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True Detective Season 1, Yea or Nay?

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A

Axiology

Member
Yea.
It's definitely a good show, and some of the scenes in the first half are really amazing. The problem is, the last 2 or 3 episodes really shit the bed. Around halfway through the season things start getting more and more ridiculous until it ends in full cartoon mode.

I still can't understand people who claim it was a perfect season.
 
Z

Zukuu

Banned
Something is wrong with the pacing. It has no ups and downs, it stays on a flat line the entire time, admittedly a 'high' one, but it doesn't make for an exciting time. The entire season is essentially a 7 to 8 hour long movie. I think, if you cut it into a 2 to 3 hour movie it would have been way better. Both main leads play amazing tho and make up for the somewhat mediocre story. It's a 'yay', but not a 9.3/10 yay imo.
 
A

Anton Sugar

Member
Axiology said:
Yea.
It's definitely a good show, and some of the scenes in the first half are really amazing. The problem is, the last 2 or 3 episodes really shit the bed. Around halfway through the season things start getting more and more ridiculous until it ends in full cartoon mode.

I still can't understand people who claim it was a perfect season.
Click to expand...

Same. I don't think the last few episodes necessarily shat the bed but they did have a fairly sharp decline in overall quality.
 
E

Easy_D

never left the stone age
Yes and yes. Also yes. True Detective is amazing. When you're done with that watch the first season of Fargo.
 
Monocle

Monocle

Member
Discotheque said:
Really like mads mikkelsen but hannibal has some shit ass writing at times

Visually a great show though, but I aint a fan of bryan fuller
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I can't think of many examples apart from "wind-chafed skin." The show's world is a heightened reality where realism is important but also completely at the mercy of the drama. Everything is what it seems to be but also has a reflection in the parallel current of metaphor that starts at episode one, frame one and runs clear through the rest of the series. Basically, everyone is always talking about at least two things at once: a character's murderous father and Hannibal's relationship with Will, a crime scene and Hannibal's personal motivations, a criminal profile and Will's state of mind, art and murder, etc. The same goes for everything you see. For all that, the show rarely comes across as too clever for its own good. The whole thing is so wonderfully balanced and controlled that an inattentive viewer could easily mistake the first half of season one for an ordinary crime procedural with some really beautiful shots.

I can forgive the show its occasional misfires because it's so incredibly bold in its purposeful use of sophisticated art design and florid writing for character-driven storytelling. Hannibal the character has never been such a horribly charismatic monster. Hannibal's world has never been more vividly realized, with so many striking images and ingenious cinematic moments, and such a rich ambient soundscape. Hannibal's colleagues and victims have never been as collectively interesting and sympathetic as they are in this show, which routinely outdoes both the source material and the best film adaptations. There's nothing else like Hannibal on television. And in my opinion, nothing better.
 
F

Faddy

Banned
Anton Sugar said:
This is debatable. The lack of cuts reflected Rust's state of mind and the amount of focus he had, versus the biker wankers who were sloppy and paid the price.
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The camera pans away from Rust multiple times. There are several instances of shots of walls and a couple where the camera literally turns 180 to show the behind shot. The long shot also diminishes the acting and dialogue of the scene and compares badly to the pivotal scene in the show where they kill Reggie LeDoux.

The scene also doesn't have an ending, they just meet the car in the street and it is never apparent why that street is safe. The meet up is strange too because in the set up it seems that they are going to an unknown dangerous housing project so phoning up and knowing a street name is kind of jarring. There are just a lot of little things that don't add up to a terrific scene. It is clear to me that they wanted to do a tracking shot without any other context.
 
G

ghstwrld

Member
Axiology said:
Yea.
It's definitely a good show, and some of the scenes in the first half are really amazing. The problem is, the last 2 or 3 episodes really shit the bed. Around halfway through the season things start getting more and more ridiculous until it ends in full cartoon mode.

I still can't understand people who claim it was a perfect season.
Click to expand...

this

the last two episodes are straight up camp in the worst possible way
 
L

lastflowers

Banned
Guevara said:
Ultimately disappointing, the last episode is basically
CSI: Louisiana
. Worth watching for the acting, groan-worthy writing aside.
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Yeah, basically we all knew where it was going the last couple of episodes. It was a disappointing end, but the characterization and performances are worth the ride alone.
 
B

Brakke

Banned
I dunno. It's worth watching once, probably. I was super high on it back when every week I thought "this is the week Cthulu's going to come through the clouds and devour everyone's souls" but then that never happens and instead the whole thing is just kind of rote. It's like a beautiful package for an ultimately pretty mundane thing.
 
jonnyp

jonnyp

Member
Kilrogg said:
Not a native speaker here.

I tried watching the first episode without subtitles and started to hate Matthew McConaughey with a passion.

2 days later I went to see Interstellar not knowing much about it and lo and behold, Mr. Matthew "I-can't-enunciate-for-shit" McConaughey was in that too and I now want him to die in a fire.

Fuck you McConaughey, you're not foreign-friendly ;(.
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You hate him because you have an English comprehension problem?
 
U

User 479360

Banned
McConaughey is perhaps the best actor out there, and he's really good in this. The show, itself, is also great.

Definitely watch it!
 
C

Coffee Dog

Banned
Brakke said:
I dunno. It's worth watching once, probably. I was super high on it back when every week I thought "this is the week Cthulu's going to come through the clouds and devour everyone's souls" but then that never happens and instead the whole thing is just kind of rote. It's like a beautiful package for an ultimately pretty mundane thing.
Click to expand...

The entire thing was always just a serial killer show, and all fantastical references were used to illustrate the characters, not the future direction of the show.

How did people honestly think it would go full fantasy at the end?
 
B

blueteainfusion

Member
Very good show with amazing atmosphere, great acting by the main three actors and gorgeous cinematography. There are moments in this show when you'll be floored how good it is.

However, the ending is seriously disappointing. It's a fun experience, but I never had any urge to re-watch it - and I fucking live for seeing the same stuff again and again. Once it's over, you pretty much forget about it, because there's not much to return to. There are no fully realized characters other than the main trio, and that's a major downside. The ending to the mystery is so straightforward that all the promises the show had - they disappear. I don't remember any serious plot-holes, but in my view the plot never lives up to its potential. Which is a shame.

In conclusion: definitely worth a watch, not worth the enormous hype that surrounds it.
 
N

nawwafh

Member
i may be in the minority.. but i honestly dont get the hype..
Performances were the best.. thats for sure..
But the show was just okay for me..

in short No.. dont bother.. go watch Hannibal (if u havent)
 
K

KingofGourds

Member
Amazing show.

Doesn't quite stick the landing, but the way it builds and the high points it hits along the way make it some of the best television I've seen.
 
N

Nappuccino

Member
It's good. Like others have said, it doesn't quite stick the landing. I think they really needed one more episode to let the present-day story breathe. Maybe a few re-writes here and there to polish off some lesser points of the last 3 or so episodes.

But definitely worth it and I'm glad I own the bluray.
 
V

Ventilaator

Banned
I don't understand the ridiculous praise the show is getting, but I would still recommend it. Didn't blow my mind, but it's an enjoyable show.
 
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