HBO Television Show: True Detective

[epilogue]

Pizzaloto was never coming back.

[bodysnatcher]

Craving pizza

[epilogue]

Pizza is the best

[Bi_3]

Renewed for season 5 with Lopez returning as showrunner. Between this and Alan Sepinwall stating this was the series’ best finale, I feel like this is all an elaborate prank. With Pizzolato ensuring he never comes back with his douche behavior this week, we’re doomed.

There is definitely a think piece to be written about how this is aksually an incredible satire of one of the classic works of prestige TV era.

[psychobain]

Renewed for season 5 with Lopez returning as showrunner. Between this and Alan Sepinwall stating this was the series’ best finale, I feel like this is all an elaborate prank. With Pizzolato ensuring he never comes back with his douche behavior this week, we’re doomed.

we're fucked
but ill watch

[E.H. Ruddock]

Another thing that bothered me was prior to each episode they had to say what “day of night” it was. I kept thinking the big twist was going to be this was a prequel to 30 Days of Night

[Mecca]

Another thing that bothered me was prior to each episode they had to say what “day of night” it was. I kept thinking the big twist was going to be this was a prequel to 30 Days of Night

Alaska, man.

[VinylGuy]

Bummer to hear that Lopez will be around for the next season. I was hoping someone new.

[spike]

season 5 aw fuck

[Ensign9]

Many of you have already shared your thoughts on the finale of True Detective: Night Country, since I posted a link to my recap in Substack Chat on Sunday night. I thought the finale was terrific, emotionally satisfying, and smart in how it resolved enough of the mysteries while still leaving ambiguity about the presence of the supernatural, Navarro’s fate, etc. To me, it all felt very much of a piece.

Some of you disagreed, for various reasons. Reasonable minds can naturally differ, art is subjective, etc. If we all had the same opinions, what fun would it be? The discussion here for the most part remained thoughtful and respectful, which is all I ask. (My number one rule in all forms of social media: Don’t be an asshole.) In other corners of the Internet, however? Well, let’s just say that there was a very vocal subsection of the audience who were not only astounded that anyone could have liked this season, but acted offended by its very existence, and the existence of any praise it received. One of those people turned out to be the series’ creator, Nic Pizzolatto, who has continued to take public umbrage at the whole thing.

I don’t have much left to add on the subject, except for a few points:

The first five episodes of the McConaughey/Harrelson season are incredible. They’re some of the best TV of that type I’ve ever seen.

Much, if not most, of the credit for the greatness of those episodes goes much more to the two leads, and to the direction of Cary Joji Fukunaga, than to Pizzolatto’s writing, which repeated lots of serial killer cliches, and outright plagiarized dialogue from other writers’ work.

There’s a pretty significant falloff from those first five to the remaining three, and the finale is a disappointment, leaning heavily on the show’s plot, which was its weakest major element, and spending a good chunk of time on Rust and Marty battling a homicidal landscaper in a haunted house. Also, Rust’s finale monologue about the stars in the night sky is lifted from an obscure (but excellent) Alan Moore comic book called Top 10.

For various reasons, starting with the absence of Fukunaga, Season Two is a calamity on nearly every level: an attempt to do James Ellroy that instead feels like parody. The third season is significantly better, though largely due to fantastic lead performances (this time by Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorff) transcending a gibberish plot.

All of which is to say that the Pizzolatto run did not lack for flaws. I suppose I’m happy for anyone who thinks that the first season is an unimpeachable masterpiece, or even if they think that of the Pizzolatto years as a whole. But the López season was the most watched of the entire franchise, and on Thursday HBO ordered a fifth season with her at the helm once again. So I guess some people will continue to have things to complain about?

[VinylGuy]

That Alan dude is mad at nic it seems

[Mecca]

That Alan dude is mad at nic it seems

For real, I just rewatched the first season and think only the penultimate episode felt worthy of that criticism.

Also, it is probably worth noting that people’s love for the 1st season is what keeps them coming back. The Alaska setting, Jodie Foster’s attachment, and in general the water cooler talk about this season was “did you catch that reference to season 1?!?!” Drove people to watch it in what are typically the “stay home and watch tv” months of the calendar in the northern hemisphere

[epilogue]

Alan's wrong about a few points. S2 is better than he gives it credit for. And it's only the first 4 episodes of S1. Other than that, he's pretty much spot on. And it feels weird to read any of that as anger at NP.

Now, to be totally fair to NP, I get being upset that HBO basically said hell no to his S4 pitch and refused to move on it only to then give away the property that he brought to them and created to someone else. He has every right to be upset about that. But he also has an EP credit on S4. He made on it. He benefitted from that. Seems like pretty poor form to publicly bash not only Lopez but HBO when you agreed to profit from the outing.

Ultimately, Alan is right, though. S2 and S3 of TD were largely panned by audiences and pretty much everyone considers everything outside of S1 a bust. And some people would include most of S1 (outside of the leads' performances) in that bust. It's not like S4 ruined a hot commodity.

[Mecca]

I’m rewatching season 2 and I wasn’t fair to Taylor Kitsch the first go round. The only bad thing so far is Vince Vaughn’s lines. I think he’s absolutely trying, but the lines are so fucking bad. It’s like they wanted Rust’s philosophy, but all they could come up with is fake folksy wisdom that doesn’t really mean anything.

[Mecca]

But also, what the fuck was up with the awful cgi reindeer in the premier? Like, there’s no non-supernatural explanation. They looked so bad.

[epilogue]

I’m rewatching season 2 and I wasn’t fair to Taylor Kitsch the first go round. The only bad thing so far is Vince Vaughn’s lines. I think he’s absolutely trying, but the lines are so fucking bad. It’s like they wanted Rust’s philosophy, but all they could come up with is fake folksy wisdom that doesn’t really mean anything.

Welcome to the promised land, my guy!

[Mecca]

I’m rewatching season 2 and I wasn’t fair to Taylor Kitsch the first go round. The only bad thing so far is Vince Vaughn’s lines. I think he’s absolutely trying, but the lines are so fucking bad. It’s like they wanted Rust’s philosophy, but all they could come up with is fake folksy wisdom that doesn’t really mean anything.

Welcome to the promised land, my guy!

I am absolutely heartbroken by Colin Farrell’s story. His marriage is torn apart by his wife being assaulted and he doesn’t even know if that’s his son, but goddammit he is still his father

[epilogue]

I’m rewatching season 2 and I wasn’t fair to Taylor Kitsch the first go round. The only bad thing so far is Vince Vaughn’s lines. I think he’s absolutely trying, but the lines are so fucking bad. It’s like they wanted Rust’s philosophy, but all they could come up with is fake folksy wisdom that doesn’t really mean anything.

Welcome to the promised land, my guy!

I am absolutely heartbroken by Colin Farrell’s story. His marriage is torn apart by his wife being assaulted and he doesn’t even know if that’s his son, but goddammit he is still his father

I've only watched S2 once. Here are the things I remember: Taylor Kitsch is better than every gave him credit for, Vince is awesome but hampered by terrible writing, though he's making all the right choices, Rachel McAdams is a super star, there's something creepy with a gun and someone wearing an animal mask or something.

Also, lots of highways.

[tragabigzanda]

Whenever there's active promotion on the part of somebody else, whenever I see somebody all dolled up for a fancy photograph and someone's handing out flyers or whenever there's active promotion for something like that, as an imposition on my day, I hate all those people and I want them to fail. I have a visceral reaction to advertising and promotion. There's just something about salesmanship that grates on me on a very base level and I react very negatively towards it. I want those people to suffer and I want their enterprises to fail.

[Mecca]

I’m rewatching season 2 and I wasn’t fair to Taylor Kitsch the first go round. The only bad thing so far is Vince Vaughn’s lines. I think he’s absolutely trying, but the lines are so fucking bad. It’s like they wanted Rust’s philosophy, but all they could come up with is fake folksy wisdom that doesn’t really mean anything.

Welcome to the promised land, my guy!

I am absolutely heartbroken by Colin Farrell’s story. His marriage is torn apart by his wife being assaulted and he doesn’t even know if that’s his son, but goddammit he is still his father

I've only watched S2 once. Here are the things I remember: Taylor Kitsch is better than every gave him credit for, Vince is awesome but hampered by terrible writing, though he's making all the right choices, Rachel McAdams is a super star, there's something creepy with a gun and someone wearing an animal mask or something.

Also, lots of highways.

Don't forget David Morse in a bad wig.

he knew Ginsberg