So, saw this in the TV and Movies Recommendation thread and I checked it out (thank you Hue City Ranger), but I think it deserves it's own thread. It's HBO's new thing. Detective show, tracking a serial killer.



It's phenomenal, and dark as hell. There are only 4 episodes so far, but if it continues in it's current quality, I think it will surpass Breaking Bad as my favorite television show. The writing, cinematography, and acting are superb. Hell, the intro is even fucking good.

Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey play the vastly different, but very interesting Louisiana State Police detectives.

I really recommend checking it out if you haven't.

The fourth episode:

Spoiler

My god. The pacing was fairly slow for the first three, but that was fucking intense. My only nit pick was Hart's stupidity at going into the bar. It was really irritating. He could have blown the whole thing apart, or got himself hurt too badly to continue the case. The guys they were fucking with were not harmless. I think he's meant to be the relatable character, a foil for Rust, but I just don't like him much. I appreciate his character and Harrelson's acting, but as a person, I find him pretty detestable. I like Rust a lot though. I feel as if that's the opposite of what the writer intended though.

Also, my theory about why they're questioning them in modern day, is that they think Rust did it. Notice how they never ask Rust about Hart, but they are constantly asking Hart questions about Rust, especially the "Do you think Rust ever led the case where he wanted it?" one (paraphrased).

If anyone want's a reliable link, toss me a PM.

EDIT: Also, if, like me, you can't get the intro song out of your head, here it is.

 

First 2 eps were pretty good, but they didn't really spark my interest enough to make me want to tune in each week. I'll wait till the end so I can binge.

 

I've been fucking loving this series so far.

Rust's monologues get a little too up their own ass and the writer tries to balance it out with Hart lack of patience with them, but they still end up being overly aggrandized.

That aside, Rust and Hart bounce off of each other incredibly well with their unique brands of sociopathy. Though I doubt that Hart was ever meant to be 'likable,' his entire character seems to be meant as a parody of the idea of a 'man.' Rust comes across as more likeable by relativity and charisma alone, considering past the 'cool' demeanor is an empty and unempathetic husk.

Spoiler

As far as the plot goes, according to the most recent episode preview it's almost beyond a doubt that the two detectives identify Rust as a possible suspect for the murders.

 

I actually really like Rust's monologue's. They're one of my favorite things about the show.

To clarify about the characters having an opposite effect on me: I meant that Hart is suppose to be the relatable one, while Rust isn't suppose to. I don't think we're meant to like Rust's views, and Hart is meant to be the one who's 'reasonable' for rejecting them. It's pretty clear Rust's views are commentary by the writer, but Hart's job is to make sure the audience doesn't freak out and flip the channel. I find the opposite to be true. I like Rust's opinions even if I don't share them, and I find Hart's negative reaction to them realistic for average people (the audience), but irritating.

Neither of them are 'likable,' but I think Hart is meant to be more sympathetic (in the literary sense of the term) than Rust.

And I never watch the previews, but I'm glad I was right. That's the vibe I was getting the first episode. I dunno if it was meant to be obvious or not.

 

Man, fuck this show for the depressing as shit atmosphere and story line. I have to watch it in snippets or else I get too irritated and annoyed.

That said, it's also fantastic and I keep watching it.

 

It is excellent so far. I think it's a sign of good writing that I get upset every time Harrelson's character does something so detestable. I feel like they want you to like him and then throw in stuff to make you hate rooting for him once you get a little attached.

 

Love this show so far. Cannot wait for the next episode, I think it's picking up nicely.

 

It's okay. I'm watching through it right now and at the moment it's falling pretty hard into the HBO way-too-blunt trap that a lot of other shows that couldve been great have crashed into. HBO really wants their shows to make a point and get people talking, but they try too hard and so a lot of times when characters are making these points they might as well have a neon sign above their head going "LOOK AT THE CONTROVERSY AND CLEVERNESS'.

For example, in the second episode, which I'm watching right now, Hart is bothered by the fact that an underage girl is working at the bunny ranch and calls the owner on it, but the owner acts as though he's condemning prostitution in general... which he's pretty clearly not, he just thinks she's too young. It's like the owner's not even listening to his actual argument so that the writers can shoehorn in their opinions on prostitution, and this sort of shit is bogging down the show for me so far.

Beyond that, the two ex-detectives keep digressing pointlessly into discussions of their personal character which makes the whole interview-format fucking awkward, because why are the investigators not steering them back on to relevant topics?

Old!Rust is trying way too hard to be badass and mysterious, but he's still probably the most interesting person in the series so far. For some reason he reminds me of Trevor from GTA5, though there's really no notable similarity. Hart is boring, and young!Rust's monologues are annoyingly reminiscent of the overzealous students who had gotten about six months into a philosophy course I met at college. I do however enjoy Rust's take-no-shit-give-no-fucks style, but it's nothing particularly exciting.

I want to like this show. I hope it gets better.

 

Welp, it happened.

Not that anyone is surprised at this point, because damn those detectives were transparent as fuck. So transparent, that apparently the whole appointment was agreed to by Rust for the dual purpose of finding out what they had on the most recent murder whilst giving them fuck all to go on for their case against him.

This episode finally made Hart's family drama relevant, due to the elder daughter's behavior shedding light on the weird drawings and action figure diorama. It's pretty clear that she was raped as a child, most likely by members of the cult who used the schools as hubs for their activities. It's technically conjecture, but if you know anything about rape victims you'd know that they usually end up either hyper or hypo sexual. Combine that with the diorama that was originally thought to be recreating a crime scene she'd never heard of and the drawings in her notebook and it seems pretty open and shut. As far as who was behind it, this episode brought the school back into prominence and it's not to insane to believe that if they could operate using one school that they couldn't just as well use another.

I dropped the spoiler tags because I'm assuming the people in this thread are current, but I can throw them back on the spoilery shit if someone has a problem.

 

Makes sense to me, Drisful.

Okay episode. I feel like the next one will be pretty action-packed, looking forward to it. The initial part where they stormed the meth lab was interesting -- while I'm thinking of it, I'd like to say that living in a really poor rural area, the sets for this show are fucking awesome, probably its highest point.

Rust's monologues are a low point for me primarily because none of what he's saying actually matters at all or changes anything, but the show delivers it like it's supposed to be some sort of shocking, polarizing point. I wish he monologued about things that didn't seem like an utter waste of time to discuss.

 

Double post because new episode:

Interesting episode, trending away from the action and focusing more on the developing relationships of the cast. I'm intrigued by future!Rust and Marty potentially teaming up or going head to head in the last two episodes. I will say that my issues with Rust's slightly silly monologues aside, McConaughey definitely does a fantastic job of bringing the character to life. Harrelson is also just absolutely perfect for Marty.

Onto overanalytical ramblings:

I don't think Maggie's decision to revenge-cheat on Marty was based entirely on hurting him (though obviously it was probably a big part of her motivation), so much as it was a brilliant way for her to escape the cycle they found themselves in. She knew that confronting him would only lead to the same result as last time -- temporary separation followed by eventual reconciliation -- because she knew that Marty was committed to his ideal of her as the perfect wife, and that much like last time, he would continue to wear her down until she forgave him. The only way to separate from Marty permanently and end the cycle they found themselves in was to change that concept of her that Marty held on a high pedestal and make herself no longer worth pursuing for him.

This also ties into the show's 'time is a flat circle' arc words in a pretty interesting way; Maggie managed to break free of the cycle life had forced her into. Perhaps this shows that the cycles can indeed be ended.

Fuck, way too many uses of the word cycle...

 

Rust's monologues are about Rust and his views on life (and perhaps hinting at the format of the show), not about shocking the viewers with m-theory or atheism. I doubt that anyone gives a shit beyond characterisation.

 

Don't know if anyone here still watches this, but the first episode of Season 2 aired last night. So far i'm thinking it has the potential to be very interesting. Any thoughts people had that it might have a lighter tone than season one have been swiftly smashed, with the characters all completely fucked up in their own way. We've got ex-criminals, dirty cops, daddy issues and PTSD/Erectile Dysfunction. My only gripe is i'm not sure about the opening theme this time around.

 

I dunno that McAdams and whatshisface have the dramatic acting chops to make this as intense as the first season. They might surprise, but just by seeing the first ep, it looks like Farrell is going to end up carrying the show.

 

Dunno, for me it felt like a huge step down from season one. Maybe if in the next episodes some characters will die and the others grow together...

 

This episode was all about introducing the characters and the setting without any huge conflicts. Pretty much everything in the teaser trailer happened in the first episode. We have absolutely no clue what is coming next.

I was skeptical about the cast, but it seems like they came together pretty nicely. Everyone is fucked up, and I personally can't wait to see what happens next.

 

I liked it. Vince Vaughn in particular looks really interesting. And that ending...

It's also great that they've already established all the characters up front, so it won't be like your typical show where the overarching plotline intersects with establishing the backstory of your protags.

I'm still unsure about the tone this season. Season 1, you straight up knew what kind of fucked up the show was gonna be, but this one is still looking to be a bit up in the air. Waiting for episode 2.

 

The music is still good. This song in particular, holy fuck, it's great.

It was a pretty good start. There were some scenes that made a big impact. The scene where Farrell's character goes to pick up his son, man, that hit me like a truck. As the previous scenes had implied I thought he was a decent father, but then... The other characters stand out to me less, but it's only the first episode.

I like the format, an anthology series with big name actors. I hope more are created in it's model. I feel like there's the potential for some extremely good shows if there are.

 

So...

Spoiler

Colin Farrell just got shotgun checked to the fucking chest. I don't even. Like, are they for real? I mean, I know that True Detective is filling GoT's time slot, but killing the top-billed guy in episode number two seems extreme. So I'm guessing he's not really dead...?

 

Spoiler

What the actual fuck HBO