True Detective

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Vampire_Hunter_Bob said:
Guys I know this is a bit late, but (I haven't read this thread nor finished the show - at episode 7) this is a theory I'm pretty much sold on. How close is it on identifying the
yellow king
?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8zTSDFiI24

Fuck I had this whole thing lined out to tell you, too.
 
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/farrell-vaughn-sign-true-detective-article-1.1949782

Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn are officially on the case.

After months of rumors, HBO confirmed that the actors have been sworn in as the leads for the second season of "True Detective."

Farrell, 38, who confirmed his participation earlier this week, will play "a compromised detective whose allegiances are torn between his masters in a corrupt police department and the mobster who owns him," according to the network.

The 44-year-old Vaughn, meanwhile, stars as "a career criminal in danger of losing his empire when his move into legitimate enterprise is upended by the murder of a business partner."

The pair have a tough act to follow: Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey headlined the critically acclaimed first season of "True Detective."

But creator Nic Pizzolatto has said he envisioned "True Detective" continuing as a crime anthology — with the eight-episode second season focusing on three different police officers and Vaughn's crook "navigating a web of conspiracy in the aftermath of a murder."

Casting of the two other leads — one of which is expected to be a big-name actress — has yet to be announced.

"Fast & Furious" director Justin Lin will be behind the camera for the first two episodes, taking over for Emmy winner Cary Fukunaga.

Don't get how Vaughn was cast, has he done anything good ... ever :???: ... and Justin Lin?
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Well, before season 1, I'd never have expected Harrellson and McConaughey to make a great noir pair. So, why not?
 

Rhombaad

Video Game Time Traveler
I agree. I can't wait for the next season to start. I'm glad they're not following the same exact formula as the previous season (two cops hunting for a killer). The show's creator is still in charge, so I'm not worried one bit.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Walter said:
Well, before season 1, I'd never have expected Harrellson and McConaughey to make a great noir pair. So, why not?

I've never followed Farrell, so I can't say for sure what kind of chops he has. But I also felt the same way about MM, and he blew my fucking mind in TD.

As for Vaughn, I feel like the dude just took the jobs he's had because they were easy and played to his particular style of humor. I have a lot of faith in him to pull off a serious role, so I'm really excited to see what he has to offer.
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
I don't know. For me, a lot of what worked in the first season is not gonna be around in the 2nd: the director. Cary Fukunaga and his DP brought that show to a cinematic level never seen before on tv. Also he butted heads with the creator quite often, which i'm sure was enough to keep Pizzolatto's massive ego in check. Now, not only are they having different directors but they got Justin Lin, famous for the Fast and Furious movies. Meh. We'll see.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
NightCrawler said:
I don't know. For me, a lot of what worked in the first season is not gonna be around in the 2nd: the director. Cary Fukunaga and his DP brought that show to a cinematic level never seen before on tv. Also he butted heads with the creator quite often, which i'm sure was enough to keep Pizzolatto's massive ego in check. Now, not only are they having different directors but they got Justin Lin, famous for the Fast and Furious movies. Meh. We'll see.

That's what I'm a little worried about, too. With season 1, I felt like each episode was a movie. Now we're going to have a different style in each episode, so it's sort of off-putting.

The original format worked so well, so I don't understand why they're taking this new direction=/
 

Deci

Avatar by supereva01 @ DA
I read that Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch are also likely playing roles in the new season. I adore Rachel so I consider it good news, also I have no problems with Vaughn or Farrell so I'm fine on that front as well.

I do agree a bit about the director, I really loved what she did with the last season, but I recall one of my absolute favorite shows ever, Six Feet Under, had that same format with different directors doing different episodes and it was absolutely amazing. You never really know exactly who's responsible for the real success of a show, sometimes the producers are basically directing everything, sometimes the writers, etc. So we'll see, keeping hopes up and expectations realistically low.

Part of the reason season 1 was such a huge success was that no one was expecting it. I did a fair amount of arm-twisting and campaigning to get many people to really give it a go. Now it's got everyone's attention, and the pressure's on. Anything can happen.
 
Deci said:
I do agree a bit about the director, I really loved what she did with the last season...

Cary-Fukunaga-speech-lg.jpg
 

NightCrawler

Aeons gone, vast, mad and deathless
Deci said:
I do agree a bit about the director, I really loved what she did with the last season, but I recall one of my absolute favorite shows ever, Six Feet Under, had that same format with different directors doing different episodes and it was absolutely amazing. You never really know exactly who's responsible for the real success of a show, sometimes the producers are basically directing everything, sometimes the writers, etc. So we'll see, keeping hopes up and expectations realistically low.

I don't think that comparison works. Six Feet Under was a plot driven show, and it was very uneven to put it lightly. It still looked like anything else on tv at the time, which means that whichever director was chosen for an episode, didn't make much of an impact. On tv, writers are usually the "directors", the ones in charge. That's where True Detective was different and unique. It definitely had a cinematic vision and quality to it, there was a lot more in that show than a writer in charge. Hence all the power struggles.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Finally saw what the fuss was all about with True Detective! Great show, the first 4 episodes really blew me away, and it remained satisfying to it's conclusion if it dipped and dragged a bit in the second half (I guess this happens in TV series whether they're 8 or 80 episodes long =). I understand why it happened though because it went from new developments in the case and the characters in every episode to sort of resetting everything up again and that inherently feels stagnant and like treading old ground. Still, it felt more like 8 seasons packed into those episodes and they were all obviously pretty eventful.

Though, aside from the satisfyingly visceral climax and emotional resolution, I was disappointed with the ultimate conclusion to the case because, like most mysteries, it was more style than substance and wasn't interesting once revealed (the groundskeeper did it), and they didn't really solve things by the end much more than they did in 1995. This huge, messy conspiracy with roots all over the coast is teased and given vague form and instead of unraveling it we get the same ending as every serial killer movie where they stupidly go into the den of the generic hillbilly killer alone ("My cell phone gets no service out here!", great den though). Fine, they killed the third guy they missed before, the hatchet-man; too bad dozens of other bad guys, arguably even worse guys that enable this, got away with it. It's fine though because Rust mentions it as an aside and Marty shrugs it off altogether ("we ain't gonna get 'em all"). OK! How about two, or four if we're being generous? It would be one thing if it was just a lone serial killer and the guy simply had powerful family looking the other way and looking out for him, but it's clearly stated many powerful people were directly involved in this subculture (which there's horrifying video evidence of!) to the point it was implied that the world was against our heroes and so it ultimately feels like a copout. Like the writer just couldn't figure out how to break that and keep the show grounded (so don't use the potential of it as a way to make your serial killer story seem more interesting than it deserves to be). The last three episodes should have been more about that culture and what it was all about (I actually half hoped that Rust WAS involved, like he'd gone deep undercover again to try and bring it down from the inside =). Also, though I really enjoyed the ending as far as Rust and Marty go (a little buddy cop but sure), for letting those killings go for 17 years and not bringing the whole thing down in the end, they probably deserved to die, thematically speaking.

Anyway, though it doesn't seem like it because I just spent the last paragraph criticizing the third act, I really enjoyed the show and though upon review the plot doesn't hold up I totally understand why it created the buzz it did based on atmosphere alone (except the Breaking Bad fans that almost immediately jumped ship to it as the best show ever, they should clearly be ashamed :iva:). Riveting show, glad I watched it and managed not to get spoiled before I did, and I have no interest in seeing Colin Farrell and Vince Vaughn spoil the brand next year, right? After that bombs, here's hoping they bring Rust and Marty back for Season 3 to fully unravel the conspiracy.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
I'm pretty excited. Colin Farrel and Vince Vaughn though ... still can't see it. But I'm curious.

I guess Vince Vaughn could just channel the FBI agent he played in The Cell.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Well, that wasn't anything, and Colin Farrel just looks ridiculously on the tortured macho nose with his sad eyes and bolo ties (I wonder which philosopher his dialogue will be lifted from =). His character's name should just be True, Detective True. Anyway, I'll watch it. :carcus:
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
Well, that wasn't anything, and Colin Farrel just looks ridiculously on the tortured macho nose with his sad eyes and bolo ties (I wonder which philosopher his dialogue will be lifted from =). His character's name should just be True, Detective True. Anyway, I'll watch it. :carcus:

Is this payback for me being down on Better Call Saul at the outset? :judo:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
Is this payback for me being down on Better Call Saul at the outset? :judo:
Walter said:
I'm coming up with all sorts of outlandish ways in my head that this spin-off could go south quick (Mike walks on set, applause from audience, ala Kramer: "I love that crazy, old guy!").

THINK ON YOUR SINS :SK:


No, it's just between the first season petering out to me after a fantastic start and setup, and the talent drain resulting in this cast and crew that ranges from "don't care" to "no thanks," I'm having trouble getting up for this season. It's hard to catch lighting in a bottle twice, and this might as well be any True Detective-styled show rather than the successor to True Detective (which was a lot of style over substance anyway, and it looks like style didn't travel well to LA). Basically, it's a crapshoot whether it's good nor not, but since I don't have any expectations it's actually gotta a good shot to surprise me doing its own thing (after some of the retroactive criticism Nic Pizzolatto received maybe he's giving this all he's got). My expectations for Better Call Saul were admittedly too high and specific and I ended up being disappointed even though it was a very nice show in its own right (but hey, a few more people getting killed wouldn't have hurt =).
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Griffith said:
No, it's just between the first season petering out to me after a fantastic start and setup, and the talent drain resulting in this cast and crew that ranges from "don't care" to "no thanks," I'm having trouble getting up for this season.

I think there's some kind of magic trick happening right before our eyes. McConaughey and Harrelson came out of left field and blew me away, and yet here I sit, still in disbelief that Vince Vaughn and Collin Farrell could possible pull the same feat.

I do remember not feeling comfortable with McConaughey's portrayal of Rust, because it's so over-the-top moody. But a few episodes in, I was hooked. I have some serious doubts that either Vaughn or Farrell will be able to pull off that same gravitas. But I'm excited to see them try.

It's hard to catch lighting in a bottle twice, and this might as well be any True Detective-styled show rather than the successor to True Detective (which was a lot of style over substance anyway, and it looks like style didn't travel well to LA).

I have low expectations that this will be able to trump Season 1. It has too much going against it, namely the element of surprise and the shadow of its predecessor. But that's part of what makes me excited to see how and if they pull it off this time (honestly, not unlike Saul).

Beyond that, I just feel ready for another well-produced cop drama. :guts:
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Walter said:
I think there's some kind of magic trick happening right before our eyes. McConaughey and Harrelson came out of left field and blew me away, and yet here I sit, still in disbelief that Vince Vaughn and Collin Farrell could possible pull the same feat.

Yeah, but McConaughey and Harrelson were doing good work before True Detective, to the point it was notable they were making a show. Farrell and Vaughn are notable for the opposite reason in recent years. So, we'll see if the material brings out the best in them and vice versa.

Walter said:
I do remember not feeling comfortable with McConaughey's portrayal of Rust, because it's so over-the-top moody. But a few episodes in, I was hooked. I have some serious doubts that either Vaughn or Farrell will be able to pull off that same gravitas. But I'm excited to see them try.

Farrell definitely looks like he is trying with every fiber of his being. =)

Walter said:
I have low expectations that this will be able to trump Season 1. It has too much going against it, namely the element of surprise and the shadow of its predecessor. But that's part of what makes me excited to see how and if they pull it off this time (honestly, not unlike Saul).

Beyond that, I just feel ready for another well-produced cop drama. :guts:

Yeah, it doesn't have to be greater than or equal to the last one to be a success, and I'm curious to see what they can do given the pressure.
 
I don't mind the casting choices. I am hoping to be suprised like it happened on season one. Lets be honest, who would habe thought that Mathew would be so good in a role like this.

I found this on imdb. It's a brief summary.
“A bizarre murder brings together three law-enforcement officers and a career criminal, each of whom must navigate a web of conspiracy and betrayal in the scorched landscapes of California. Colin Farrell is Ray Velcoro, a compromised detective in the all-industrial City of Vinci, LA County. Vince Vaughn plays Frank Semyon, a criminal and entrepreneur in danger of losing his life’s work, while his wife and closest ally (Kelly Reilly), struggles with his choices and her own. Rachel McAdams is Ani Bezzerides, a Ventura County Sheriff’s detective often at odds with the system she serves, while Taylor Kitsch plays Paul Woodrugh, a war veteran and motorcycle cop for the California Highway Patrol who discovers a crime scene which triggers an investigation involving three law enforcement groups, multiple criminal collusions, and billions of dollars
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Joe Chip said:
I don't mind the casting choices. I am hoping to be suprised like it happened on season one. Lets be honest, who would habe thought that Mathew would be so good in a role like this.

People that saw Frailty, Killer Joe, Mud, Magic Mike, Dallas Buyers Club and even his edgier comedy roles to name a few (even Edtv with Woody)? I know it's a popular sentiment that all he did was shitty romantic comedies and then BOOM, True Detective, outta nowhere! But that's largely BS, and Woody freakin' Harrelson has been a name forever starring in iconic drama and comedy roles on both TV and film before it was really done. Also, before anybody really knew what True Detective was its brand was initially founded on the idea that these legit movie stars were doing the show. Farrell has it in him, and Vaughn may, but I understand and share the skepticism surrounding their casting because it is not equivalent to the first time when the actors were already bigger than the show instead of the other way around.

Joe Chip said:
I found this on imdb. It's a brief summary.

Saw that too the other day, it's more interesting than the trailer, but I spoiler tagged it since it contains some specifics in case people want to go in blind.
 
Griffith said:
People that saw Frailty, Killer Joe, Mud, Magic Mike, Dallas Buyers Club and even his edgier comedy roles to name a few (even Edtv with Woody)? I know the popular sentiment is all he did was shitty romantic comedies and then BOOM, True Detective, outta nowhere! But that's largely BS, and Woody freakin' Harrelson has been a name forever starring in iconic drama and comedy roles on both TV and film before it was really done. Also, before anybody really knew what True Detective was its brand was initially founded on the idea that these legit movie stars were doing the show. Farrell has it in him, and Vaughn may, but I understand and share the skepticism surrounding their casting because it is not equivalent to the first time when the actors were already bigger than the show instead of the other way around.
i really like Harrelson, so i wasnt suprised at his performance. It was Mathew that blew me away, i onky knew him from his romantic comedy roles so i was really surprised seeing him beeing so good. Since then i watched mud and Dbc and i absolutely loved them.
 

Griffith

With the streak of a tear, Like morning dew
Joe Chip said:
i really like Harrelson, so i wasnt suprised at his performance. It was Mathew that blew me away, i onky knew him from his romantic comedy roles so i was really surprised seeing him beeing so good. Since then i watched mud and Dbc and i absolutely loved them.

It's not even his best role on HBO: https://youtu.be/bMgFzgjrWyw :carcus:


Anyway, I hope Farrell and Vaughn do surprise us, the potential is there, but it would definitely be a surprise if they live up to last season when excitingly overqualified actors elevated the material and set the bar really fuckin' high.
 
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