True Detective Season 4, Episodes 4-6.

Alright, I have finished True Detective season 4.

I am actually struggling a bit with what I can say without spoiling anything, so bear with me.

The entire season is very nicely made. The dark, the snow, the cold all feels very real. Nothing stands out as being cheap or shoddy, and while this isn't the most important part, it carries a lot of weight. Filming can't have been easy, and they receive full marks for the effort they put in.

The actors are likewise both well written and the characters well acted. Motivations work, and with the central themes of grief and guilt and how you deal with them, the characters actions feel realistic. You don't have to like what someone does, but you can still understand it.

My biggest problem comes from the supernatural, or should I say, perceived supernatural events. Season 4 uses the horror elements very sparingly, but to great effect when they occur. There is more of it than seasons 2 and 3 had, and where a lot of weird stuff in season 1 could be explained with drug induced nerve damage, season 4 has mental illness as a possible explanation.

My issue isn't with the presence of potentially supernatural goings on, it is that the explanations kind of ignore them. You get an explanation for the central mysteries, and it is a given that law enforcement officers are going to strive for a logical solution, but I felt that all the mystical elements were shrugged off in the end. Not entirely ignored, but pushed to the side, perhaps for convenience.

As this is True Detective, there are some very dark motifs at play. Season 4 does not shy away from these and a few are on par with or better than the previous seasons. These elements are exemplary, and I'm glad they didn't dig deeper. However, don't go into this expecting lots of these moments, they are also used sparingly.

The season is very female centric, and that can be a touchy point for some with modern media. I did not find anything problematic in season 4. All the characters are well balanced and at the end gender roles actually don't matter. There are other forces at work instead. I can't say more due to spoilers.

So, do I recommend this season? Yes. overall, True Detective season 4 is good. It is better than season 2, on par with season 3 but in a very different way. To no ones surprise I'm sure, season 1 still stands heads and shoulders above the others, and I very much doubt there will ever be a season of this show that can match it, let alone top it. There were a few scenes that I think were added only so that another scene would be more impactful. This is fine, but the way they were added felt a bit out of sync, kind of breaking the flow. No deal breaker by any means, but somewhat sloppy. To summarize, if you were okay with seasons 2 and 3, there is no reason you couldn't enjoy season 4.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great week!

 

True Detective Season 4, Episodes 1-3.

I have written about True Detective before. In fact, I have talked about seasons 1-3 separately. In summary, Season 1 is a masterpiece of modern television, Season 2 is alright but weak compared to Season 1 and Season 3 is better than Season 2 but not nearly as good as Season 1.

One of the things that made Season 1 so good, beside, well, everything, was the possibility of a supernatural presence. It is not confirmed and there is a functional rational explanation, but it could also be cosmic horror. Seasons 2 and 3 really do not have this and I think it is a big reason why they aren't as good as Season 1.

On to Season 4! Today we're looking at the first three episodes out of six. As of writing, I haven't yet seen the last three episodes, and I know nothing about what will happen in them.

This is the setup; we are in the fictional mining town of Ennis, Alaska, north of the polar circle. It is the end of December and the long night has set in. In other words, it will be pitch black for approximately two months. Snow, freezing cold and complete darkness makes for a grim setting and this is felt throughout the show.

Outside the town is the Tsalal research station. The scientists there drill deep into the ancient ice looking for new ways to understand cellular biology. Something happens and they are all found naked and dead on the ice. Investigating this mystery is Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and her police department. She is aided by State Trooper Navarro (Kali Reis), and lets just say they don't get along very well. In fact, Chief Danvers don't get along well with anyone. If you want to be more exact, most characters don't get along with each other. This is a central motif in the season, the struggle to live in such a hard environment, the local mine possibly poisoning the local water, the cruel winter and so on. Ennis is a tough and nasty place to live, whether you are a native Alaskan or not.

So far, a few characters have mentioned “She has awakened”, which together with what happened to the scientists an a few other smaller things, infers a supernatural presence. Of course, this does not mean that there isn't a natural solution, but time will tell. One character sees dead people to use the old meme, but it feels more like Twin Peaks than a straight horror production. Being only at the half way point means that anything could happen. I like what I've seen so far even though the constant arguing, yelling and negative attitudes grates on the nerves after a while.

The show is very nicely filmed, with multiple great shots throughout. The actors are good and the effects are fine. I have no complaints from a technical perspective, and only watching the last three episodes will set the seasons place in the overall show.

That's that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great week!

 

Third time lucky?

I mentioned last week that I subscribed to HBO for Chernobyl and True Detective 3. We did Chernobyl last week so to no ones surprise I'm sure, we're talking True Detective.

Back when I watched the first season of True Detective, I couldn't praise it enough. Then the second season rolled around, and well... it's not bad, but it's nowhere near the genius of season 1. Now, finally we have season 3. I'll try to be as spoiler free as possible.

Season 3 stars Mahershala Ali as Wayne 'Purple' Hays and Stephen Dorff as Roland West, the two main detectives investigating the disappearance of two preteens.

The story is set in Arkansas, in three time periods; 1980, 1990 and 2015. The kids vanished in 1980, the case resurfaces in 1990 and in 2015 both detectives are old men with Hays (M. Ali) suffering from what is most likely dementia or Alzheimer.

This being a season of True Detective, things are gloomy, sinister and threatening. There is strange symbolism all around, and corruption and conspiracies everywhere. At least that's how it feels.

The use of three times periods as opposed to season one's two periods, is a bit much. They pull it off well enough, but there are scenes where you have to look closely at Dorff's haircut and jacket to get which period it is. They could have made it clearer. 2015 is obvious with gray hair and excellent old age makeup.

In fact, the season is extremely solid in how it is made, no complaints there whatsoever. Actors, sound, cinematography etc. all good and solid.

The biggest flaw in my opinion is the story. Not only do they reference season 1 directly, the whole season seems almost like a homage or love letter to season 1. Though by the end it becomes clear that this is no mistake and I found most of my earlier misgivings laid to rest. As I watched episode after episode, I got a creeping feeling that they were just trying to remake season 1 to appease the fans, but I'm sure that they weren't doing that and that you are in fact meant to feel that way.

In the end I was happy to have seen it, but perhaps I should have waited a day or two after consuming the sheer brilliance of Chernobyl before watching this. In comparison to that, season 3 is a bit flat.

If True Detective gets a fourth season I think they need to dig deep. Neither season 2 or 3 were bad in any way, but it's still the first season that carries them forward. A hypothetical fourth needs to be a home run or the series will probably run into the sand.

So, yeah, a good piece of television and no mistake, but still no where near the amazing first season.

That's that. Until next time, have a great week!

True Detective 2

This winter past I blogged about the first season of True Detective. In order to save you some time I'll recap here: I absolutely loved it!

So when the second season rolled around, I was pretty exited to watch it. And that's what today's post is all about, season 2 of True Detective.

To start, I'd like to say that the two seasons have nothing to do with each other. Not a damn thing. So one mustn't compare them, if at all possible. For me, it wasn't entirely possible, but to be fair they really have to be judged alone. So here we go:

The acting is good, and I liked the choice of actors and the characters they play. Everyone did what they were supposed to do, no complaints. Well, one small complaint. Every one of the main characters in this season did several really dumb things. And at times these choices felt a bit forced. But to be fair, they were all under tremendous amounts of pressure, and you don't always make the right call when you're coming apart at the seams. You'll have to make up your own mind here.

The general atmosphere is amazing, easily in my mind the best thing about the season. Where season 1 wallowed in rural decay and isolation, season 2 is all about the urban hellscape. Dirty, harsh, noisy and brutal, it's a marvelous depiction of the urban jungle. Full points here, A+.

The main plot though, is extremely convoluted. Even while binge watching, I had a hard time following it at times. But the story is good, so hang in there. My biggest complaint is that originally the 2^nd season was to be about the occult history of the American transport system, or something like that. If you choose to view occult in it's original meaning i.e. hidden, then yeah, that's kind of what the season is about. I'm however more used to interpreting occult as supernatural and that this season isn't.

There were times when I thought we'd get something at least mystical, but if there was any, I missed it.

My biggest complaint over all, is the ending. The final episode clocks in at around 90 minutes and it ties up all the loose ends. But here more than anywhere else, characters make those silly decisions and I didn't like it. I even predicted several events way ahead of time, and was sadly correct.

It maybe that the creator Nic Pizzolatto was rushed for time. Nothing felt out of place and wrong, but I've come to expect so much more from him, and here's where I foolishly compare the two seasons with each other. The S1 had many moments that were true heavy hitters, something that was lacking in S2, even though there were a few. S1 was honed and polished until it shone lie an evil jewel, and S2 is more like an alternative, more brutal take on The Wire. Not that being compared to The Wire is in any way a bad thing, it's just that these are two different shows, and should remain so.

Over all, season 2 is absolutely worth watching as long as you are thoroughly aware that it is not season 1 and never will be. Had the two seasons been switched, with S1 as S2, I think the pressure on Mr. Pizzolatto to create season 3 would be inhuman. Season 1 is better, yes, but season 2 is good. Go watch it.

That's it good folks, until next time, have a truly nice week!

True Detective

As you may surmise from the title, today I want to talk about the show TrueDetective.

I became vaguely aware of the show through the internet, but I started watching after being encouraged to do so by a good friend.

I was hesitant going in, mainly due to the main cast namely MatthewMcConaughey and Woody Harrelson, but also because I'm a bit bored with police procedurals and serial killer shows.

Now, I like Mr. Harrelson well enough, but his roles tend towards either hippie weirdos or macho uber-men. Mr. McConaughey on the other hand is very well known for his many romantic comedies, which I really can't watch. His role in U-571 was pretty non standard for him at the time, but my friend urged me to put Mr. McConaugheys romcoms in the past and give True Detective a shot.

Boy am I glad I did. There is no romance or indeed any comedy anywhere to be seen.

Mild Spoilers Ahead

At it's most basic, True Detective is about two police detectives in Louisiana hunting an occult serial killer. The story is told in two time frames, 1995 and 2012. The main characters Rust Cohle (McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Harrelson) are being interviewed by other detectives in 2012 concerning their work hunting the killer back in '95. This is an unusual (at least for me) technique but it works very well, in a sense allowing the same characters to speak with two voices. Both Rust and Marty change considerably during the show, and this juxtaposition showcases the changes without resorting to info-dumping or leaving the viewer behind.

Another thing I should point out is that we have a strong case of Unreliable Narrator here. Both characters tell things from their perspectives and this can confuse things, particularly when they lie.

Now, you can watch True Detective just like any other cop show, but that would be foolish. This is not a show that should be watched casually. There are clues and foreshadowing aplenty throughout the season, and the more you notice the scarier it gets. I wouldn't go so far as to call this a horror show, but it's damn close.

You see, the occult part of the show concerns the Yellow King and Carcosa. If you've never read Robert W. Chambers book The King in Yellow and/or read the expanded Cthulhu Mythos started by H.P. Lovecraft, these names will mean nothing to you, but if you have, this show quickly gets really unnerving.

I'm not going to explain it all here, but the creator Nic Pizzolatto has created a show that works both as a regular TV show, but also as a “Cthulhu Investigation” familiar to fans of Lovecraft and Call of Cthulhu in all it's forms and shapes.

True Detective runs on two levels. One one hand it's about deranged people in a cult “just” molesting children and committing horrible murders, but on the other hand the whole cult part is real. They really are sacrificing people to otherworldly entities. Basically it's up to you what is true and what's not.

This reality blur is mainly expressed through Detective Cohle who sees things due to a damaged nervous system from his days deep under cover as a narcotics cop. In order to keep his cover intact he had to take copious amounts of drugs, which has either damaged his brain enough to make him hallucinate, or the drugs have enhanced his mind enough to see hidden things like ancient shamans. Again it's your call which reality is true.

This is a show that I'm going to have to re-watch just to see what I missed. Even a cursory search on this show will net you several pages of analyses and Easter eggs that are easily over looked.

As an example I completely failed to grasp the possible meaning behind Marty’s oldest daughter and the drastic changes she goes through, even though they are pretty text-book.

The over all feel of the show is oppressive, gloomy and spellbinding. The score is at times truly haunting and at no time did I get the feeling that I'd rather be doing something else. That said, this is a very heavy show, and not one to be taken lightly.

So, if this sounds appealing, go watch True Detective. Hell, even if you think I've just written seven-hundred plus words of complete drivel, go watch it anyway. Just keep kids away. This is Adult Country and not just for the nudity.

Until next year, take it easy!