HBO's True Detective - Part 2

[Travesty]

This should have been episode 2, instead of the 3 episodes of filler ******** we got... attest the Casper plot if finally going somewhere even though the characters are still cardboard.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Sawyer]

At this point I really don't care about differing opinions and whatnot, because I've gotta say this season is significantly worse than season 1 and that's a ****ing FACT. Regardless of how these last three episodes play out. Good God.

The difference is the first season's characters, plot, and msytery were a lot more interesting. Even the execution this season is blah. It's the exact same thing every episode. Vince tries to get investors and talks to his wife about investments and putting a bun in her oven, Taylor pouts about being gay, Collin sulks around and meets Vince in the same booth in the same club that apparently only has one singer, McAdams sulks and pisses off people around her. And while they are doing that stuff and in-between doing that stuff Taylor, McAdams, and Colin go to various places and have uninteresting conversations with leads. Oh and how could I forget the various screen-savers of LA's highway system spread throughout the episodes.

It's just not interesting at all.

Yep. Exactly this. The first season had a rhythm to it. This season is rhythm-free. Not only this this season not firing on all cylinders. I don't think it's firing on any of them.

@ all the complaining.

yourself. It's not our fault we have expectations.

 

[Sawyer]

The only good thing I can imagine about this season is the thought of McConaughey and Harrelson watching, this stoned out of their minds, and seeing what I and so many others are clearly missing.

 

[Six]

I'm stoned out of my mind and I've been enjoying it quite a lot. The fixation on McConaughey and Harrelson is getting old though. I hear their names every time anyone criticizes the second season. You're never going to enjoy it if you're constantly comparing it to the first. You just have to watch it like its its own thing.

 

[Sawyer]

I'm stoned out of my mind and I've been enjoying it quite a lot. The fixation on McConaughey and Harrelson is getting old though. I hear their names every time anyone criticizes the second season. You're never going to enjoy it if you're constantly comparing it to the first. You just have to watch it like its its own thing.

We're never going to enjoy it because it's not enjoyable. The first season actually being good just compounds that.

 

[Man in the Suit]

I guess I'm in the minority that likes it...

 

[Reek]

liking it is fine... but its a complete let down from season 1... it's 5 episodes in and has done **** all but had a good shootout.

 

[Smilodon]

It's probably really hard to get a single director to do an entire season like Fukunaga with S1 or Steven Soderbergh on The Knick, but I do think it'd help a lot and perhaps balance out Pizzolatto as the supreme creative head of this show. I feel like it's been addressed a lot in tons of articles scrutinizing this season, but a lot of it just seems like Pizzolatto confronting his own critics this season that's been detrimental to this one overall.

That being said, I really enjoyed this episode because it was the most straightforward by far. A lot of good things were happening, as in the detectives were actually getting somewhere. Which makes sense because in the previous 4 episodes the characters were just spinning their wheels because the powers at be were conspiring to stop them.

I think with a murder as intriguing as paint drying, the fact that the detectives actually learned very little about their case before this episode just makes this season even more frustrating. It makes it harder to swallow for sure.

 

[ThePhantasm]

this season is giving me blue balls of the heart

 

[Smilodon]

Giving you actual blue balls wouldn't be that puzzling considering some of the issues brought up this season. Vaughn's character is sorta like that too.

 

[MadVillainy]

i didnt need this to be as good as season 1. That's not what's bothering me.But I just dont think it's that interesting in general

 

[vanson]

i love this season too.. its just different.

 

[Maximus One]

It's taking a bit but, I'm digging this season. For me, mainly the biggest adjustment is there is no character as interesting as Rust Cohle. They could have gone some place else aside from Cali as well. Plus, just the structure of season 1 with the two different time periods and how you were trying to piece together what went down in between with just the information given each week, it was a lot more engaging. This season is still good, in my opinion, though.

 

[slimshady247]

At this point I really don't care about differing opinions and whatnot, because I've gotta say this season is significantly worse than season 1 and that's a ****ing FACT.

lol

I guess I'm in the minority that likes it...

Same.

 

[Evelisse]

I would have bet money [BLACKOUT]that Vince Vaughn's lady friend was going to be gruesomely murdered by those mexican cartel looking dudes he disrespected at his club.[/BLACKOUT]

 

[Doctor Jones]

I guess I'm in the minority that likes it...

It's more mixed than anything. I personally still love it. It's exactly what I hoped for for a season 2 that's totally it's own thing and it's delivering in unexpected ways. I can certainly see the criticisms. Vince Vaughn's casting isn't the best, I can see why people don't like McAdams (I love her though, but I could have seen Elizabeth Moss in this role do as good if not better job), and see why people say Ray is the best character. He clearly is. The intent with writing is that every character should be just as interesting in their own ways. And if it's disproportionately skewed towards ONE of the FOUR characters, then that's either a writing or a casting problem. Personally, I think that's more of a casting problem. Because on paper all of these characters are fascinating.

I can do without the huge land sub plot. It's a lot of lingo that's difficult to follow sometimes but Pizzolatto pares it down to the basics when needed.

But it's no different than some the first season got in my book. Different criticisms just laid out differently. Episode 6 is the weakest episode of season one, Marty's storyline not being as interesting as Rust's, the resolution and revealing of the murderer and of the Yellow King and the whole climax which didn't have the biggest praise in the world. Then of course the female and copy write criticisms (both unwarranted there) For God's sake, someone told me the first half of season one was better than the last half which went downhill. That's certainly in the minority, but still there's all these weird things where I won't put season one on some pedestal like some critics do. I remember checking various review websites last year for season one and they all had their criticisms and nit picks too. Season one was lightening in a bottle sure but season two doesn't aspire to be like season one. Though there's a difference between that and valid criticisms which people do really have, which is ok. Some people just don't like this season.

I'll say though season one's direction just killed it and was a big reason it was just so good, aside from the writing to necessitate that. So it makes season one stick out a bit more. This season follows 99% of how television shows work in a production sense. If we had Fukinaga or someone like him, I think it would help. But great writing can make due on its own. Sopranos didn't have any fancy directing but the writing carried it, same goes for most great television.

Regardless, I loved this episode. So much happened to advance the characters for me and finally Paul isn't so mysterious anymore. That scene between he and his mother was terrific. Ray finding out he killed the wrong man (interesting the scar on his upper lip. I assume the man he wrongly killed gave it to him and he grew the mustache to hide it from people and himself) , Frank sinking deeper into his past life and Jordan finally cracking him, Ani making effort to change herself while still holding onto her integrity. There were so many well written scenes. Especially the Ani and Ray scene in the Black Rose. McAdams isn't a natural fit in this role and again I could see someone else in it too, but I personally love her and in this scene.

I can't wait to see where it goes and how it ends, in order for me to completely look at it. And I just want Pizzolatto to come out and talk about the damn thing.

 

[chamber-music]

Brood Detective

Dr 'Roger' Pitlor went from "you don't scare me" to "holy s*** I'll tell you anything you" want pretty fast

Sad Songstress continues playing in the world's most depressing bar.

 

[Golgo-13]

I'm stoned out of my mind and I've been enjoying it quite a lot. The fixation on McConaughey and Harrelson is getting old though. I hear their names every time anyone criticizes the second season. You're never going to enjoy it if you're constantly comparing it to the first. You just have to watch it like its its own thing.

I co-sign. I personally like this season, ep for ep compared to the first. The first season had many eps that dragged, plus...

.......i think people are just still fascinated with the reveal of Alexandra Daddario's tata's...

 

[Sawyer]

I co-sign. I personally like this season, ep for ep compared to the first. The first season had many eps that dragged, plus...

.......i think people are just still fascinated with the reveal of Alexandra Daddario's tata's...

Sure. That must be it.

 

[slimshady247]

I don't really see how that probably facetious comment is any worse than you declaring that Season 1 is factually better than Season 2.

 

[Sawyer]

Because it's bad enough that I've sat through five weeks of this, and will sit through three more because it's too late to turn back now, I'm certainly not going to sit here while people try to discredit the first season in an attempt to prop up this mess.

 

[TheBat812]

This season is hardly a mess. If this were a standalone show, it would be met with much less scrutiny and appreciated for what it is, not what it isn't. There is certainly criticism to be made, but much of what I've read is a comparison to last season, rather than a critique of this season itself.

 

[runawayboulder]

I lmao @ Frank's "Go stand in front of a tank" line last night.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Because it's bad enough that I've sat through five weeks of this, and will sit through three more because it's too late to turn back now, I'm certainly not going to sit here while people try to discredit the first season in an attempt to prop up this mess.

I'm not discrediting season one to prop up season two at all. It's no different than praising one thing to tear the other one down. I was speaking in terms of what critics thought of the first season. I'm just saying that people seem to forget that people still had problems with the first season and it wasn't perfect. Now does that negate these criticisms on their own? Of course not. If this show was firing on all cylinders I think people would be all in. It's not like they didn't want this season to succeed. I trust people like you Sawyer who's one of the people who had as any expectations as myself before this season started. I've no problem that you don't like it nor am I trying to justify what I like to your dislike of it.

 

[Marvolo]

Id call this a misfire whether it was the first season or the 10th. This season isnt a step down. No, its more like the show stumbled in the dark and fell down a mine shaft.

And there have been a number of posts in here critiquing this season on its own terms.

And just because this season is its own story does not mean that comparisons to the first season are not allowed or somehow invalidate critiques. Its still part of the same show on the same network. I dont see people in the AHS threads saying one season is its own story so any comparisons to a previous season are invalid and should be dismissed.

The first season demonstrated what the show could offer and do and this season hasnt offered the same quality. Ignoring the first season doesnt change the situation. This season is problematic and would be even if the first season had never existed.