'True Detective' is not a good show
Are things finally picking up on "True Detective?"
The fourth episode of the turgid HBO drama ended with a stunning shootout that seemed to signal a sea change for the series. And yes, while last night's episode, "Other Lives," kind of got things moving with a time jump and a vague sense of purpose, there still really isn't much to recommend in the way of quality.
"True Detective" is simply not a good show.
Of course, that's a subjective statement, but it's one made after five weeks of earnestly hoping that "True Detective" would come together, coming from someone who really liked the first season. After five weeks of following vague developments in the nonsensically elaborate story about the corrupt municipality of Vinci, California, it's probably time to close the book on season 2.
Even if the final three episodes (and we only have three left in this story, which is over for good when this season's up) end up being incredible, "True Detective" is still a television show, and television shows are judged by how much their individual episodes are worth watching, not how much their finales are worth the slog.
I'm not even sure what "True Detective" as a series is definitively about, other than just how hard it is to be a man, specifically a white one. It's so hard, says "True Detective." Don't believe it? Look at all the scowling! In the world of "True Detective," everyone is always trying to undermine your manliness. Observe:
Lacey Terrell/HBO
Lacey Terrell/HBO
Lacey Terrell/HBO/
The fact that I could barely remember the actual character's names when writing this speaks to how unbearably dull this all is.
What makes it worse is that this is all a retread. Putting aside its Southern Gothic aesthetic, season one of "True Detective" was also preoccupied with similar ideas about masculinity, and they were about as tired then as they are now. The only notable difference in its attitudes was the way it tended to veer to more outward extensions of masculinity - particularly with Marty Hart's (Woody Harrelson) overreaching paternal attitude towards every younger woman he came across.
James Bridges/HBO
As season two plods along, it seems more and more like the things that made the first season better were the work of the talented people Pizzolatto collaborated with - virtuoso directing from Cary Fukunaga, stellar performances from the cast, the novelty of its setting, and creepy texture added by referencing a fascinating work of weird fiction.
At its core, though, "True Detective" is just as lumbering and dull as it has always been, and we should've known all along.
I mean, it's called "True Detective."
What a silly title.
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