by Robbie Jones
It seems so cruel to say that True Detective has lost its touch based on two episodes, but the writers of this show are capable of so much more. The ending of this week’s episode was interesting, but up until then, it was horseshit.
It seems so cruel to say that True Detective has lost its touch based on two episodes, but the writers of this show are capable of so much more. The ending of this week’s episode was interesting, but up until then, it was horseshit.
First off, it seems that Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell are having a competition to see who can channel Matthew McConaughey better. So far, they’re both losing. It seems like the writers are trying so hard to repeat the dark, brooding nature of Rust’s character and implement it into these other characters to uphold the appeal of the show and keep it interesting, but it’s just failing so much. The opening scene, where Vaughn talks about damp patches reminding him of his abusive childhood, is awful. The dialogue should be coming off as engaging and thought provoking, but it’s just pretentious and shoe-horned in to make Frank Semyon a more complex character, which (so far) he is not. As for Farrell, he has two types of dialogue; meaningless bullshit that’s supposed to sound like Rust, and shit lines that sound nothing like Rust. The first season did such a good job of dark humour. It wasn’t present often, but when it was, it made you laugh and possibly feel bad about it (Never forget the beauty that was “If you get a chance, you should probably kill yourself”). Here, the humour is just coming off as stupid. When Ray is talking to Antigone about her e-cigarette, he describes it as being like “sucking on a robot’s dick”. Really? Dark, eerie crime drama comes out with humour like that?
Second, Farrell, McAdams and Kitsch have zero chemistry. Fair enough, Kitsch doesn’t spend that much time this episode talking to the others (He’s awful enough on his own), but when they do talk, there is no connection or sense of partnership. True, they’ve only just met, but it doesn’t feel like the beginning of a working relationship. It’s just three people talking at each other in a very dull manner. The performances are bad, but given the talent that these people have, I’m willing to bet it comes down to the script; these first two episodes have been almost entirely expositional. Nothing interesting is happening (Apart from the last minute but we’re getting to that), no engaging dialogue, no exciting plots, nothing. Again, you can be forgiven for watching and not giving a single shit about who’s doing what. On top of that, the characterisation sucks, especially for some of the female characters; Antigone has Daddy issues, and Kitsch’s girlfriend has an alcoholic uncle. Not a major issue, but surely their pain could have less clichéd sources? The problem here is that they’re not able to repeat their successful characters. Rust was very unique, and so was Marty in some ways. All five of the main characters in this season are characters you’ve seen before in different shows. It’s really uninvolving and very disappointing.
But, there are a few positives. It’s very well shot, and the music is great, plus this week’s episode ended on a bit of a shock; Ray was gunned down by a man wearing a raven mask. Now, realistically, he should be dead; at the very least, he should be in a coma or hospitalised or something. The likelihood is he’ll spend a couple of episodes in hospital, and then get back to work. But how great would it be if he died? For one, we have one less awful character to worry about, and two, it would show some real balls. That’s not likely to happen, but hey, at least we have an intriguing new plotline to follow. Nothing like a “Whodunnit?” for a detective series.
Very disappointing, True Detective. It’s time to start upping the ante and proving your worth our time.
But, there are a few positives. It’s very well shot, and the music is great, plus this week’s episode ended on a bit of a shock; Ray was gunned down by a man wearing a raven mask. Now, realistically, he should be dead; at the very least, he should be in a coma or hospitalised or something. The likelihood is he’ll spend a couple of episodes in hospital, and then get back to work. But how great would it be if he died? For one, we have one less awful character to worry about, and two, it would show some real balls. That’s not likely to happen, but hey, at least we have an intriguing new plotline to follow. Nothing like a “Whodunnit?” for a detective series.
Very disappointing, True Detective. It’s time to start upping the ante and proving your worth our time.
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