The Brilliance of True Detective
23:27I am by my own admission a slight television junkie. I finally caved an got myself a Netflix account earlier this year. A months free trial I told myself as a treat as all my university assignments had been completed...well one month turned into six and here we are now.
It has been well documented and discussed in the media over the past few years about how high-quality Drama has evolved and made a home for itself on television making it an alternative to film. In the past we've had a few stand out shows like The Sopranos and The Wire which caught the imagination of the viewer. Now we have it on such a larger scale, I'm talking about shows such as Breaking Bad, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Veep etc.... Another show that came out of nowhere which really caught my interest was True Detective.
True Detective is a HBO-produced show. Written by Nic Pizzolatto and directed by Cary Fukunaga set in an anthology-format, It was shown on HBO in the states and on Sky Atlantic earlier this year. True Detective follows two Louisiana State Detectives; Martin Hart and Rustin Cohle as they investigate and attempt to hunt for a serial-killer that lasts the course of seventeen years. Marty Hart (played by Woody Harrelson)is arguably the more stable of the two who deals with his own problems with his own unique code. He is the polar opposite to Matthew McConaughey's Rust Cohle. Rust is troubled, nihilistic and haunted by his past and sees nothing worth wile in the point of human existence. Classic Rust line: "I think human conciseness is a tragic misstep in evolution" however 'Tax Man' Rust is extremely smart and is renowned for gaining confessions from suspects.
That is the basis for the two main characters and the premise. I don't think I've ever seen a show that I've been so invested in week by week. The show contains many literary and philosophical references, from The Yellow King to Nietzsche which adds more layers of interest and confusion to the characters. The Louisiana environment in which the show is set has such a strong sense of identity you can almost feel the heat seeping through the screen. Rust's monologues in 2012 are another thing in themselves (they have to be seen to be believed) the fact that the show jumps between 1995, 2002 & 2012 I thought would be problematic but it adds another layer of complexity to the show that I thoroughly enjoyed. Each one of the eight episodes is fantastic in terms of story, characterization and production. I should point out that Episode 4 is a stand-out for me and a particular favorite and the last six minutes has one one of the best tracking shots you'll probably ever see on television.
I could easily talk True Detective stories and theories all night, but I will end up giving things away so I'll finish this up. In only eight episodes this show will have you hooked it's definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen (there's a reason why it has 12 Emmy nominations) Unfortunately Rust and Marty aren't back for Season Two as there story was finite, so new cast and story for Season Two..now just I just have to play the waiting game!
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