# HBO: True Detective



## ridner (Feb 14, 2014)

anybody getting down w/ this show?! I think it is 3 or 4 episodes in so far. I am really enjoying it and it seems like there is plenty of opportunity to get pretty twisted. check it out if you have HBO.


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## wankerness (Feb 14, 2014)

It's one of the best things I've ever seen on TV so far, and I doubt very much that it's going to suddenly nose-dive cause they set a strict limit of 8 episodes for the story so it's very deliberately plotted. The big action climax of the fourth episode is probably the most impressive thing I've ever seen on TV. It's right up there with the legendary long take from Children of Men. Mcconaughey is so great.


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## JD27 (Feb 14, 2014)

It has been really good, starting to pick up with Episode 4. Plus the scene with a nude Alexandra Daddario in Episode 2 made my day.


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## sakeido (Feb 14, 2014)

Great show, just watched episode 4 last night. Dunno how HBO so consistently finds such great writers for their stuff... very talented director on this one too. Both leads are awesome. Girl in ep2 had one of the most incredible racks ever on the small screen. Very psyched to see how everything wraps up in both the '95 and '12 plotlines... and interested to see what they might do for season 2.


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## wankerness (Feb 14, 2014)

I'm interested to see what they do next season too since they said none of the seasons would have anything to do with each other and Woody/Mcconaughey are already casting a VERY long shadow.


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## Demiurge (Feb 15, 2014)

Love it. Dark as hell, but the line, "you are like the Michael Jordan of being a son of a bitch" killed me.


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## Somnium (Feb 15, 2014)

This show is really something else. I went into it with no expectations, just heard from my brother it was supposed to be good. Watched the first episode and was hooked instantly. The end of episode 4 was intense as fugg.


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## mlp187 (Feb 15, 2014)

To echo the general sentiment, great show. I've never been so into a show that moves so slowly. The story telling is incredibly well done. I could listen to the dialogue all day long. Plus, Daddario shows nearly every male who is aware of her what we've all been waiting for.


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## naw38 (Feb 16, 2014)

JD27 said:


> It has been really good, starting to pick up with Episode 4. Plus the scene with a nude Alexandra Daddario in Episode 2 made my day.



Yeah, I looked her up. Inspired me to watch the show. Oh man that was good. Really, _really_ good. I didn't think Matthew McConaughey had it in him.


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## Mexi (Feb 16, 2014)

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOD


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## wankerness (Feb 16, 2014)

naw38 said:


> I didn't think Matthew McConaughey had it in him.



Go watch Killer Joe and Mud and Dallas Buyers Club, the guy has gone on a streak of being awesome recently.


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## JD27 (Feb 16, 2014)

wankerness said:


> Go watch Killer Joe and Mud and Dallas Buyers Club, the guy has gone on a streak of being awesome recently.



Yeah I have seen Mud and Dallas Buyers Club in the last week, he is very good in both. Liked Killer Joe as well.


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## TimothyLeary (Feb 16, 2014)

The 4th episode was just freaking awesome!!


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## naw38 (Feb 16, 2014)

Yeah, I've only heard good things about Dallas Buyers Club - previous to that, all that comes to mind when I think of him is that God awful film with Sarah Jessica Parker. Ugh. 

Seriously loving this show though. Two characters big enough they could carry the weight of the show without uttering a word, and you just know there's going to be some really spectacular violence somewhere down the line. It's like Banshee for people that like their TV shows to be more than just an excuse to show boobs/people getting beheaded.


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## wankerness (Feb 16, 2014)

Banshee is well aware of how stupid it is and I love it completely. It's not like something like Sons of Anarchy where people actually take it seriously. 

In summation, Banshee and True Detective are the only two good shows on right now  True Detective is very obviously better, but Banshee is not even attempting to play on the same field, haha.

EDIT: That's odd that you'd have only heard of Failure to Launch, Mcconaughey has been in a lot of good stuff over the years, he just had about a decade there where he was mainly in romantic comedy crap. But he was in some dark, nasty stuff like Frailty in the past. I think "The Lincoln Lawyer" is generally considered where he suddenly sprang back to life and became one of the best actors around, but I haven't seen it myself. Killer Joe, Mud, Dallas Buyers Club, Magic Mike and small roles in Bernie and Wolf of Wall Street are all very good and show a ton of range. 

He's supposedly awesome in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: the New Generation, but I haven't watched that either!


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## naw38 (Feb 17, 2014)

Oh don't get me wrong - I love Banshee, immensely so. It's a good show - but it's not _very_ good, in the way that True Detective or Breaking Bad are very good. But it plays to it's strengths - sex and over the top, awesome violence. Which makes it a lot fun, and really enjoyable. 
It's also nice to see that Antony Starr managed to get the .... out of New Zealand and make a name for himself, because he's obviously a really competent actor that deserves better than to end up on Shortland Street until he retires.

I'll have to check out The Lincoln Lawyer then. And I only have superficial knowledge of Magic Mike, so I can't really imagine it being a vehicle for great acting, haha. Wolf of Wall Street was fantastic, and it would have been good to see MM in a larger role in that - especially because the character he portrayed was actually far more involved with Jordan Belfort than was shown in the film.


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## lemniscate (Feb 17, 2014)

Even if the writing sucked, it's probably the best executed series in history.


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## lemniscate (Feb 17, 2014)

BTW, the preacher is the head of the cult. Figured that one out in episode 2.


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## wankerness (Feb 17, 2014)




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## Demiurge (Feb 17, 2014)

Stumbled-onto this today:

The One Literary Reference You Must Know to Appreciate

Pretty awesome.


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## wankerness (Feb 17, 2014)

Marty: Bagged a ten point buck last year








One, two, three, four, five, six...seven, eight, nine...








(yeah right)


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## TimothyLeary (Feb 17, 2014)

Wata hell?! Wankerness please explain your last post.


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## Demiurge (Feb 17, 2014)

^I don't think Marty or Rust are the real killer, but it's awesome how little things like that really don't let anyone be sure.


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## wankerness (Feb 17, 2014)

Marty says to Rust as they're going out to Ledoux's that last year he killed a ten point buck last year. That picture is of the antlers that were attached to the dead chick, and they have ten points. The second picture is Hank's face in breaking bad right when he realizes that walt is the killer! FUN JOKE!

Here's some dude from another forum playing devil's advocate:


> His daughter knows about sex from a young age for a reason. He used to be into some freaky shit. He "used to be a good man" but now he's "all ....ed up." He keeps referencing a clue that is right under your nose, but you never see because you're looking at the wrong clues. It's not Tuttle because he's dead, and Marty ....ing killed him. Marty refused to let Cohle make the arrest without him, then kills LeDoo before he can talk. Marty tries to talk Cohle out of every theory he comes up with. He's got a swirly elder sign thing on the wall of his ....in house.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I wouldn't be surprised if it's all just bullshit but some of those clues there are most definitely intentional, even if it's just to mess with us viewers!

Here's the class pic with Ledoux in it (which person he is in the pic wasn't identified on the show), some people are asking if the guy in the top left is supposed to be Marty with Ledoux next to him:


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## TimothyLeary (Feb 18, 2014)

My bad. I didn't pick that marty 's line cause I watched the episode with Portuguese subtitles and low volume and the translation was not so specific. That's the reason why I want to re-watch all the episodes with English subs once the season ends. 

Anyway, it was a hell of an episode, I didn't want it to end. Lol

I don't think Rust is the killer cause is the one always looking for more clues. He was not convinced with that guy's suicide. He even wanted to take fingerprints from the public telephone.


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## Demiurge (Feb 18, 2014)

That is pretty compelling theory about Marty, and hell- even that Pink Floyd shirt he's wearing would be an interesting clue (which kind seemed like a joke- a square wearing the only band shirt he has to try to fit in at a biker bar and looking like a total narc).

It just seems that so far it's well-established that Marty is struggling with a double-life to the point where a "_oh, just not the double-life you think_" twist isn't as clever as the writers seem capable of. His over-sensitivity and possessiveness are better as an effective contrast with Rust and not an indication that he's truly the insane one.


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## ridner (Feb 18, 2014)

last episode was awesome! I love this show!!


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## wankerness (Feb 18, 2014)

If there was only one episode left I'd buy the theory that marty is the yellow king more than I do, this writer seems way too good to do something like that and then drag it out over the next three episodes.


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## ridner (Feb 18, 2014)

yea - at this point it seems like it could go any number of ways. the current focus on Russ seems too obvious for this show. cannot wait for the next episode!


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## TimothyLeary (Feb 18, 2014)

For me Marty is a strange guy cause he doesn't seem genuinely interested in the case like Rust and he's the man in charge, like his boss said, they had the time to investigate only because Marty's previous reputation. So why he's always following Rust and never take any initiative?

I also found curious what the captured killer said to Rust: "there's big people that know about him.. big people".


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## wankerness (Feb 18, 2014)

I don't think you were supposed to think for a second that Rust might have done it, the way the black detective guys were dropping "truth bombs" seemed to me to intentionally be massively undermined by the fact that us the audience knew they'd just received a ton of misinformation and believed it.


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## TimothyLeary (Feb 19, 2014)

I don't know why but in these 5 episodes it never cross my mind that Rust or Martin could be the killers. They may be have odd personalities but they're not serial killers. And from the writes point of view, it would be a too simples plot twist, don't you think? 

Have you seen that picture of the unsolved crime? Do you think that one man could do that alone? Don't you think there's a chance the killer has an accomplice?


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## wankerness (Feb 19, 2014)

Well, there's obviously a big conspiracy of some sort, and based on the king in yellow story the "yellow king" is probably practically metaphysical and not a single person. That story's (VERY, VERY ROUGHLY) about something that causes madness in all who look into it too far. Something I would guess is more believable is that Marty's wife is a member of whatever kind of cult this is, and rust's falling out with marty was over marty trying to protect his wife from rust's investigation, or something to that effect. The daughters have clearly seen some messed up stuff and that spiral thing being in their house was no accident. The ten point buck thing also seems like it very possibly was deliberate, and yeah, if marty was actually involved in killing that girl, no way he'd have brought that up around rust. 

Anyway yeah, it clearly isn't just a "one guy is the killer!" thing, that's for sure.


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## s_k_mullins (Feb 19, 2014)

One of the best things I've watched in a long time! Loved every episode so far!


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## Demiurge (Feb 19, 2014)

BTW, the book _The King in Yellow_ is a free download on Gutenberg.org. It is creepy as hell.


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## mongey (Feb 26, 2014)

just watched the 6th epidose last night . really enjoying the show but kinda glad its only 8 episiodes in the season . I think the pacing could fall short if it was the full 12 or so 

Marty gets some hot peices of ass thats for sure


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## asfeir (Feb 26, 2014)

the show is 8 episodes but every episode is like 60 minutes which is a good 15-20 minutes more than other shows so it's a bit like a 10 episodes show.


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## wankerness (Feb 26, 2014)

I was pleasantly surprised to see that Marty's new chick was the actress that's been naked on probably 50% of the episodes of Banshee ever filmed. What a great show that is! I didn't recognize her when she was in the earlier episode playing a 15 year old because I was worried the actress was actually 15 so I didn't want to look at her in case she was hot and also 15 irl


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## Louis Cypher (Feb 27, 2014)

Only started here in the UK last weekend

Scan read most this thread so I don't spoil anything for myself but really good to read this is as good as it looks

The Alexandra Daddario episode is this weekend..... Def good to be Woody Harrelson in that episode from pics I seen on the interweb.....


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## sakeido (Feb 28, 2014)

Episode 6 probably the worst one of the series so far, that was pretty slow and actually pretty cliche with respect with one character's arc. But they need some time to set up episodes 7 and 8, and I have no doubt at all they will be INCREDIBLE. 



Spoiler



been waiting for 2012 Rust and Marty to meet again, and they do right at the end. Woooooooo


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## Murdstone (Mar 1, 2014)

Never thought I'd hear myself say this but Matthew McConaughey has been impressing me lately. I'm interested to see how the next two episodes play out.


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## ridner (Mar 3, 2014)

last night was quite the set up for the finale!


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## Mr Violence (Mar 4, 2014)

Anybody have theories on what's going on?

I'm thinking...



Spoiler



Either someone is trying to blow the whistle from within the cult, or they made an example of someone in the cult by placing it out in the open in 1995. If I recall, someone set a fire to draw attention to it.

Another theory is that the story the removed cousin recounted about 3 younger boys, Errol Childress, Dewall and Reggie LeDoux has something to do separate from the overarching cult. Someone postulated that the three younger ones went on their own and did the public murders and rituals while the older guys in the cult do those things behind closed doors and generally try to keep it under wraps.



Any thoughts?


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## Demiurge (Mar 5, 2014)

I'm trying to weigh my expectations. The belief is that there is some large conspiracy at-play, but if that is the case, then why weren't Rust & Marty getting jammed-up in their original investigation? Even with Tuttle's "task force" swooping in, attempting to take the case (to, as we'd expect, do a cover-up), the chief didn't give it over. The chief gave them a narrow window and the "the people want answers" spiel, but that's pretty much boilerplate hard-ass police chief from tv shows talk.

You'd think if the killer & co truly had the power and influence, the task force would have been given permission to take it no-questions-asked. So far, the writing has been pretty clever, but I'm not sure if I'd give enough credit to take that seeming inconsistency as a clue.


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## wankerness (Mar 5, 2014)

I hope it's doing just what it looks like it's doing, lawnmower man is basically the only surviving cult guy, and the last episode doesn't try and pull ridiculous stuff out of its butt like a Dexter season finale. I think they're going to try and end it naturally and probably won't introduce much of anything in terms of surprises because there are no more episodes with these characters, and stuff like that is usually the realm of shows trying to get people to watch next season.


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## Mr Violence (Mar 7, 2014)

wankerness said:


> I hope it's doing just what it looks like it's doing, lawnmower man is basically the only surviving cult guy, and the last episode doesn't try and pull ridiculous stuff out of its butt like a Dexter season finale. I think they're going to try and end it naturally and probably won't introduce much of anything in terms of surprises because there are no more episodes with these characters, and stuff like that is usually the realm of shows trying to get people to watch next season.



I would be 100% okay with this.


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## Xaios (Mar 7, 2014)

wankerness said:


> I think "The Lincoln Lawyer" is generally considered where he suddenly sprang back to life and became one of the best actors around, but I haven't seen it myself.



"The Lincoln Lawyer" was indeed a very solid flick. I'll have to check this show out, McConnaughy's been killing it lately.


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## Murdstone (Mar 9, 2014)

The ending was kind of eh, but a solid close to the season overall.


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## Demiurge (Mar 9, 2014)

It was impressive the amount of engagement this show achieved, and it had to be realized that the speculation about certain plot points were going to go way outside the actual trajectory of the plot.

That said, it was a bit of a letdown how the actual outcome wasn't as crazy & convoluted as hoped, but I really enjoyed it. I didn't expect to go from terror to something so emotional and, of all things, positive.


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## mcd (Mar 10, 2014)

Demiurge said:


> I I didn't expect to go from terror to something so emotional and, of all things, positive.



was that not awesome? I loved the ending!


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## TimothyLeary (Mar 10, 2014)

I liked the ending, but a lot of stuff died unexplained. I just think they had material for like 30 more minutes or maybe it's just the fanboy in me speaking.


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## wankerness (Mar 10, 2014)

People seem mad Mcconaughey didn't go through the portal to fight yog sothoth or whatever. I thought it was a great ending.


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## TimothyLeary (Mar 10, 2014)

wankerness said:


> People seem mad Mcconaughey didn't go through the portal to fight yog sothoth or whatever. I thought it was a great ending.



What is your understanding about that scene? I thought it was a Rust hallucination, cause Marty asked him in the car if he still had them.


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## wankerness (Mar 10, 2014)

TimothyLeary said:


> What is your understanding about that scene? I thought it was a Rust hallucination, cause Marty asked him in the car if he still had them.



That was what I assumed too, but I'm not going to lie, I haven't been paying as close of attention as I should have been throughout the series. It will probably make more sense on second viewing. I figured it could also be some kind of reference to other movies/tv shows where people get so warped mentally by being faced with pure evil that they hallucinate. There's some specific scene I'm trying to think of where I remember that happening (a killer basically turning into the devil from the point of view of the victim) but I will have to think about it for a while. The show "Millennium" dealt with this idea pretty frequently too.


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## Mr Violence (Mar 10, 2014)

You know, after thinking about it, I'm completely satisfied. The writer made a point to say that nowadays people are so caught up with something having to be clever and all these connections need to be made, that we've lost appreciation for decent storytelling.

It went down realistically. Coincidences were left as just that, and Cohle even said


Spoiler



"We didn't get all of them."


 That's probably how it would've played out. No crazy coincidences. Just everything that lead them to the end made sense, pretty much.

Things that weren't addressed, didn't need to be. I think we're conditioned into expecting a plot to be convoluted and crazy. This was a great way to put a big middle finger to that and prove that a straight forward story can still be really, really awesome.

At first Cohle's little hopeful transformation bugged me, but it was actually a great way to end it.


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## mongey (Mar 11, 2014)

I liked how it ended. I was expecting a more of a twist at the end but maybe we are all tuned to expect one these days and its more powerful without 

with the voretx thing i took it as the intensity of the situation made Rust peak and trip out


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## wankerness (Mar 11, 2014)

mongey said:


> I liked how it ended. I was expecting a more of a twist at the end but maybe we are all tuned to expect one these days and its more powerful without
> 
> with the voretx thing i took it as the intensity of the situation made Rust peak and trip out



I haven't rewatched the earlier episodes yet but my friend who did informed me that there were at least 3 other hallucinations in the earlier episodes. The only one he described that I remembered was the spiral of birds, but yes, they were a recurring thing. I think your interpretation is probably correct, he faced pure evil and death and hallucinated a visual representation of it in response.


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## mongey (Mar 11, 2014)

wankerness said:


> I haven't rewatched the earlier episodes yet but my friend who did informed me that there were at least 3 other hallucinations in the earlier episodes. The only one he described that I remembered was the spiral of birds, but yes, they were a recurring thing. I think your interpretation is probably correct, he faced pure evil and death and hallucinated a visual representation of it in response.


 

yeah I picked up on the birds at the time 

def a show worth a rewatch to pick up more


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## SKoG (Mar 11, 2014)

I loved the show, watched each episode several times, and really liked the ending. I understand that people wanted more loose ends tied up, but *green spoiler wall of text*:



Spoiler



for all we know, the "official" rituals of the previous generation hadn't happened for
many years. Most of the older family members are dead or elderly in 2012. The group
ritual stuff we saw in the tape and photos may be done and over with, and now it's
just Errol being insane and copycatting stuff he remembers from his abuse and seeing
the abuse and killing of others first hand when he was younger. 

Carcosa (the ritual place ruins) didn't look like it was being used by anyone but Errol 
in 2012, especially not a group of rich and powerful guys that used to do their evil stuff there.

They got the main bad guy who was still active. Yes, people are trying to cover up the
connections to people alive and in power, but I doubt there were any more active things going on for
the 2012 detectives to really pin anything to. 

I liked how they included the spooky spiritual ideas of "time is a flat circle" and The Yellow King being 
"all around us" and the other implications of Ledoux, Errol, and the other evil people having some kind 
of other-worldly connection, but I'm glad they left that open to our own interpretation and didn't try
to explain it directly or represent it visually in some way on film.


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## flexkill (Mar 13, 2014)

I thought he was gonna pull that knife all the way up to Rust's neck! Great show.


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## Skyblue (Apr 7, 2014)

Just finished it today- what an amazing show. Both Harrelson and Mcconaughey were tremendous. 

About the ending- 


Spoiler



I didn't really have a problem with it, felt like it wrapped up everything nicely. I'll probably have to re-watch as I missed some dialogues here and there (damn rust is always whispering ). Personally, I don't think it had anything to do with the supernatural- Cohle's hallucinations were mentioned early in the show (can't remember if it's his Synesthesia or also LSD flashbacks or something) so I don't think it was any portal or something like that, as I've heard people suggest. As for the whole "Yellow king"- as far as I understand, the original King in Yellow is a play that induces fear, despair and madness in those who read it. As I see it, the whole idea is that Cohle and Marty "stared into the heart of darkness" if you will, saw the true evils that man kind can do, and that's what drove them to try and solve this crime (and maybe even go a little mad with despair). Think of the scene where Cohle shows Marty the tape- that convinces him to join him again. the tape that shows him the evils that mankind can reach. 
Just my 2 cents I guess.


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## Tuco Borborygmus (Apr 9, 2014)

I sat through all 8 episodes yesterday. Haven't enjoyed a show like that since The Wire.
Awesome. McConaughey SO good!!!!!!


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## UltraParanoia (Apr 15, 2014)

My wife & I knocked the season over in a few nights finishing last night. We loved it!
I didn't think I'd get as hooked as I did, but it was definitely 1 of the best I have watched in a while...now I need something to replace it with

I think the ending was perfect.


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## Defi (May 3, 2014)

I watched this all within a week. It was a damn good watch. McConaughey/Harrelson were top notch. Really made the characters interesting. I felt the best was around the mid point. Towards the end it seems like they just crammed a seasons worth of stuff into two episodes.

And, one of the best things this show has taught me is the wonder of the Handsome Family (the musical group who performs the opening credit theme). Damn good music.


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## Joose (Nov 15, 2014)

Watched the first season in its entirety last night. Wasn't the plan, but damn if that shit didn't draw me in!

Brilliant show.


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## technomancer (Nov 15, 2014)

I just finally got around to watching this recently. I was expecting supernatural elements and didn't get them, but it was fantastic without them. Amazing ending.


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## Defi (Nov 16, 2014)

Colin Farrel and Vince Vaughn to be lead roles in season 2.... Interesting. And Abigail Spencer, who I have found particularly attractive while watching Rectify a bit the past week. Upon googling about her and true detective discovered that there are videos of her masturbating on the internet... well that was weird.


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## dan the man (Nov 17, 2014)

For anyone interested in Rust Cohle's pessimistic philosophy, you should check out Thomas Ligotti's "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race". 

All those scenes where Rust ruminates on the crappiness of existence is totally taken from this book. You've probably seen that the director of the series was under fire for plagiarism, however I think that's B.S.

Also, anyone familiar with Arthur Schoepenhauer's work will see a direct line of thought connection. 

It's a great book, and dark as hell.


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## vilk (Nov 17, 2014)

I watched this entire series in one day 2 weeks ago. I actually had like, other shit to do that day, but I put on the first episode and did not move for 8 hours. It was VERY surprisingly good, especially because until seeing this show I was not particularly interested in Matthew Mcconaughey. Came out of left field man, how good this dude's acting was.

His character was like, a little corny (the quiet, aloof, philosophical genius detective), but it actually worked. He actually somehow pulled it off. I can see dozens of other actors doing that shit totally the wrong way.

Also, I just wanted to say, that I did not at any point in time either expect something supernatural, interpret any of dudemans hallucinations as supernatural, and I actually have no idea what any of you are talking about with the whole 'walking through a portal' thing. Though admittedly the show almost blurred by me because I watched in one sitting. But I am glad it didn't go that direction. And I'm not really sure about the ambiguity of any of it.


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## dedsouth333 (Nov 17, 2014)

I had pretty much the same thing happen to me as vilk. I started the first episode at midnight one night and didn't move untill most people were starting their days and stumbled to my bed. It came highly recommended by a friend of mine (who also highly recommends The Wire so I was extremely skeptical) and I was just blown away. 

I'm no critic nor can I accurately analyze it but I would definitely recommend it to anyone with a penchant for Lovecraftian or slightly nihilistic tastes in media.


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## ridner (Nov 20, 2014)

really looking forward to the next season - the 1st one will be hard to beat


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## leonardo7 (Nov 20, 2014)

The director Cary Fukunaga is a good friend of mine from High School.


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