True Detective

Q&A with the creator of True Detective on what to expect from season 2.

https://medium.com/@TrueDetective/q-a-with-true-detective-creator-and-showrunner-nic-pizzolatto-8cc72b62c1a

EDIT -

Trailer for the new season - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4uxGbhO4ag

Only a minute long but a good share of intense characters, some action.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Well, that was very busy. I would have rather the episode started where it ended. Always better to start interesting than to tease it.
 
...The first episode of the new season was okay nothing to write home about it was just okay. I liked, the choice of music for the OP credits but what I didn't like was the little on the nose performance at the end of episode. Now as far as the characters are concerned I did not care for Rachel McAdams or her character nor did I care for Taylor Kitsch's character I did however quite enjoy the cop played by Colin Farrell and the Husband/Wife crime syndicate played by Vince Vaughn & Kelly Reilly.
 
Vince trying to act serious is hilarious and fell flat, maybe it was the way his scenes were edited because it didn't flow well and scenes often ended with awkward pauses showing his blank emotionless serious face. I liked the opening credits sequence and the last 3/5 minutes of the episode, that shot at the end looked pretty.

Griffith said:
Well, that was very busy. I would have rather the episode started where it ended. Always better to start interesting than to tease it.

Yeah, instead we got 50 minutes of TV time giving character backgrounds. It's a 4 way split - whose character is most messed up?! - competition. It could've worked if we were given snippets of each's personality as the case went along. Or maybe from here on, now that they've got that outta the way, they're gonna go Ludicrous Speed into the investigation.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
They spent 1 hour setting the table for dinner, but by the end I had lost my appetite. Shitty start to a season.

Also, near the end in the bar, the singer goes: "a lifetime goes up in smoke” while Colin Farrell's character blows smoke. Pretty indicative of this season's subtlety so far. :schierke:
 
The start of the season as you said have been slow and with few hype content
but that redhead that works with Vince Vaughn, don't you think he is a suspect for some past crime?
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
It was definitely a slow start, but they have so much to live up to when compared to the first season. I wasn't expecting a whole lot, but I guess I'm in the minority that thinks Vaughn did a good job. Everyone else just sort of...I don't know, tried too hard?
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griff, you live in California. It must be a pretty close-knit area, right? Because this show makes it seem pretty normal to run into your sister AND your dad in the same day while just doing your regular police work. :carcus:

All that "coincidence" shit felt like the worst parts of L O S T.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
Griff, you live in California. It must be a pretty close-knit area, right? Because this show makes it seem pretty normal to run into your sister AND your dad in the same day while just doing your regular police work. :carcus:

Yeah, I didn't want to get all snooty about the logistics, but since you asked! :guts: Basically, it wasn't a bunch of gibberish, the locales were recognizable and made sense, and that was actually pretty cool, but I'm wary as Hell that they're going to treat 34,000 square miles of urban sprawl across five counties like a small town, which they already sort of are as you pointed out.

For another simple example, wherever Vinci is supposed to be located in or around Los Angeles (let's just say real-life inspiration Vernon), it would have been like an hour's drive for Colin Farrell in the middle of the night on a full stomach of Johnny Walker Blue. That's a long drive under the circumstances (and it seemingly took Caspere and his driver all day, did they leave after 3pm?)! Anyway, a real Angeleno, let alone one as true detectivey as Velcoro, would have said, "fuck that!" Also, I don't know how he expects to get away with beating the fuck out of that kid's dad in affluent Sherman Oaks, especially when he did everything but leave his badge number behind (good thing he looks so inconspicuous =). This was after he made sure to wear a mask to assault that reporter (and even if he's supposedly under control, which, nah, is that really the best use of one's corrupt detective?). Anyway, I digress, it wasn't bad, just a little oversimplified, we'll have to wait and see if they start commuting between San Francisco and Tijuana like they're neighboring cities. California!

BTW, similar question to you: as a journalist, if you're breaking a HUGE story, the first part of which has already been published, so presumably much of the work has already been done and your editors and publishers are all well aware of the scope of it, and then you are viciously attacked in your apartment over it... does that really make a big corruption story stop in its tracks and completely go away!? :carcus:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
BTW, similar question to you: as a journalist, if you're breaking a HUGE story, the first part of which has already been published, so presumably much of the work has already been done and your editors and publishers are all well aware of the scope of it, and then you are viciously attacked in your apartment over it... does that really make a big corruption story stop in its tracks and completely go away!? :carcus:

Rule numero uno for series writing is that you don't launch a series in print before you have the entire thing written. Why? Because corrupt cops could beat you up- No, in seriousness it's because you don't want to have to go back on your promises. Say a source you were counting on for Part 3 gets scared because of the attention the first piece in a series got, and then bows out. Say you had a hot lead on something, but were off on a few assumptions about the direction your investigation would take and then it turns into a dead-end. Writing, and interviewing people, is a very fluid process. Best to have it all solid before you go out and say you have A SERIES.

A recent example of why this is a good rule (and one I was surprised to see broken by a veteran journalist) is what happened with the podcast Serial's wet-fart ending. She announced the series before she had any idea where the series would go. And surprise! It goes nowhere.

PS: It's nitpicking, but no one I know keeps only one copy of their entire work on a single laptop. Everyone uses a cloud service for their work, whether to be sure you always have a backup or because, like me, you use several devices between the time you start a story and the time you finish it.
 
I watched the two episodes. I enjoy it but i can't really get into it like i did with Season 1. I hope this will change now that we know all the characters.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
That episode was worse than the last and the only interesting thing about it won't even carry over. I'm not out, but if the angry bitch (boring, and feels like Nic Pizzolatto's hamfisted response to feminist criticism) and bike boy (just a total closeted waste) don't start justifying half the show being spent on them, the next episode may be my last. In any case, I'm sure happy I get a week off between episodes.
 
Griffith said:
That episode was worse than the last and the only interesting thing about it won't even carry over.

I hoped the plot would make a big push forward but it dilly-dallied again with the same character-background story and less on the actual investigation. Spoilers -
my favorite bits from the two episodes was Ray (he's just brutal in the first ep) and I hope there's hope for him after how the episode ended. The bird guy looked creepy, shot gun in hand ... same gun used to shoot the dead guys genitalia? I'm almost curious to see a trailer for the show to find clips of Ray we haven't seen so I know he's still alive somehow hah! I'm guessing that kid isn't his but he wants him to be his son to man him up, maybe get past his own daddy-issues or something of the sort.

In any case, I'm sure happy I get a week off between episodes.

I usually find that I enjoy watching a full season in one sitting or two, spread out over a weekend maybe. The first season of TD flowed better watching it together but the week-to-week episode watch was equally thrilling, nerve racking ... not as nerve racking as Breaking Bad. This season hasn't caught on yet ...
both episodes end with a final scene-big reveal.
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
I'm glad people are actually noticing that what made the first season great was Fukunaga. Now that Pizzolatto won that war and has full control we can enjoy this convoluted and boring mess of a 2nd season.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
IncantatioN said:
I hoped the plot would make a big push forward but it dilly-dallied again with the same character-background story and less on the actual investigation. Spoilers -
my favorite bits from the two episodes was Ray (he's just brutal in the first ep) and I hope there's hope for him after how the episode ended.

It's a no win; they're either getting rid of or undoing the best thing about the season so far, and it'll be lame either way. Still prefer the latter to the former though, but that's because I've already given up on the show since only the former scenario could be at all respectable. =)

NightCrawler said:
I'm glad people are actually noticing that what made the first season great was Fukunaga.

I don't know if people are doing that so much as just crapping on this one. I think most people would credit, and not wrongly, McConaughey and Harrelson and blame Pizzolatto for failing to live up to the previouis season in every way, writing, acting, and directing ("I can just get anybody to read and shoot my spun gold!"). In any case, while Fukunaga certainly deserves recognition, do we have to always give the credit to one person? How about Adam Arkapaw's cinematography, the aforementioned McConaughey and Harrelson, and yes, Pizzolatto for writing and running it. It was a show that managed to transcend the sum of its already quality parts, and Fukunaga was definitely a big part, but it was a collaboration, and reducing it to an individual accomplishment is the same myth that has Pizzolatto doing all these insufferable 'genius' profiles and thinking he could do it all on his own in the first place.

NightCrawler said:
Now that Pizzolatto won that war and has full control we can enjoy this convoluted and boring mess of a 2nd season.

I think it went something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKuAl1QvuI8

To be fair though, he won the war because it was his war to win, it just may be a pyrrhic victory. The lesson is, as always, don't get bigger than the band (especially if you're just a writer =). He's like a songwriter that got stuck on bass and bitterly resents his singer (McConaughey) and lead guitarist (Fukunaga) getting all the glory, so he broke that shit up, got a bunch of session players* that won't outshine him to replace them, and now he's the frontman. What I'm saying is, this whole second season could just be an 8 episode bass solo, and not the cool Cliff Burton kind.


*It's a good time to remember just how many names reportedly turned this shit down, but I think it actually worked out for the best. The character is no Rust Cohle, and Farrell no McConaughey, but the only reason Velcoro works at all is because of the real life baggage Farrell brings to the part. Good God, can you imagine a meticulous professional like Christian Bale in this part!? It would've come off as false and ridiculously over the top as written, but Farrell manages to just embody the idea of this guy (who himself is basically the embodiment of an idea). He doesn't give a fuck as he's not giving a fuck, and it works! Same with Vince Vaughn, his character works as a crooked guy trying to play it straight and sympathetically failing because that's exactly what Vaughn is doing on screen! Similarly, what's her name and who's his face are boring actors that are perfect to play these boring people (she looks at PORN!! :isidro:). If Pizzolatto can actually get these characters going somewhere, and then just fuckin' goes for broke, and there's already signs he will, he might have another horseshoe up his ass yet. :ganishka:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Totally agree regarding Farrell's Velcoro, Griff. He's the heart of the show, the only casting choice that makes any sense, and the only character worth the screen time invested in (so far). Nearly every scene in this episode delivered some gem of dialogue or delivery from him (from his shit-eating "I really don't..." to "Just so you know, I support feminism. Mostly by having body-image issues."
I hope the ending of the second episode is a bad bluff on their part, because that'd be a real shame -- for the show. The remaining cast is ... woof. I dunno...

Second episode was a huge improvement, at least from my perspective. This one took me off the cliff. It makes me wonder why they dragged their feet so much with the first episode. Although so far this season doesn't feel nearly as unique or special as the first--Oh well, I'll take what I can get. It's far from masterpiece material. It's pulpy, modern noir, and that's okay with me.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
Totally agree regarding Farrell's Velcoro, Griff. He's the heart of the show, the only casting choice that makes any sense, and the only character worth the screen time invested in (so far).

Yeah, nobody else has even come close, except maybe his sleazy old partner.

Second episode was a huge improvement, at least from my perspective. This one took me off the cliff. It makes me wonder why they dragged their feet so much with the first episode. Although so far this season doesn't feel nearly as unique or special as the first--Oh well, I'll take what I can get. It's far from masterpiece material. It's pulpy, modern noir, and that's okay with me.

Now that you mention it, that would suffice, but each episode I feel like they're dragging their feet until the end when I realize, "oh, that's it." After last night's episode I'm starting to think "this is it" on a permanent basis. I think we should adjust our expectations accordingly.

Johnstantine said:
Episode 3 was probably one of the worst episodes of any TV series I've seen in my life.

You're hyperbolizing, it's too medicore to merit such scorn; you're almost making me sympathize with it (it still has, like, production values and stuff =). I enjoyed the beginning, some clever dialogue throughout, but it was definitely disappointing and probably the third best episode of the second best season of True Detective. Scary thought: what if the first two episodes directed by Justin Lin are the best? I hope he comes back.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
Scary thought: what if the first two episodes directed by Justin Lin are the best? I hope he comes back.

He's back, and he's brought the surprise final cast member to the show:

fast-five-vin-diesel1.jpg
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
He's back, and he's brought the surprise final cast member to the show:

http://cdn.screenrant.com/wp-content/uploads/fast-five-vin-diesel1.jpg

It's not a good sign when I catch myself considering whether or not your joke would legitimately improve the show. Also, I think it would, Diesel would blow everyone else away on this set. =)

Btw, anyone here subscribe to the theory that director character is a petty stab at Fukanaga?
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
Sigh, just saw it. I'm not even gonna bother commenting, i'm done with this show. I'll keep an eye on this thread to see if it gets any better.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
NightCrawler said:
Sigh, just saw it. I'm not even gonna bother commenting, i'm done with this show. I'll keep an eye on this thread to see if it gets any better.

IDK, in hindsight that might have been the best episode of the season if Nic Pizza is now openly using the goddamn show itself to publicly air his resentments of Fukanaga! In any case, this is certainly apropos:

http://www.vulture.com/2015/07/nic-pizzolatto-cary-fukunaga-true-detective-feud.html said:
if Pizzolatto was so eager to bury the feud story last year, why is he taking potshots now? The answer could lie in the divergent paths each man's reputation has taken in the months since the season-one finale. After the underwhelming final installment, the wunderkind mystique fell off Pizzolatto like a heavy coat. His combative persona led to ill-advised tiffs with critics like Emily Nussbaum, particularly over the issue of the first season's female characters, and he found himself accused of plagiarizing some of Rust Cohle's best lines. Fukunaga, by contrast, got off nearly scot-free. His post-finale interviews were full of sharp, sensitive answers, and by the time the Emmys rolled around, he'd become the patron hunk of the thinking-woman's internet. For a large portion of True D's fan base, the matter was settled: Everything good about the first season was because of Fukunaga and Matthew McConaughey; everything bad was Pizzolatto's fault.

:ganishka:

I can't wait for next week's episode when a sleazy female TV critic from "The Angeleno" magazine is exposed as a totally unscrupulous crack whore that can't appreciate manly television entertainment.
 
I'm almost tempted to skip the next few episodes till there's a full season to watch but it's fun discussing the show episodically. Spoilers -
I didn't get the point of keeping Ray alive like that ... does that mean the Birdfella was expecting him and didn't have live rounds or he didn't intend to kill him specifically or didn't intend to kill anyone who walked into the place? Fire these kind of rounds to help with an escape?

Frank getting into that fist fight to show who's boss was something we could've seen on episode 1, makes him a little more interesting now. But what's with the sexual direction this season? Crime scene full of weird sex stuff, Frank and his infertility, Ani and her weird/ hardcore sexual side, Woodrugh's repressed gay side ...

With the media war between those two directors, notice how the film maker in this episode had a slight resemblance with Fukunaga? Think Pizalatto's written the character as one of the bad guys?! :schierke: aaii yaaii yaaii that's spiteful.
 
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