HBO Television Show: True Detective

[Simple Torture]

I liked those scenes so much that I have a feeling the script said, "Velcoro enters a train station and has a conversation," and, "Velcoro runs through the woods, shoots some guys," and it was the director/production designer that brought it to the next level.

I would doubt this. By all reports Pizzolatto was heavily involved in every aspect of the show.

Then he really hit the nail on the head for me, at least with the setting of those scenes.

[BurtReynolds]

[The Argonaut]

I got forty mins into the ep and, despite my earlier statement, I am not going to watch the rest.

[EJ]

Figure I'll need to spread/waste viewing this finale slog over 3 days.

[nyquillyn]

That was some serious horseshit.

Spoiler: show

The scenes with Ray and Bezzerides in the motel room were painful and the whole sequence should have taken about a quarter of the time it did. The "black hole" line is among the show's worst. And the "love story" between those two was really contrived.
The scene between Frank and his wife at the bus station was also way too long and the dialog was horrendous.
Farrell's accent was even worse than usual. He kept doing the raspy, hushed thing even when he should have been speaking at full volume.
A white cowboy hat and aviators when you are trying to be inconspicuous. Genius!
The "I felt it in my heart when the person I loved died" thing with Bezzerides on the boat is so fucking cliche.
Ray's decision-making toward the end didn't make a lot of sense to me. Clearly whoever was tailing him wasn't gonna kill him in broad daylight. Pull over, get some gas and keep driving north.
Frank's death scene was kinda cool, but was also too long.
The story is just so fucking stupid, poorly constructed and needlessly convoluted. There is no sense of a solid storytelling where things connected, it just feels like a meandering piece of overly pulpy cop drivel with a bunch of miserable people.

[Norah]

Agree with all of that.

[Strat]

wtf did i just watch?

Also, Vince Vaughn did a good job with the shit he was handed. Im on team Joey with that one. He is the only one i gave shit about. Yea, he was dealt some really fucking trashy lines but I think he did a good job handling them. This isn't on him, its on the fucking writing and the terrible story telling of the show.

Seriously, what happened this season? Why did Ray basically commit suicide? He was sniping the shit out of them and then looked up tot he tree's and decided to just jump out of his spot and take fire. what?

Whats her face and whats his nuts hated each other for 6.5 episodes of the season. Then they get drunk and spill their guts and she can feel a disturbance in the force (someone she love died or whatever)? Wtf?

also, who what and why? What was this season about?

[spike]

political corruption

[Mecca]

Seriously, what happened this season? Why did Ray basically commit suicide? He was sniping the shit out of them and then looked up tot he tree's and decided to just jump out of his spot and take fire. what?

He tossed his pistol because he didn't have an infinite ammo cheat on. Combat shotguns aren't very effective at a range either.

Whats her face and whats his nuts hated each other for 6.5 episodes of the season. Then they get drunk and spill their guts and she can feel a disturbance in the force (someone she love died or whatever)? Wtf?

that love story part of it seemed force, but I think they had tension because they were attracted to each other and didn't want to be.

also, who what and why? What was this season about?

political corruption

[Strat]

Bloated mess

[VinylGuy]

Well, i agree with the notion that the story was a mess. They seemed to have a story arc for maybe 12 episodes where you can actually learn more about the bad guys for example. The ending seemed a little rushed with Ray and Ani figuring about the brother in just one minute.
But i really liked this season, some beautiful imaginery, loved the acting, the overall tone of this season..the mood. It was as pulpy and noir as it can get, and 8 chapters seemed short.

[Strat]

Well, i agree with the notion that the story was a mess. They seemed to have a story arc for maybe 12 episodes where you can actually learn more about the bad guys for example. The ending seemed a little rushed with Ray and Ani figuring about the brother in just one minute.
But i really liked this season, some beautiful imaginery, loved the acting, the overall tone of this season..the mood. It was as pulpy and noir as it can get, and 8 chapters seemed short.

Seemed to long. The first half of the season felt rather pointless. They either needed to cut it by 4 episodes or extend it to 30.

[VinylGuy]

Well, i agree with the notion that the story was a mess. They seemed to have a story arc for maybe 12 episodes where you can actually learn more about the bad guys for example. The ending seemed a little rushed with Ray and Ani figuring about the brother in just one minute.
But i really liked this season, some beautiful imaginery, loved the acting, the overall tone of this season..the mood. It was as pulpy and noir as it can get, and 8 chapters seemed short.

Seemed to long. The first half of the season felt rather pointless. They either needed to cut it by 4 episodes or extend it to 30.

For the sake of the story, they needed to present the bad guys more.

[nyquillyn]

The problem is they were kinda going for a "shadowy conspiracy" as the bad guy, more than any specific person. But the story behind that conspiracy was convoluted and not all that interesting. The show would have benefited greatly from having a more defined "bad guy" or at least a smaller group of bad guys.

[E.H. Ruddock]

I could watch Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaghey together all day. They should just do another season with them.

[VinylGuy]

The problem is they were kinda going for a "shadowy conspiracy" as the bad guy, more than any specific person. But the story behind that conspiracy was convoluted and not all that interesting. The show would have benefited greatly from having a more defined "bad guy" or at least a smaller group of bad guys.

Agree....but they had that small group of bad guys..they even had the deranged brother too. They didnt seem to know how to use them.

[Norah]

They kept alluding to the mayor of vinci being really, really, really, really fucked up and evil. I wish we got to see why/how.

[EJ]

[Chris_H_2]

yeah! yet another hackneyed, amateur shootout! seriously, a bunch of trained police shooters just running around the woods side by side looking for an armed man that is shooting at them? setting the storyline and dialogue aside, it's shit like this that really drove me nuts.

this season was just one long convoluted, horribly acted, horribly scripted episode of the A-team.

[CopperTom]

yeah! yet another hackneyed, amateur shootout! seriously, a bunch of trained police shooters just running around the woods side by side looking for an armed man that is shooting at them? setting the storyline and dialogue aside, it's shit like this that really drove me nuts.

this season was just one long convoluted, horribly acted, horribly scripted episode of the A-team.

I love it when a post comes together.