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POLL : What did you think of True Detective - Season 2 Premiere?

22 Jun 2015

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49 comments:

  1. azrael_128922 June 2015 at 03:18

    Voted great. Felt a bit all over the place and convoluted initially. But has great potential. Hopefully everything ties in as season progresses.

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  2. DiabetesMan22 June 2015 at 03:19

    The premiere did its job. It got me interested and got me intrigued with the characters. Ray and Ani got me the most interested. Although, something is up with Paul and he will probably be the character everyone will theorize about.

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  3. Roddy22 June 2015 at 03:39

    It was great. Velcoro is crazy and i can't wait to see where it goes from here. Justin Lin did a good job with the direction, he was a doubt for me. Other than the intro music not much that i can complain.

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  4. Justin Valdes22 June 2015 at 04:23

    Not a bad start at all. Shows that have a slow burn always start out the same way-mostly set up for the first couple episodes then they hit you HARD in the final stretch and rock you to your core which I think this season will do just like S1 did. I love the theme of corruption this year, a very interesting aspect to explore and I can't wait to see what Pizzolatto has in store for us this season.

    The main characters got great introductions and I was quickly sucked into their lives, but my favorite would definitely have to be Paul since he's the type of person who holds a lot of secrets and I'm very curious in learning more about him. I love characters like that. Ray certainly has an interesting life does he? A drunken detective who executes various missions on behalf of a very big mobster. And who happens to to be having a hard time when it comes to fatherhood. I wonder if this is all a master plan he has in store for everyone. Frank is a really interesting character considering he's this successful mobster and who holds a lot of power. Looks like that's all about to come crashing down when he realizes that his partner in crime (and city manager), Caspere is now dead. We didn't really learn much about Ani but I liked the scene with her father. In the end, I have a feeling that there will be a newfound respect for Vince, Colin, Rachel, and Taylor in their acting capabilities once the season is over. I definitely foresee some Emmy nominations for some of these actors.



    The final scene with Paul, Ani, and Ray meeting up for the first time was really great as was the cinematography. Seeing these characters interact will definitely be a sight to see. Overall, looks like Pizzolatto has done it again! Can't wait to see more.

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  5. Rheinmeister09 .22 June 2015 at 04:24

    Color me shocked when the Russian baddie turns out to be an Irish actor that to many Irish viewers played a role in a little known Itish soap opera that that was cancelled years ago. Besides that the premise for season 2 grabbed my attention. Will definitely be back to see how the season pans out. Personally rooting for Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams - great actors that have either screwed themselves with bad personal decisions or poor choices of roles so I hope this corrects this for both of them.

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  6. DJohnson1522 June 2015 at 04:44

    Some of the dialogue was laughingly bad, but I still enjoyed the premiere. Did a nice job of creating the mood and introducing the characters, even if they might've relied on on-the-nose exposition a bit too much. Interested to see where it goes.

    A review: http://polarbearstv.com/2015/06/21/true-detective-the-western-book-of-the-dead-review-2x01/

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  7. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 04:51

    I feel like I just came off the most horrible bender! I think I'm cured of never wanting to go to California again ;)


    Very heavy first episode. Even though there are surely things that are different about it, there are also things rather similar to last season--especially thinking about the 'stars and night' good vs evil metaphor and Colin Ferrell's character reminds of season one's villain having a kind of duel personality and then there were things in Rachel McAdam;s character's apartment that reminded me of the wooden structures, ect.


    The opening was equally as cool as season one's. And I really liked that sad song that the woman was playing in the bar, 'This life is one I hate the most..' (again metaphysics/magical realism element with metaphors on multiple life times)


    Rachel McAdams' character's family is interesting too, especially her passive pacifist father (for a minute I thought they mighy go all Scientology-esque on us, especially since the actor played an alien in Contact before :p).


    Very nice start to some rather deeply disturbing characters, let alone the sequences driving around with the murder victim and finding him posed like that.


    They have me hooked again. I'm in! :)

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  8. actionjunkie22 June 2015 at 05:32

    Felt very realistic - slow burn with spikes of "DAMN" just like real life. Even the dialogue didn't sound like something written but more like what you hear on the street. And yeah the music and overlook views were superb.

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  9. Daniel Walsh22 June 2015 at 06:03

    It was good. It had amazing cinematography, the acting was good, and I'm interested in it.

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  10. DarqueMode22 June 2015 at 07:53

    Loved that they used Leonard Cohen for the theme song!
    That man can speak/sing anything and make it interesting!

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  11. arrowshieldfan22 June 2015 at 07:55

    So I guessing season 2 is dealing not just with a murder but serious corruption, criminal enterprise/organized crime? I need to rewatch but how would three different police force be able to work together since they already work in specific jurisdiction

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  12. DonJ197322 June 2015 at 08:02

    I personally enjoyed it. Disagree with what the initial reviews from the TV critics were saying. I think it sets up a potentially pretty compelling murder mystery arc over the next 7 weeks. Really liked Colin Farrell as the dirtbag cop with so many issues. Also thought Vince Vaughn was quite believable as the mobster businessman. Good change of pace from him playing the lovable loser in the comedies he's usually in.

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  13. DarqueMode22 June 2015 at 08:34

    Casper the friendly corpse...

    Going into the new season I know some people had doubts about the cast, but I'm guessing after the first episode their fears are lessened or gone altogether. I thought the performances were more than solid for a pilot and I expect great things as the season progresses.

    I say it frequently, but the material truly matters....
    Give a good actor (even just a decent actor) a good director with a well-written script and their performance can be brilliant!

    The cast is incredible honestly. It's more of an ensemble this year with so many good actors.
    - I was pleasantly surprised to see both Ritchie Coster and W Earl Brown since I had not heard they were cast! I think both are extremely underrated character actors and often brilliant in any role they do, but to me they will always be Anslo Garrick from Blacklist and Dan Dority from Deadwood! XD
    - I barely recognize Leven Rambin as Ani's webcam model sister!
    - David Morse as Ani's long-haired cult leader dad? Yes please. XD

    Okay so who wants to bet Ani's belt knife will come into play at some point? XD


    I noticed Harrelson and McConaughey both got Executive Producer credits for the new season... Nice gig for them to get paid for nothing! XD

    Overall I thought it was a very nice set up for the new season and a good introduction to the characters. Like last year it did start off in a way that could seem convoluted, but as we get more flashbacks and more episodes I have little doubt everything will come together seamlessly.

    Awesome start to the new season.

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  14. Lou22 June 2015 at 10:40

    In which I attempt to write a review which doesn't compare the new season to S1. Lets see if I can do it.

    So I went into this episode with a lot of reluctance, the reviews from the last week or so dampened any enthusiasm I had and I was already worried about S2. Thankfully it wasn't nearly as terrible as I feared it would be.

    It does have some problems, like do I really need another story about asshole men with anger, drinking and general life issues? I've seen it a million times before. And the show could do with an injection of humor, I'm not talking 50 jokes per minute like Veep but a bit of black comedy would go a long way.

    However, I am interested in Rachel McAdams character Detective Ani Bezzerides, I think this was a role that Elisabeth Moss was linked with at some point but I can see why she may have turned it down because its quite similar to her Top Of The Lake character. I like Ani's weird relationship with her religious cult like father - the always great David Morse. Instantly worried about the safety of her sister though.

    Colin Farrell's Detective Ray Velcoro was another character I'm drawn towards, though I hated that he did the cliched angry dad scaring the father of his son's bully routine. Come on Ray that isn't going to do any good. I do find it fascinating that its pretty likely it isn't his biological son but he still has that bond.

    The scene with Velcoro and Vince Vaughn's Frank Semyon in the bar at the end with that beautiful song playing was kind of great, clearly they have a shared history that goes beyond Semyon giving Velcoro information on his wife's attacker. They seemed to have an ease with one and other. However, I am a little worried that there is going to be a twist that Semyon ordered the attack as a way to get a cop to work for him. Please don't go there it is way too obvious.

    Overall it wasn't terrible but just doesn't have an instant hook. It seems to be a typical tale of corruption and greed.

    Look I've gotten this far but I have to compare it to S1 just a little bit. With S1 you had the focus on masculinity and how messed up Cohle and Hart were, they had their far share of demons, Martin especially had issues when it came to women but the difference is they called each other out on their shit. So far we are just seeing these characters act like cliches with no one going, hang on a second, what the hell? Maybe that will change, I mean it is early days. But I can understand with some won't like S2 for following familiar tropes seen a million times before in TV and film.

    I'm hoping it can go beyond that.

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  15. thedane522 June 2015 at 12:17

    The theme song was excellent!!

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  16. thedane522 June 2015 at 12:22

    Great start. Interesting and believable characters, which is all that matters at this point. The story needs a bit more depth, but I have no doubt that we will get more of that next week.
    Looooved the theme song, and the rest of the music.
    I thought all the actors did a great job, except Leven Rambin as the sister. Didn´t find her believable. I´m sure we will see her again, maybe I have to give her a second chance.

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  17. Spank Rawkins22 June 2015 at 13:37

    It was okay. The acting was good (Colin Farrell sorta steals the show), as was the production design. The direction however, was quite poor.Tedious even. Too many aerial shots with ominous music and too many pointless slow brooding moments (the 'inciting incident' doesn't occur until the last five minutes of the episode, so these moments feel a bit unnecessary). Hopefully it gets better. This season seems to be missing the time-jump structure and the occultist undertones that made the first season so interesting (to me), but I won't knock it for doing something different.

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  18. Grant22 June 2015 at 14:53

    This is what happens when you have a phenomal first season. Incredibly high expectations that could never be lived up too. Was it a great start? No. Was it as bad as the critics made out. No absolutley not. Id give it a 7.5 out of 10. Plenty of potential for the season to develop into something good and i really liked the cast. Farrell and mcadams in particular where excellent

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  19. CaliforniaGirl22 June 2015 at 14:56

    I grew up in LA and I've lived in CA my entire life yet.. I totally agree with your CA comment based on how it was presented in this show. One thing that stood out to me, I have never seen freeways that empty here, ever. So also just add like a few thousand more cars to those overhead freeway shots in reality. Ha.

    I have to admit, I spent most of this episode trying to figure out exactly when and where in CA these things were supposed to be taking place. It seemed to me like it was all over the place. Season 1 started out a bit confusing too but was easy to follow once I figured out the format. However, I fear having a lot more central characters in this one, combined with the time jumps, combined with a lot more locations... is it all going to be just too much?

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  20. maplewhite191222 June 2015 at 15:05

    I am not going to say anything at all about the quality of the actual episode or how I feel about the season or anything of that nature because I want to wait until the season is over and I can make a full and honest judgement. I just want to say that the score for this season so far is EXCELLENT, I mean truly great. It has that ultra noir feel and is just mesmerizing. Also I love the theme song and the opening credits.

    We need to know the characters first to see how the case is going to affect them.

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  21. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 15:07

    I would actually still like to visit California (I do have some friends that live there), I was just being a little facetious and making a joke, because the characters are so rotten from the start...


    I don't feel like it was too all over the place, as much as all these little things reminded me of many things from the first season, which I was happy about, because I was afraid it would be SO different, that it would be harder to want to climb aboard. I feel like the atmosphere and the undertone at times is similar, but I do agree with you in that, this is like a personified version of season one by having the 3 detectives and VV character seemingly all important from the start and having more time jumps (we did shift time last season too, but it was easier to figure it out) I had to watch the episodes twice in some cases last season, I'm sure I will be doing the same this season.

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  22. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 15:15

    Ya, I caught an interview on NPR. It seems like drug lords, Russian Mob, ect figure in.


    Well the Highway Patrol guy (KT) is suspended, so he might just work 'off the books' for a bit, or use this as way to get back in, the other two might be able to work together because of the location he died in vs the location he was missing from/lived in and because he might relate to other cases, but all three of them seem like they don't do what they're suppose to do, especially CF's character, so I doubt they will follow jurisdiction anyways.

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  23. CaliforniaGirl22 June 2015 at 15:17

    Another thing to add... I think the 'choppy' directing style of this new director also didn't help with the overall kind of just way too much going on feeling of this episode. Personally, I really loved the artistic vision of the former director.

    I did find the unusual combo of a 1970's/ film noir vibe in this first episode pretty interesting though.

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  24. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 15:22

    "Casper the friendly corpse..."

    Glad I wasn't the only one thinking about 'friendly ghost'!!

    "I noticed Harrelson and McConaughey both got Executive Producer credits for the new season... Nice gig for them to get paid for nothing! XD"



    Ha! I noticed too! I wondered though if this is why the direction still feels familiar? Originally it seemed like they were going to somewhere a bit weirder with a conspiracy behind The American Transportation system, although I notices that VV's character is all about realistic including a new railway system, but this still has something gritty-urban legend about and I was expecting that feeling to be washed off...

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  25. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 15:27

    At times, sure, it was a little convoluted, but I am not convinced it was bad directing, but a perhaps a style choice, - a motif to give us that sense about these areas and these people. But nothing I saw distracted my viewing or jared me to the point of annoyance. I didn't have a problem with the execution of scenes either, except for taking a minute to figure out the flashback scene, because there wasn't anything making it stand out from the rest, but there were a couple of time where that happened to me in the second half of last season. I'm not worried about this yet.

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  26. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 15:44

    I didn't feel that way at all. There was something about the music and the attitudes/personalities, the subject matter and certain items seen in passing, that reminded me so much of last season, that although the scope of the story is larger, I felt like it somehow still has this Urban Legend feel (I mean a guy found like that on Route 66 style-fashion, which I think is pretty black comedy, since we watched him get carted around in the car throughout the episode). I felt like they found a way to pass the buck on--almost like we're still fighting the same evil spirit in another form, in another place---that is why I think that song in bar was so haunting and telling (This is the life that I hate the most. This is the you I hate the most). There was even an image of a gas station or convenient store in the dark lighting up it's parking lot in the opening credits that reminded me very much of the final scenes of last season outside the hospital.


    It wasn't the shiny LA of Ray Donovan, this was like Jerry Springer's LA!

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  27. CaliforniaGirl22 June 2015 at 15:46

    Totally agree about the director and the material. I think a lot of people don't realize when they are critical, or complimentary, of an actor's performance... it is actually the director making those calls.

    I also noticed the EP credits for Harrelson and McConaughey. I'm guessing it was part of their contract negotiations when they signed on for the series so it's in name only, with no actual involvement. Nice gig for sure. I'd like to collect a paycheck while I run on the beach too, please. ;)

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  28. parec22 June 2015 at 16:27

    I must be the only one that didn't like this opening theme then

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  29. CaliforniaGirl22 June 2015 at 16:37

    Yeah, I wouldn't call it bad directing. It's a style choice the director has made that I fear may not have been the best choice but we'll just give this director time to visually tell the story his way and see how it works out.

    I found myself mainly looking at tech to figure out past/present... big knobs on TV = not present, etc. :)

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  30. Lou22 June 2015 at 17:14

    I think my problem is always going to be that no matter how hard I try not to compare it to S1 I will because True Detective was my favourite TV series of 2014. I fell so hard and so deep down into the rabbit hole of the mysteries and instantly feel in love with Rust and Marty. I rewatched every episode at least twice as the season aired and I very rarely do that, I was just completely and utterly obsessed. Nothing is going to live up to that. It just can't.


    I just can't find any of the 4 leads likable yet and whilst I have no problem with darkness or the messed up world of corrupt cops and the seedy underbelly of LA, I do need at least one character I can care for. I mean its still early days and for all I know it could become one of my favourite series again this year by the time the season ends. But it is just lacking something right now, doesn't have that instant addiction I got last year.

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  31. Guest22 June 2015 at 17:18

    Ok am I the only one that found Colin Farrah character ray funny, Paul has some issues clearly, Ani has a messed up something going on, her dad is some kind of guru, lol, and the sister, does porn acts on the Internet, ok I enjoyed it, let's see where the season takes us

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  32. Geoff22 June 2015 at 18:27

    Colin Farrell OWNAGE. Owned that little brat and his pops.

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  33. DarqueMode22 June 2015 at 18:51

    I read an article with Nic Pizzolatto and he said that the original tagline of hard women and bad men and the secret occult history of the transit system was based on an early draft of the season. A draft he left behind. He said there will be no occult stuff in Season 2

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  34. DarqueMode22 June 2015 at 18:54

    I would guess not.
    Cohen is usually a love him or hate him kind of artist. He has such a unique style that people go one direction or the other almost immediately upon hearing him sing/ speak.

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  35. DarqueMode22 June 2015 at 18:58

    I think it is a problem that will get better as the series moves on.
    The pilot was made up of scenes almost entirely isolated for a single character , but now that the 3 detectives have linked up on the Casper case I think it may be less choppy going forward... or I hope.


    If not after a few episodes we will get used to the stylized nature of his direction and just accept it maybe? XD

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  36. DarqueMode22 June 2015 at 19:07

    It does not have the charm of Rust and Cole last year.


    Last season started off with Woody playing the "Good ole boy" with a lot of charm and McConaughey was the quirky philosopher that rubbed everybody the wrong way they had their issues, but they were beneath the surface. So much of last season was beneath the surface... Things had to be scratched before they were exposed for what they truly were....


    This season has 3 leads (I'll exclude Vaugh in this case) that all wear their issues on their sleeves. Because of that I think things feel a lot more "up front" and in your face to begin the season.

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  37. Lou22 June 2015 at 19:14

    I think that is it, its the lack of charm! They both were charming because duh its McConaughey and Harrelson and they both do that so well. They are instantly engaging and you get to see how damaged they are underneath that. Whereas the main characters this season are what they are, completely messed up. Still hope I can warm to them.

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  38. Lou22 June 2015 at 19:18

    Rachel McAdams character Ani is by far the most interesting one so far, just because she has some intriguing personal relationships like her father and sister and because that hard drinking, damaged cop cliche is seen less in female characters so its interesting and different to see that in contrast to Ray for example - though Colin is great in the role, can't deny it.


    I want to see more of Paul because Taylor Kitsch surprised the hell out of me last year in the Normal Heart, I think he could end up being the most interesting character.

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  39. DarqueMode22 June 2015 at 19:23

    Yep.
    Last year we learned that both Marty and Rust were damaged, but we did not see it when we first met them. This year it seems like every character we met is obviously damaged, so much so they all appear to be broken.

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  40. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 20:43

    I know they abandoned the transportation system plot (i'm sure I read this article too), but I'm not sold of the occult is fully gone or rather there is probably a difference between something openly occult to something lighter in 'meta'/omnipresence.


    Unless the season rapidly changes, it feels like there is a subtext that relates to concepts and ideas from the first season to me. Something dark, haunting (I mean seriously, Casper the friendly or not so freindly ghost?! and a song about past lives?), and looming through this maze of LA. I mean even having a character on verge of committing suicide be the one to find the body, just seems too darn ironic, when I think about Rust/Blane collective suicide notion in relation to the life of any detective presented on the series thus far....


    That's why I think I'm so shocked really, because I expected it to feel and look and sound completely separate and instead it surprised me with something 'true'.


    But it seems like it's just me...

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  41. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 20:44

    That's why I wonder if the opposite will happen, that they will charm us later and actually become better for this experience??? Of course, I'm curious if one of them is responsible this time!?

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  42. DarqueMode22 June 2015 at 20:50

    Hmm maybe, but I think it will be less occult this year like Nic stated. I'm sure there will still be an underlying conspiracy (Maybe some counter culture groups or underground BDSM clubs etc) that could be dark and mysterious, but I take him at his word we will not see occult references this time around. I think that was a very purposeful decision on his part to delineate the two seasons.

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  43. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 20:54

    Actually I think the ominous music with those shots is what made feel similar to last season. It made it feel like LA was the underworld of sin and the home of the devil. The way we "look down" on it, I think is interesting, when one considers how "sideways"/ "looking up" a lot of the shots were last season. There isn't anything specifically supernatural, but the feeling of fighting 'the darkness' just seems so obvious, almost like we're too close to really see it.

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  44. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 21:04

    Except he already blew it with that song! If you don't want people to think about the occult or metaphysical, then you don't have woman singing about multi-life times or a big wink to well known "ghost". You don't point a main character having a connection to a religious cult, you don't wink back to a "maze" labyrinth by using main highways as a motif, and you don't have these areal shots that make the city look like God looking down on a hell with that music! LOL!


    Don't get me wrong, maybe the first episode is a misdirection and is just passing the buck onto a new format, but I just think it would of been better to to not have winked back at all and be a different show this season from the get go. Otherwise it just seems senseless to me to even use these things...

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  45. DarqueMode22 June 2015 at 21:25

    Personally I think there is a difference between the vague idea of hell (as it relates to the aftermath of personal choices made) and the specific idea of the occult. And if I squint my eyes and tilt my head a certain degree I guess I can see a correlation between the maze of highways and the labyrinth of trees or Caricosa in Season 1.


    To me it is more ambiance this year while last year they needed to get inside the head of the killer to discover his identity. I do not think this year's larger narrative will have that same supernatural connection. I don't think it has yet in any way and I don think ti will be season's end.


    I know the song deals with multiple lives, but I thin kit is going to far to think multiple lives come into play in the show. We disagreed about this last year though as well. I thought the metaphysical was non-reality, the delusions of a crazy person and not what was truly going on in the show. I think things can be touched on without necessarily needing to be applied to every other aspect of a series. Even Fukunaga said the show was not about The Yellow King to him nearly as much as it was to some fans. To him it was just another layer. In fact many of the connections fans saw were completely unintentional.


    I wager most people did not think fof Casper the Ghost when Ben Casper's body was found... We are just twisted like that! XD

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  46. DarthLocke422 June 2015 at 21:51

    Well last year he said there was nothing occult either, until after the fact. So I don't know if I trust him verbally, not that I blame him, I think it's a way of ovioding people forcing him to talk about his personal beliefs or getting into lavish debates with fans/critics and rather let us focus on our own. But if last season was the mind of the beast, then I think this season could be the belly of the beast, so I agree that the perspective of looking at darkness or whatever, won't be the exact same.

    Lol well I guess it's more fun to be twisted like that!

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  47. magnutude23 June 2015 at 02:34

    gave it a good. decent character intro/setup, but a bit on the slowish and somewhat disjointed side and for me not a whole lot to grab my interest immediately unlike S1... but I realize this is a different animal from last season, so I will let the writers work their magic and see how the story/characters will flesh out

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  48. Ron25 June 2015 at 05:59

    For someone that didnt watch the firsts eason. This is kinda interesting. Im used to the slowness of HBO shows by now so i will not complaint aboput that. This was sort of an introduction to teh characters and some of their lives for sure I will eb checking what's going on next with everyone

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  49. Oceanic1089 July 2015 at 07:46

    I'm certain I saw those producer credits for Harrelson and McConaughey in season 1.

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