POO: True Detective (1-3 edition)

before i vote

season 1 highest highs, maybe the worst plot holes and failure to deliver what it sets up

season 2 lowest lows, long sections of dialogue actually stink, maybe delivers far more in the end than what it sets up

season 3 least memorable, least flawed, gentler and less pulpy by far than the other two

season 1- family/interpersonal relationships get in way of what turns out a bit of a shaggy dog story plot, which was what everyone was actually watching it for

season 2- broadly hated because of (among other things) a confusing and largely unfollowable plot, family/interpersonal relationships compelling and ended up being a strong reason to stick with it

season 3- plot was in there somewhere. largely irrelevant. all about family/interpersonal relationships and delivers

season 1- starmaking turn from previously unknown mcconaghey. harrelson kills it as the partner with issues at home. rest of cast excellent.

season 2- some wronguns hate colin farrell. some wronguns hate vince vaughn in this. some wronguns hate tim riggins. nobody hates rachel mcadams. imo four strong leads and farrell and vaughn do some excellent and questionable work.

season 3- ali is never not going to be great. ejogo is great. dorff is great, as billy bob sutherland. mcnairy is pretty great as dorff.

voted for season 2, vmic

This is kind of the last thread I’d have ever expected to exist

Voting for S2 because I enjoyed it more than the average person, and it won’t get many votes

My guess is ilx is going to ilx and S2 will win. My thoughts re S2:

McAdams was good.

The bland dude was so bland that when I read dmac's post about four leads I had to google it to remember his character.

Colin Farrell as Ray Velcro was terrible. Truly one of the worst written and performed roles ever. The equivalent of being trapped in an elevator with someone being emotionally moved by a Decemberists album.

Vince Vaughn's performance was beyond good and bad, like some Dr. Manhattan-level of non-judgment, but also feel like it should be sent to Mars for the good of humanity.

― Rocky Thee Stallion (PBKR), Saturday, February 6, 2021 8:51 AM (two years ago) bookmarkflaglink

calling this a masterpiece is giving me blue balls, in my heart.

― Rocky Thee Stallion (PBKR), Saturday, February 6, 2021 6:21 PM (two years ago) bookmarkflaglink

with your angst cop drama and your cocaine tongue
you get nothing done

― righteous oxide (PBKR), Friday, March 26, 2021 8:04 AM (two years ago) bookmarkflaglink

Every time you watch this show Anthony Kiedis reproduces a clone (asexually, but you never know).

― Vin Jawn (PBKR), Tuesday, June 8, 2021 6:46 PM (two years ago) bookmarkflaglink

I thought season 2 was lousy at the time but Vaughan's scenes have a weird energy that make it hard to totally write off his performance. He's doing this blank, zero-affect, Hartley/Mamet/90s indie movie performance, and everyone else is doing heightened naturalism, and the dissonance is interesting. I don't know if it's deliberate, though! If there's no "cosmic horror" in this season, Vaughan's scenes certainly provide some sort of replacement uncanny itchiness.

Also, sure, nobody hates Rachel McAdams, but she's kind of boring in this, although I think that's the role, not the actor.

Farrell is terrific and has terrific Small Dick Energy throughout

*Vaughn

good good, everyone keep it up

“All that angsty cop drama you got goin’ on”

season one - all I remember is daddario
season two - funny
season three - didn't watch.

Season 3 is good but - and I know this is saying something given the tone of this show - somehow *too* depressing to revisit

currently leaning towards 3

Voting for S2 because I enjoyed it more than the average person, and it won’t get many votes

― Marten Broadcloak, mild-mannered GOP congressman (Raymond Cummings), Monday, 5 February 2024 16:09 (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

a post that could have been engineered in a lab to enrage the
threadstarter

lol

I’m too honest today

anyway its valid response i am inordinately fond of 2 and fought hard for it in the thread for it

Haven't seen season 3 but I am another season 2 defender. It's not even just about the leads, although none of them are bad — the whole supporting cast (David Morse, Fred Ward!, Rick Springfield, W. Earl Brown, Ritchie Coster as the drunk mayor, Lolita Davidovich) are all fantastic even in just one or two scenes. The two biggest marks against this season are Colin Farrell's ridiculous child and the awful singer in the bar.

Unperson, you’ve got the biggest aura I’ve ever seen

Damn you all for making "liking season 2" now unfashionable.

The kid story line so soapy but if you don't want soap in your true detective then you don't like true detective. I was there for everything Colin's character was doing.

Let's not forget the setting too. Mystery x LA truly the best partnership in the moving pictures

mystery x la x natural resource scandals

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Voting the boring option sorry everyone. Please balance it out

Saw S2 recently and liked it a lot. The shootout was an amazing set piece! S1 is iconic tho. Haven’t seen 3 but will soon

s1 is still my favorite because those creepy vibes were SO goddamn good and mcconaughheyhey & woody had great chemistry

i ride for s2 but it took a while to find its feet — i really dug s3 but something about it was a little mid somehow, not a diss it just had a different vibd that sets it apart as more dramatic & maybe less woo-woo creepy

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

i feel bad for s3 … it doesnt deserve so few votes

Yeah it was good tv, but it's tough competition

feel like i covered my thoughts on it above and nobody put in a case for it thereafter

Started from the beginning again, got to episode 4 last night. That six-minute single take shot is still pretty amazing and intense.

yep

but ill put the similar scene in season 2 up there with it

Gotta refresh my memory of that one when we get there.