Topic: True Detective - HBO Drama

[jackh]

I missed Skrtel's opener at the weekend, but fervently celebrated his second and Sterling's goal.  When Sturridge scored I simply reclined in awestruck disbelief.

This show is creating that same feeling - the characters (and actors' performances) are so compelling and their relationship and story so immersive that you can't help but get drawn in - after the dense plod through the crafting of these characters who we feel like we've spent weeks with, that final scene was breathtaking.

This is outstanding television - it's knocking everything else put of the park and it's less than four hours old.  Raising the bar, this.

[Twelfth Man]

I'm the only one that didn't rate it then? All felt a bit forced to me, preferred it when it was more subtle

I'm not averse to this argument. I felt Breaking Bad went a bit too Hollywood after season 3 and lost a lot of the tension and subtlety of the previous seasons . This is 8 episodes long. It didn't feel forced or contrived at all to me. The plot is naturally heading towards the action. Once the guy is caught (mild spoiler) I expect the interviews sections get a lot more intense.

[ghost1359]

I'm not averse to this argument. I felt Breaking Bad went a bit too Hollywood after season 3 and lost a lot of the tension and subtlety of the previous seasons . This is 8 episodes long. It didn't feel forced or contrived at all to me. The plot is naturally heading towards the action. Once the guy is caught (mild spoiler) I expect the interviews sections get a lot more intense.

I hope so, hasn't ruined it for me by any means but I personally thought that was the weakest of the episodes so far.

[red mongoose]

I'm the only one that didn't rate it then? All felt a bit forced to me, preferred it when it was more subtle

Spoiler

I thought you could really see Rust's descent into the drugs and the instability of all that in every twitch and discoloration on McConaughey's face, and like 12th said, all of that build-up led very naturally into the action last night, I thought. I know what you are saying about there being an abrupt shift after all of the build-up before, but I thought they handled it extremely well. The sheer tension of that whole time in the hood - moreso than in the biker bar, which was less tense than I thought it would be - was just heart-clenchingly terrifying.

[close]

[Dan Dando]

I hope so, hasn't ruined it for me by any means but I personally thought that was the weakest of the episodes so far.

I posted this a page or two back, I think... but it's a bit of insight as to how the season is going to shape up from here on out.

"Episode four is the beginning of Act Two. Suddenly, the rhythm of the entire show changes. The slow part is over now. The first three episodes move at a very deliberate, almost funereal cadence, like you’re marching toward something. And what you’re marching toward is that final image in episode three.
Then in episodes four, five, and six, the rhythm is much more varied. They’re like children. I love them all for different reasons. But five for me is like the most special of the children. Then seven and eight are the third act—and the less said about that, the better."

So I think the next two episodes are going to be more like episode four than the first three, hopefully that doesn't put you off. Although Pizzolatto says there that next week's episode is his favourite.

[Twelfth Man]

Spoiler

I thought you could really see Rust's descent into the drugs and the instability of all that in every twitch and discoloration on McConaughey's face, and like 12th said, all of that build-up led very naturally into the action last night, I thought. I know what you are saying about there being an abrupt shift after all of the build-up before, but I thought they handled it extremely well. The sheer tension of that whole time in the hood - moreso than in the biker bar, which was less tense than I thought it would be - was just heart-clenching terrifying.

[close]

Spoiler

It starts with Cohle telling Marty about the sat phone, while he asks about his wife. Cohle's face, how fucking serious and intense he gets, he knows just how dangerous visiting the biker club is, the way he gives Marty two or three deadly serious and hard pats on the back. From that point on it all got cranked up to an incredible pitch.

[close]

I like the fact that the one director is doing all the episodes, and that it is short. Often with these things they get some success and the temptation to stretch it out is too much. [/spoiler]

[Twelfth Man]

I posted this a page or two back, I think... but it's a bit of insight as to how the season is going to shape up from here on out.

"Episode four is the beginning of Act Two. Suddenly, the rhythm of the entire show changes. The slow part is over now. The first three episodes move at a very deliberate, almost funereal cadence, like you’re marching toward something. And what you’re marching toward is that final image in episode three.
Then in episodes four, five, and six, the rhythm is much more varied. They’re like children. I love them all for different reasons. But five for me is like the most special of the children. Then seven and eight are the third act—and the less said about that, the better."

So I think the next two episodes are going to be more like episode four than the first three, hopefully that doesn't put you off. Although Pizzolatto says there that next week's episode is his favourite.

Sounds like next week's episode is going to even more awesome than Sunday's.

[BigMarcs]

Spoiler

That last scene was extremely intense. Like someone said above, GTA style

[close]

[Red_Irishman]

That was excellent. Final scene was brilliant.

[Dan Dando]

Spoiler

That last scene was extremely intense. Like someone said above, GTA style

[close]

Spoiler

Reminds me of an interesting post I stumbled upon on Tumblr earlier on.

"I loved the single-take action scene on “True Detective” last night. People who don’t play videogames often talk about how videogames have influenced the visuals in movies, but they point to the wrong things: Michael Bay, fast editing, lots of explosions. People who play videogames know that most games are, visually speaking, remarkably steady: The camera hovers in a first-person or third-person perspective, and there are no “cuts” or “edits.”

Whereas the “True Detective” scene actually FELT like a videogame: Following over McConaughey’s back, it allowed us to see both his surroundings and how he was reacting to the surroundings.

It was sort of first-person AND third-person in that way — reminiscent of Michael Mann’s post-“Heat” period, when the camera constantly seems perched right behind his character’s shoulders. (Call it the Ear Close-up.)"

[close]

[Twelfth Man]

Spoiler

Reminds me of an interesting post I stumbled upon on Tumblr earlier on.

"I loved the single-take action scene on “True Detective” last night. People who don’t play videogames often talk about how videogames have influenced the visuals in movies, but they point to the wrong things: Michael Bay, fast editing, lots of explosions. People who play videogames know that most games are, visually speaking, remarkably steady: The camera hovers in a first-person or third-person perspective, and there are no “cuts” or “edits.”

Whereas the “True Detective” scene actually FELT like a videogame: Following over McConaughey’s back, it allowed us to see both his surroundings and how he was reacting to the surroundings.

It was sort of first-person AND third-person in that way — reminiscent of Michael Mann’s post-“Heat” period, when the camera constantly seems perched right behind his character’s shoulders. (Call it the Ear Close-up.)"

[close]

That is spot on.

Spoiler

It captured the intensity of the biker and hood escape missions in GTA V, and FPS in general.

[close]

[red mongoose]

That is spot on.

Spoiler

It captured the intensity of the biker and hood escape missions in GTA V, and FPS in general.

[close]

Spoiler

I felt that too, as I was watching it, and the thing I liked about it is that it wasn't a lazy rip-off of videogames like GTA at all - it was reminiscent of them, very much so, but it was also its own thing, and had its own cinema verite. It was just fucking greatness. I'm going to wait until the season is over, because I don't like to read too much speculation on what might happen, even if it is kind of mild, but I'm really interested to look into the makers of this show more deeply.

[close]

[OsirisMVZ]

Just finished #4. Amazing. To think that people are comparing this show, four episodes in, to some of the greatest TV of all time, and you know they're more right than wrong.

Most exciting thing for me is that the writer says he's found a character that he likes even more than Rust for season 2. Means this show will be going places even after this season is over. Don't know if I can take much more of that though! Been a very tense 3 episodes so far and that 4th one brought so much intensity in the final stages.

[red mongoose]

Just finished #4. Amazing. To think that people are comparing this show, four episodes in, to some of the greatest TV of all time, and you know they're more right than wrong.

Most exciting thing for me is that the writer says he's found a character that he likes even more than Rust for season 2. Means this show will be going places even after this season is over. Don't know if I can take much more of that though! Been a very tense 3 episodes so far and that 4th one brought so much intensity in the final stages.

I was just thinking about this too, how happy I am that this is an anthology series - as much as I love these characters and would like to see much more of them, an anthology is something different and I'm in the mood for something different. I think the biggest thing though is that it adds intensity to an already very intense show - we, as viewers, know that it all has to happen in these eight episodes. It amps everything up to 11. Really fucking impressed with everything about this show, to be honest.

[sideshowme]

i thought the series took a bit of a dip with this episode.  the first major lull. it didn't grab me (despite some good moments) and the massive cliche of the "sure i'll help you... if you do this" made it more GTA than it should have been.  it was a misstep, IMO, out of character with the rest of the show.

but then that six minute shot.  one shot, and that's impressive in itself, but it's one shot that covers the length of a football pitch (?) with dozens of extras, fighting, shooting, cars, passage through three houses and over a fence, and a fucking helicopter.  jawdroppingly incredible visuals.  i watched it three times, and could watch it all night spotting new things each time.

this is shaping up to be a very special show indeed, and i can't wait to watch it all over again once its finished.

[Twelfth Man]

Spoiler

Anyone know what Ginger gave Rust at the biker club to sniff too make sure his story was not BS? Is there a drug out there which you can tell people are lying?

[close]

[Yiannis]

i thought the series took a bit of a dip with this episode.  the first major lull. it didn't grab me (despite some good moments) and the massive cliche of the "sure i'll help you... if you do this" made it more GTA than it should have been.  it was a misstep, IMO, out of character with the rest of the show.

but then that six minute shot.  one shot, and that's impressive in itself, but it's one shot that covers the length of a football pitch (?) with dozens of extras, fighting, shooting, cars, passage through three houses and over a fence, and a fucking helicopter.  jawdroppingly incredible visuals.  i watched it three times, and could watch it all night spotting new things each time.

this is shaping up to be a very special show indeed, and i can't wait to watch it all over again once its finished.

Plot continued, the 2 lead actors were immense again, final scene was just incredible yet I had this feeling of not having enjoyed it as much as the 3rd.

Need to re-watch it once more.

[Redcap]

Agree with the sentiment that it wasn't quite as good as the first three episodes. The 6 minute shot was a heck of a technical achievement and brilliant to watch, but the episode as a whole if anything felt a little bit like any other police show.

Still the achievements of the show so far are pretty damn incredible. Has another show generated so much buzz 4 episodes into the first season?

[RedSince86]

HBO are just the gods of TV, if anyone here lives in NYC there offices are on 6th avenue, just walk in and give everyone a hug and a pat on the back for me.

[sideshowme]

here it is again.  i could seriously just watch it over and over.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/s_HuFuKiq8U" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/s_HuFuKiq8U</a>

[red mongoose]

Spoiler

Anyone know what Ginger gave Rust at the biker club to sniff too make sure his story was not BS? Is there a drug out there which you can tell people are lying?

[close]

Spoiler

The only thing I have ever heard of is sodium pentathol, but you always see them putting that in someone's vein with a syringe - I was wondering when I watched the episode if maybe some biker Walter Whited some of that somehow to make it snortable? I don't know. It seems like shows like NCIS have had some other truth serums on there in the past few years, but they never really get into what it is as far as I can tell - all those lazy procedurals like that just stamp out episodes like an assembly line anyway lol

[close]

[Malaysian Kopite]

here it is again.  i could seriously just watch it over and over.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/s_HuFuKiq8U" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/s_HuFuKiq8U</a>

Incredible. GTA comparisons are sort of apt although I felt it was more reminiscent of The Last of Us especially the way they move true the houses.

[Schmidt]

Spoiler

The only thing I have ever heard of is sodium pentathol, but you always see them putting that in someone's vein with a syringe - I was wondering when I watched the episode if maybe some biker Walter Whited some of that somehow to make it snortable? I don't know. It seems like shows like NCIS have had some other truth serums on there in the past few years, but they never really get into what it is as far as I can tell - all those lazy procedurals like that just stamp out episodes like an assembly line anyway lol

[close]

Spoiler

I can't see it being anything like that to be honest, it didn't stop him lying after all. My guess would be some other drug that would get him high enough to let something slip, and the secrecy was to make it harder for him to prepare for the experience.

I know fuck all about drug use though so I could be way off.

[close]

[Dan Dando]

I'm really intrigued by Rust's tiny mirror which popped up again in the newest episode (Marty looking into it made me laugh out loud) - what's the idea behind that? Another one of Rust's peculiar meditations? I suppose it inhibits your vanity a little in the sense that you can only see your eye and you can't focus on physical appearance (what's the phrase again... eyes being the window to the soul)

[OsirisMVZ]

We haven't seen it from the proper perspective yet, have we? I'm guessing its a bit weirder than we think it is.

[Dan Dando]

We haven't seen it from the proper perspective yet, have we? I'm guessing its a bit weirder than we think it is.

There was this little glimpse of it in episode two...

[Twelfth Man]

Spoiler

I can't see it being anything like that to be honest, it didn't stop him lying after all. My guess would be some other drug that would get him high enough to let something slip, and the secrecy was to make it harder for him to prepare for the experience.

I know fuck all about drug use though so I could be way off.

[close]

I think you're right. Just checking to see whether he is still part of the drug 'outlaw' life. Might be Angel Dust or some shit.

[Agger]

Spoiler

Some of the punches in the 6 minute scene looked a bit fake, though. And Ginger was almost knocked out completely by a single punch. I know they had taken an immense amount of drugs, but as experienced as he is, I found it a bit weird that he seemed completely lost all of a sudden. Also, did he realize that Rust was taking him away from the police? He didn't seem to eager to get away at times..

[close]

[tonysleft]

Spoiler

Some of the punches in the 6 minute scene looked a bit fake, though. And Ginger was almost knocked out completely by a single punch. I know they had taken an immense amount of drugs, but as experienced as he is, I found it a bit weird that he seemed completely lost all of a sudden. Also, did he realize that Rust was taking him away from the police? He didn't seem to eager to get away at times..

[close]

Spoiler

Rust was kicking the shit out of him a couple of times along the way though. The only part of the last scene that seemed a bit off to me was when that gangster swung at Rust GTA style with the baseball bat.. it was a bit of a comical miss, and the only time Rust seemed "ninja cop", when he beat up both of those guys with ease.

[close]

[Twelfth Man]

Spoiler

Some of the punches in the 6 minute scene looked a bit fake, though. And Ginger was almost knocked out completely by a single punch. I know they had taken an immense amount of drugs, but as experienced as he is, I found it a bit weird that he seemed completely lost all of a sudden. Also, did he realize that Rust was taking him away from the police? He didn't seem to eager to get away at times..

[close]

Spoiler

Punched with a gun. Also the ninja punch to the other biker guy after he takes Ginger out the back, he is left holding his neck. I'm okay with the slight discrepancies given how hard it is to pull something like that off.

[close]

[Dan Dando]

Spoiler

Some of the punches in the 6 minute scene looked a bit fake, though. And Ginger was almost knocked out completely by a single punch. I know they had taken an immense amount of drugs, but as experienced as he is, I found it a bit weird that he seemed completely lost all of a sudden. Also, did he realize that Rust was taking him away from the police? He didn't seem to eager to get away at times..

[close]

Spoiler

I can forgive the not so convincing punches purely because... achieving that six minute one-shot scene was a really big undertaking, akin to making a live episode in a way as everyone has to be so alert and so prepared. Like, for instance, think about when Cohle and the bikers first enter the house where they plan to pull off their little heist of sorts - Woody Harrelson is literally sat in the car a couple of blocks away waiting for his cue to drive into the frame. Also, those two guys who Cohle knocks out, (I think his punch to the back of the fellow wielding the baseball bat was the most the most un-convincing) I imagine they've been stationed there for a good few minutes waiting for McConaughey to walk out that door. It must have been so exciting to film, bit like a play really.

Sorry, I'm rambling.

Basically, I think I'm just trying to say that... you can forgive the fake punches and whatnot in light of the sheer amount of effort and resources that went into filming that scene. Plus... they filmed it seven times I believe, so I imagine they decided the take they went with was the best in spite of the minor niggles.

[close]

[JamesG L4]

Awesome.

Watched it twice to take in the technical brilliance of the final scene.

Perfectly crafted, the dual time narrative never gives you a moment as you try and unravel the strands of the plot as the detectives do the same to the case. So immersive, like being submerged in the swamplands for an hour.

Mondays have a gem again.

[robertobaggio37]

Fucking amazing.

[Red_Irishman]

Indeed it was fucking amazing.

Didnt have any problems with the last scene, thought it was brilliant and it deserves immense credit rather than analysis for mistakes. Such a hard shot to do id imagine.

Best episode yet.

[Something Awful]

Spoiler

Anyone know what Ginger gave Rust at the biker club to sniff too make sure his story was not BS? Is there a drug out there which you can tell people are lying?

[close]

My first thought was that it was coke or something similar to make sure he wasn't a rat. At the end he kept screaming he knew he was a rat. But then he did mention cutting it with something else...

[sideshowme]

Spoiler

I can forgive the not so convincing punches purely because... achieving that six minute one-shot scene was a really big undertaking, akin to making a live episode in a way as everyone has to be so alert and so prepared. Like, for instance, think about when Cohle and the bikers first enter the house where they plan to pull off their little heist of sorts - Woody Harrelson is literally sat in the car a couple of blocks away waiting for his cue to drive into the frame. Also, those two guys who Cohle knocks out, (I think his punch to the back of the fellow wielding the baseball bat was the most the most un-convincing) I imagine they've been stationed there for a good few minutes waiting for McConaughey to walk out that door. It must have been so exciting to film, bit like a play really.

Sorry, I'm rambling.

Basically, I think I'm just trying to say that... you can forgive the fake punches and whatnot in light of the sheer amount of effort and resources that went into filming that scene. Plus... they filmed it seven times I believe, so I imagine they decided the take they went with was the best in spite of the minor niggles.

[close]

there's all that, but there's also the 'boring' technical stuff that is just as impressive.  it must have been like a dance routine with cohle and the cameraman darting round the stash house.  just brilliant.  i hope we one day get to see a making of, where the filming of the whole scene (or one of the takes) is shown in all its technical glory.  and yes, the punches might have been a bit off, but that's eminently forgiveable under the circumstances.  the effort and manpower required to reset the whole shot from scratch for the sake of one punch is mind-boggling.

[Something Awful]

Reshooting for one punch would be draft but they do mention having scene breaks.

[Vork+The Knights of Good]

I'm the only one that didn't rate it then? All felt a bit forced to me, preferred it when it was more subtle

I'm torn. It was thoroughly entertaining and the last shot was boss, but I found the storyline really far fetched.

Spoiler

You'd think they were trying to lure Keyser fucking Soze out of hiding rather than some hick cook. It felt like Jack Bauer trying to stop a terrorist attack. I find it hard to believe there weren't any other options to locate LeDoux. Maybe not, though.

[close]

I did find it pretty riveting, though.

[Dan Dando]

http://www.deadline.com/2014/01/true-detective-creator-nic-pizzolatto-signs-new-overall-deal-with-hbo-paving-way-for-season-2-of-breakout-drama/

Stumbled upon this article from late last month and found this interesting.

“If we got to do it again, the setting would be a major character, along with our leads,” with the show set in a place  “you wouldn’t normally set a television show,” Pizzolatto said at TCA earlier this month. “I tried to make the format as broad for my tastes as possible in the sense that this is almost the True Detective version of a buddy‑cop movie hunting for a serial killer. And there could be a season that’s much more of a widespread conspiracy thriller, a season that’s a small‑town murder mystery, a season where nobody is murdered and it’s a master criminal versus a rogue detective or something. Even the title, True Detective, is meant to be, of course, purposefully somewhat generic – the word “true” can also mean honorable and authentic and things like that. So as long as there is some crime in there, I think the series format can approach it.”

Should be interesting to see what season two looks like (although I'm getting ahead of myself)

[Pistolero]

Best episode so far ...the climax was an absolute tour de force of TV......marvelous adult drama, cant wait for next weeks