion, is really confusing and depressing.
This is why we can't have nice things XD
Click to expand...
Line breaks.

Use them.
 
D

Dysun

Member
Nibel said:
It's not complicated but unnecessarily convoluted; I guess this is what people mean by 'complicated'.
Click to expand...

There are alot of quick jumps with pretentious dialogue that make me prone to zone out, so it can seem more complex than it really is.

The Vince Vaughn subplot needs a payoff fast, so far it's all tangentially related and dragging the show down like an anchor
 
D

dead souls

Member
It's obvious what the problem is with respect to the "It's complicated" complaints. The show is so boring that people aren't paying very close attention to it.

I definitely find my mind start to wander when I'm watching it.
 
A

AlphaSnake

...and that, kids, was the first time I sucked a dick for crack
ahoyhoy said:
All these cops running between cover without even looking to see if it's safe or if they have suppressing fire cover.

Why wouldn't they all just hang tight until they got more backup? Why did backup take so damn long to get there?

Hell, why did they take so many men to apprehend this one dude? And why did they walk up to the house like a posse? If they thought the suspects were armed and dangerous, shouldn't t they have brought SWAT?
Click to expand...

Yes to all. That entire scene was fucking shit.
 
N

Nibel

Member
Tsukumo said:
I understand people having different opinions. I understand having expectations. But to see this show rekt mercilessly, where everything done right is minimized and everything done even remotely wrong gets blown out of proportion, is really confusing and depressing.
This is why we can't have nice things XD
Click to expand...

What is so confusing about people being upset at a show that had a great first season and now a what seems like bad season two? Like, we are not talking only about bad dialogue, a headless plot or bizarre editing, but even basics like getting the logic right.

Here's a comment from Facebook (bear with me) that I kinda agree with re: the shootout

Get ready to watch one of the most absurdly conceived, badly directed, improbable gunfights in the history of movies and/or TV.
Cops arriving at a potentially violent no-knock raid, to arrest a known gang member suspected of murder, armed only with pistols, and no helmets? Check.
Cops (including the battering ram guy!) walking down the middle of the street in front of the building they intend to breach, in broad daylight? Check.
Bad guys shooting blindly at the cops for no apparent reason? Check.
Unlimited ammo available to everyone involved (other than Rachel McAdams, who literally brings a knife to a gunfight)? Check.
Cannon fodder (here, the protestors and workers in the building) milling around in slow motion despite the fact that tens of thousands of rounds have been fired over the course of several minutes, and a huge explosion has occurred, right upstairs? Check.
(Not to mention the fact that the idea of a bunch of protesters carrying signs in front of a random warehouse, as opposed to, say, City Hall, makes no sense in the first place.) Cops coming out of cover for no reason, only to have their heads blown off by two gangbangers spraying and praying with AK-47s? Check.
A bus full of passengers inexplicably driving into the middle of an enormous firefight (in the midst of a protest about the lack of bus service in the area, no less!)? Check.
No police backup arriving on scene even after what has to be the bloodiest shootout on U.S. soil since the Civil War? Check.
Bad guy using his final rounds to murder a hostage, rather than shooting at the police? Check.
Nobody but the three protagonists surviving a firefight that seems to have killed at least 25 people? Check.
Click to expand...

They don't even bother nailing the basics.

I was wondering if only GAF was thinking that this season is shockingly bad but I checked a bunch of comments on the official TD FB and a lot people are disappointed. I checked their other social media channels and it's the same. I checked independant review websites and it's the same. This is not just a GAF thing.

I for one will keep watching it but will call the show out if it does bad stuff like that. There are a bunch of people like you who swipe those mistakes away and keep enjoying the ride, but for a show that had a season like the first I simply have higher expectations; especially since they did a lot of stuff not only better but with less cliches.
 
V

vityaz

Member
Admiral Woofington said:
What's complicated to understand is how much the quality dropped from one season to the next.

What's the name of the guy who did Donnie Darko? Pizzaman starting to sound like that name.
Click to expand...

Well isn't S02 actually original, as in written by Pizzaman himself? Because afaik, season 1 story was pretty much "inspired" by a book? Or am I totally wrong here
 
D

Deku Tree

Member
vityaz said:
Well isn't S02 actually original, as in written by Pizzaman himself? Because afaik, season 1 story was pretty much "inspired" by a book? Or am I totally wrong here
Click to expand...

S2 was also unofficially "inspired" by a book series too. At least the main characters seem to be copy-pasta. Links were posted much earlier. A few episodes back. Not sure if the plot is still closely following the events in those books. Forgot the name of the books but the Author of the books is also working with HBO on other projects.
 
I

Imm0rt4l

Member
vityaz said:
Well isn't S02 actually original, as in written by Pizzaman himself? Because afaik, season 1 story was pretty much "inspired" by a book? Or am I totally wrong here
Click to expand...
I think youre mistaken. This is the first I've heard of season 1 being inspired by a book. I believe it was inspired by actual events. Pizzaman seems to have plagiarized a lot of season 2 though whereas season 1 was the rust quotes from Ligotti.
 
TTOOLL

TTOOLL

Member
wow, I could finally watch that last episode and it was bad. I'm now convinced Vince is a robot haha.
The story is a mess but I believe now we gonna head towards the real deal.
 
B

Bam Bam Baklava

Member
Are they really doing the identical time skip of "we solved the case but now X years later we're not sure if we really did so let's go back"

This show is a fucking disaster.
 
CassidyIzABeast

CassidyIzABeast

Member
The reason people dont know whats happening is because nothing of note has happened yet. No real movement on the murder case. No real movement on the characters. Its a bunch of nothingness happening so far.
 
D

D4Danger

Unconfirmed Member
"wtf is happening" is a question someone might ask in the middle of an investigation but if that is somehow turning you off I wonder why you're even watching a show about detectives in the first place. I mean are people angry it wasn't fully explained in 42 minutes like an episode of CSI?
 
S

Stoze

Member
Chopper said:
I don't think anyone's solved anything at this point.
Click to expand...

Other than Woodrugh's sexual orientation.

Tommorow's episode will probably be the last one I watch unless I hear it completely turns around in quality in the last 3 episodes. I think the problem is Pizzolato threw all his eggs in one basket last season; those ideas and characters were brewing around in his head for years and were all clumped together into Marty and Rust's story. This season was something he hobbled together in 10 months or whatever and just tried to emulate what he mistakenly thinks made the first season special, and it shows.
 
L

lamaroo

Unconfirmed Member
Bam Bam Baklava said:
Are they really doing the identical time skip of "we solved the case but now X years later we're not sure if we really did so let's go back"

This show is a fucking disaster.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. We knew it was coming last season due to the interviews, and this time it wasn't foreshadowed so I think it works.
 
indigo-cyclops

indigo-cyclops

Member
Haha this is going nowhere fast...I really started second guessing when reading that reddit thread about another piece of literature that Pizza may or may not have ripped off totally. Though the guy had chops but Season 1 may have been a fluke or just the right amount of influence/inspiration.

Season 2's tone is all over the place and the mystery behind it all is not very intriguing. I have The Wire, I don't want this show to be The Wire. I want this show to be weird, and uncharacteristic of a typical cop drama. Just not feeling that this season.
 
D

dead souls

Member
CassidyIzABeast said:
The reason people dont know whats happening is because nothing of note has happened yet. No real movement on the murder case. No real movement on the characters. Its a bunch of nothingness happening so far.
Click to expand...

Nothing of note, you say?

Vince Vaughn shook down some former associates, then he shook down some more, then he shook down some more, then, well you can see where this is going. It's amazing what a man can get done when he doesn't have to worry about dental appointments or getting Stan a birthday present.
 
S

SuperInuit

Member
Tsukumo said:
1)The bad guy looks like a nice guy, while the mayor looks like a crook: for some reason, this is seen as "boring" and "inconsistent" when it's quite an original, fresh way to depict a bad guy in a cop story.

2) Both Vaughn and Farell characters seem, and talk, somewhat educated: this is interpreted as some sort of cardinal sin, kind of hinting that it's unrealistic. As if it's mandatory for a cop or a gangster to sport anything above a rap-video colloquialism. Forget that one has managed to change his entire enterprise into a legitimate one, which naturally doesn't require any degree of economy knowledge right? or that the other is a detective who before the aggression happening to his wife was depicted as a somewhat earnest, by the books beat-cop.

3) Why does Rusty's character get away with his ramblings and Velcoro doesn't? Well maybe Farell's philosophical rant are less intricate and more comprehensible, so you can't trick yourself into believe you have to act like you understood it completely. Otherwise you'll look dumb.

4) The macho character is gay. Isn't this also original? That the tough, handsome, cool, good guy is immediately likeable for his qualities yet not immediately relatable for his sexual identity?.

5) I think there is something really intriguing into a character who's a gangster on the brink of legitimization and about to start a family, who once put into a corner gradually reverts to his older self and actually starts to like AGAIN the whole shtick of killing, torturing and extort money from people.

And there is so much win in this show's dialogues!

This is why we can't have nice things XD
Click to expand...

Okay: here's my views on these bits.

1) Corrupt evil mayors are dime a dozen. Nice bad guy does not come from the writing to me, that is simply how Vaughn looks as an actor. He does nothing to reflect being a nice guy aside from build a railway. Fucking man of the year right there.

2) They talk smart occasionally, but most of the time just spout watered down philosophical crap which holds zero relevance to the scene they are in, aside from MAYBE Vaughn's ceiling stain speech. None of their words come across as intelligent, rather that the person who wrote this was thinking: "Hey, how can I sound pretentious today?". The character's actions do nothing to reflect this supposed intelligence, especially as Vaughn acts like a moron (when he is hearing about the deal fall through) or just Farrell in general. They use fancy words, but aren't written to corroborate intellect.

3) Setting, pacing and narrative. Rust gets away with the philosophical bullshit parade because the season is paced like something decidedly Gothic, along with Louisiana giving this rather relaxed, swampy atmosphere. So he gets away with it because it fits with literally everything else, allowing the character to drift into nonsense because it simply works. We also have Marty as a foil to play off of Rust's bs, which we don't have in this season. There is nothing to go "Hey hold up, you sound like a jackass".

4) Sure, but it's handled with the subtlety of a brick to the face.

5) Again, yeah. But, I saw that in GTA V. It was also handled better in GTA V.

So much win in the dialogue - yeah no. It's either serviceable, cringey as hell or needlessly academic.

Really disappointed in this series.
 
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