What I’m Watching: True Detective (Season Premiere)

True Detective: Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2 “The Great War and Modern Memory” and “Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye” (B-)

This is a show that’s had a rocky road. Its first season premiered to critical acclaim and earned many awards. Its second was reviled and barely merited any mentions. Now, three and a half years after its previous season, it’s back with an all-new cast and new premise. Unfortunately, its issues aren’t resolved, and, to me, this feels like the more of the mopey, moody misery that often overwhelmed the first season and certainly dominated the second. It’s appropriate that Mahershala Ali is making his return to television just as he’s headed towards his second Oscar win, following his first trophy that was awarded to him just after he got an Emmy nomination for “House of Cards” and starred in the first season of “Luke Cage.” He’s a good actor, and this is a decent role for him, but it’s nowhere near anything else he’s done before, and not as compelling as the wearied performances delivered by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in season one. There are many familiar faces in the cast, like Stephen Dorff as his partner, Mamie Gummer as the abducted kids’ mother, Sarah Gadon as the documentarian, Carmen Ejogo as Wayne’s wife, and Scoot McNairy as the grieving father. There’s also Josh Hopkins of “Cougar Town” and Jon Tenney of “The Closer” as the investigators interrogating Wayne in one of the many time periods focused here. Showcasing him as a white-haired man reflecting back on his testimony from twenty-five years earlier of events that happened ten years before that seems like too much, and these episodes came off as very dense as a result. The police brutality is nothing new, but it’s still unsettling, and there isn’t really anything here that makes this show stand out. With only eight episodes that are likely to earn some sort of awards attention, I’m considering continuing, but I think I know what I’m in for, and I’m already not into it.

What I’m Watching: True Detective (Season Finale)

True Detective: Season 2, Episode 8 “Omega Station” (B=)

The good thing about an anthology series like this is that every season is self-contained and is designed to provide a relatively high degree of closure given that this is the last time that we’ll see these characters. The question that I always ask when characters are blasted away and die miserable, lonely deaths is what worth such a death has and how it stacks up to how they lived. In this case, Ray getting riddled with bullet holes and Frank getting stabbed before collapsing after a valiant march through the desert are far from fitting ends to two people who were initially villains but ended up being certifiable good guys who wanted the best for certain people in their lives and had made some questionable choices along the way. That Ani ended up as nothing more than a romantic figure who managed to get away on a boat and later begin to spread the story of what actually happened was disappointing since, throughout the season, she was consistently one of the boldest and bravest characters. I stand by my assessment of Jordan as the season’s best player, and Kelly Reilly’s performance in this episode was just about the only one that didn’t feel forced. I wasn’t fond of Frank’s near-death hallucinations since this show has previously succeeded with letting words and stories do the emotional work, and it felt forced to have him conjure up images from his past in his final moments. I don’t think that the mystery came to a particularly compelling end, and I do question whether it was all worth it. Based on how this season played out, I’m not a third season is in the cards, but I would hope that any new effort would put more thought into creating a strong plotline and characters before starting casting.

Season grade: B-
Season MVP: Kelly Reilly

What I’m Watching: True Detective

True Detective: Season 2, Episode 7 “Black Maps and Motel Rooms” (B+)

Part of the appeal of a limited series, or in this case a series that returns year after year with an entirely new cast and storyline, is that there need be no attachment to any character or his or her survival since there’s no reason they would be brought back no matter what. I didn’t realize until I started writing this review that the next episode of this season is the finale, and I don’t feel this show is close to ready to be done with this arc. That it took until the penultimate hour for it to really get interesting is hardly commendable either, but at least it’s something. For Paul to survive several near-death experiences and then get felled by a bullet in the back by Lt. Burris was devastating, and that was the second shocking death of the hour, following Ray unknowingly sitting down in a car next to a very dead Katherine. When those in charge of a secret investigation get taken out, you know things are bad, and this season’s theme fully becomes the corruption of law enforcement agencies, who throw horrid sex parties and murder to cover their illicit deeds. Ray and Ani sleeping together while Paul gets killed is a meaningful moment that says a lot about the loneliness they feel, and let’s hope that having each other will be enough to help them survive the finale. Fortunately, Frank’s arson acts indicate a frustration he’s feeling with his supposed allies, and it’s very possible that he might end up being more of a good guy than a villain by season’s end.

What I’m Watching: True Detective

True Detective: Season 2, Episode 6 “Church in Ruins” (B)

The undercover mission is officially underway, and it’s drawing out this show’s darkness, finally giving it a victory over its misery. At least Ani, Ray, and Paul are firmly on the same page, all seeking to uncover the truth and help score some points for the good guys. Ani didn’t waste much time in taking care of herself and ensuring that her situation didn’t get too messy, and the man who she appears to have killed definitely merited a fierce punishment considering the way he was treating her. This show does have a talent for displaying the disturbing underbelly of society, and that was especially clear in the contradiction of the fanciness of the party and the depraved nature of its activities. Though it wasn’t exactly a warm moment, it was affirming to see Ray put some effort in to spending time with his son, allowing him to watch “Friends” and questioning the woman supervising their visitation about whether she liked what she was doing. We also got to see a slightly softer side of Frank, which is only to say that he’s not quite as vicious as others around him, even though he was pretty brutal just a few minutes earlier. His motives for finding the young woman on the other end of the phone weren’t entirely pure, but he saw no value in killing her just to make a point. He also has a soft spot for boys with complicated relationships with their fathers, not that his words provide too much comfort.

What I'm Watching: True Detective

True Detective: Season 2, Episode 5 “Other Lives” (B-)

After the shootout that ended last week's episode, we've reconfirmed the fact that our three police protagonists are good people who ultimately want to get to the truth. Digging until they uncover it is the main way that they can bring up about justice, but they're also plagued by their personal problems, as shown for all three of them in separate scenes. Ray being told he has to move out because he is no longer officially employed by the force was a small blow compared to the misery of losing unsupervised custody of his son and then finding out that the man he thought assaulted his ex-wife wasn't actually guilty of the crime. Paul's hearing didn't go well at all, and his continued professions of innocence fell entirely on deaf ears. Ani was particularly bunt in her sexual harassment seminar, but it's clear that she was doing that just to mock the situation, and she didn't even seem especially amused by how well it was working. As each of them try to reconnect with family members, their loneliness is becoming increasingly evident. Ray shared a decent moment of honesty with his ex-wife when they talked about his attacker, Ani is using her sister to get close to a lead for the case, and Paul's mom took the $20,000 he brought back from his tour. Morgan continues to be the most magnetic element of the show, pushing Frank to do more than just be a big talker. I'm not sure why a tense arrival by Ray merits a cliffhanger episode ending, but I suppose their conversation will be fruitful.

What I'm Watching: True Detective

True Detective: Season 2, Episode 4 “Down Will Come” (B-)

This show feels extremely cyclical as the same things keep happening over and over again. Frank going around to all those he did something for at one point and demanding continued payment for it despite full restitution having been made long ago is the worst possible business model, and even if he can beat up enough people to intimidate them into compliance, it still doesn't position him as a terribly intelligent individual since he's bound to be dethroned as a tyrant eventually. Ani being put on leave because of pending allegations about sexual misconduct feels awfully similar to Paul's situation, though she didn't let it phase her and marched straight in to continue working as much as sh can. The major shootout at the end of this episode is reminiscent of a turning point at the same time last year in season one, though I think the crucial difference is that while that showed and told us something about who Rust and Martin are as people, this just underlines the miserable nature of society. A staggering amount of collateral damage occurred in this gunfight, and the fatal blow to the head of a fellow detective was certainly startling. What it left us with was the sight of three equally dedicated cops with equally rocky pasts caught in the middle of something far darker and more dangerous than they had expected. They understand what it is, but it doesn't make the situation any more desirable to watch, though I'm hoping its continued descent into darkness will somehow help turn the show around.

What I’m Watching: True Detective

True Detective: Season 2, Episode 3 “Maybe Tomorrow” (C+)

So, headlines and all, I guess this show didn’t really kill Colin Farrell, and I’m glad I didn’t actually read the spoilery article to discover that ahead of time. The David Lynch-esque opening was a bizarre fever dream that represents an unusual departure from reality for this show, and keyed us in to the fact that Ray is all but okay. He didn’t get any sympathy from Ani for surviving a shot to the chest, and she seems intent on alienating everyone around her as is par for the course on this show. At least she asked Paul a productive question, skipping past the fact that he was accused of indecent behavior and dwelling only on whether it would be a problem for reestablishing his cover. I ended up watching “Mean Girls” again earlier this week, and it’s a real trip to see how different Rachel McAdams’ character is here compared to Regina George, though I suspect that Ani wouldn’t be too thrilled about fetch either. As I said in my review of the pilot, I think the strongest performance on this show comes from Kelly Reilly, who isn’t content to be bullied by Frank, who has a temper and a desire to rule over everything, and it’s great to see Jordan stand up for herself and refuse to take his abuse and his sidelining of her. Everything else is still a real mess, and I’m hoping for a bit of clarity in the coming episodes on just what is going on and who’s going to make it through alive.

What I’m Watching: True Detective

True Detective: Season 2, Episode 2 “Night Finds You” (C+)

It seems to me that, more than anything else, the characters on this show this season are competing to see who can be the most truly miserable. Vince Vaughn’s Frank is the only one who has actually achieved any modicum of success in his life, climbing his way to the top and then struggling to stay there, and his opening story about being locked in a basement by his father for days, never knowing if he would return, was a fierce introduction to a brutally depressing episode, even by this show’s standards. The primary three investigators – Colin Farrell’s Ray, Rachel McAdams’ Ani, and Taylor Kitsch’s Paul – aren’t even happy when they’re indulging their own vices (primarily prostitutes), and it’s hard to find them smiling at any point. The case might be interesting eventually, but it’s difficult to latch on when there are so many barriers put up around these melancholy characters. I have to take a moment to express my continued displeasure with TVGuide.com, which put a story on their home page earlier this week titled “Did True Detective really kill Colin Farrell?” Contrast that with one of EW’s cover stories from a few weeks ago, “Did Game of Thrones really kill ______?” There’s no reason to run such a spoiler on a main site or cover, especially if the shock value is only worthwhile if you watched the episode. It would have been nice to experience the still strange surprise of this episode’s unexpected ending without knowing full well that it was coming. Given that it took until midway through season one for me to truly appreciate this show, I’m not going anywhere, but I’m not too pleased thus far.

What I’m Watching: True Detective (Season Premiere)

True Detective: Season 2, Episode 1 “The Western Book of the Dead” (B-)

I’ll remind those of you who aren’t loyal readers that I didn’t particularly love this show’s pilot and I opted not to check back in for a second look until the show earned numerous accolades and I felt it necessary to marathon through the entire season for the sake of the Emmy Awards. It hooked me by the middle of episode four, but I still didn’t find it to be nearly as excellent as many proclaimed. I was set on watching it now that I know it paid off to a degree, and while this initial installment is undeniably intriguing, I think it needs some work before it should be considered must-see television. Whereas last season there was an impossibly dark storyline inhabited by strong characters, it seems that this year is about the truly diverse talent the show signed for its second iteration. It’s not clear what Vince Vaughn’s mogul, Taylor Kitsch’s suspended cop, Rachel McAdams’ dogged investigator, and Colin Farrell’s deadbeat detective have in common, and it feels like this story has been artificially created to link them all together. The show is definitely maintaining a commitment to darkness as it relates to its characters, particularly Farrell’s Ray and what happened with his wife and McAdams’ Ani and her family history. I don’t think this will compare to a biblical serial killer, but I suppose it’s worth finding out. McAdams was great in this hour, but the performer I’m watching most closely is Kelly Reilly, who I think will be the standout in this season the way I found the underrated Michelle Monaghan to be last year. My interest has been piqued, and I would love to have my expectations blown away.

Pilot Review: True Detective

True Detective (HBO)
Premiered January 12 at 9pm

I’m not sure we should consider this a pilot since it’s actually the first installment of a miniseries which will in theory be finite, but that’s alright. This show represents the pairing of two actors famous for their lighter fare who on occasion have given being more serious a go. That’s resulted in some awards acclaim for Harrelson in the past and McConaughey this year, and seeing these two movie stars come to television demonstrates that this is a formidable and appealing project. Its scope, setting its main events in the mid-1990s and its interview segments in the present day, is grand, and this is certainly an epic story. Yet there’s something about it that just doesn’t feel cohesive, as it wallows in its darkness and the grim nature of its plotline. The crime committed is a grisly, disturbing one, and it seems abundantly clear that things will only get more gruesome from here. Cohle’s radical views and antisocial mannerisms may him an intriguing character, yet it’s understandably hard to connect with him. Hart is just as generally impolite without the appeal of a wild outlook on life, and as a result neither of these characters are effective anchors for the show. McConaughey definitely gives his performance his all, and Harrelson is committed as well, though there are from far their most magnetic roles. There is definitely something brewing here, but the pacing of this opening installment doesn’t suggest that this show will be nearly as compelling or involving as its premise and cast might suggest.

How will it work as a series? We’ve seen them at the beginning of their partnership and at the end, and while it’s clear already that they have some personality differences, it’s likely that the case itself is going to take a magnificent toll on their dynamic, while should prove interesting and engaging.
How long will it last? HBO does like miniseries, so it’s not likely that this show will be commissioned for anything other than its original order of eight episodes. That said, the premiere numbers were extremely high, and HBO is closing down some of its regular series and might look to re-up and redesign this one to keep viewers coming back.

Pilot review: B-