Down Will Come
Warning: This review contains spoilers.
Half way through the second season of True Detective and no one is any closer to solving the murder of the series. Semyon has thrown himself back into rebuilding the empire while the detective trio find a lead, only to have that their hopes shot down in a rain of their own bullets after a very dramatic gun fight. Though up until this shoot-out, there isn’t anything much exciting or original going on and the second series is working off the, “if you eat all your vegetables you can have your dessert” method.
Unlike the first season, the plot this season doesn’t revolve around one heinous crime rather a menagerie of different crimes surround the original murder that kick-started the whole thing. If anything the show should be called, True Criminal, almost every character has gotten their hands dirty this season. This along with the horrible public massacre only gives you the feeling that things are going to get worse before they get any better.
As for the personal dramas, none of them are particularly fascinating. Bezzerides’ dad is a shit and that in turn has given her demons of own along with her sister and I frankly can’t see how they can be resolved in four episodes unless Pizzolatto plans on doing a complete character flip like he did with McConaughey’s character in the first season, which would be very annoying. Woodrugh’s hidden homosexuality storyline doesn’t seem to have any originality to it, especially now that a sham marriage has been thrown into the mix. The Semyons are trying for a baby and may I ask, who the hell cares, no one watches True Detective for the soap opera plotlines. Finally, Velcoro is a shitty dad himself, which of the four holds the most promise, though that could be down to the fact that Velcoro is such an interesting character who’s moral compass seems to think it’s at the Earth’s magnetic pole.
The acting is half the reason this show is keeping me interested, who ever is the casting director on True Detective deserves a raise. Rachel McAdams and Colin Farrell are quite big gets to begin with and you wouldn’t expect nothing less from them. Taylor Kitsch is a somewhat of a lesser name in Hollywood but that doesn’t mean he gives a lesser performance and his brooding, yet scared and angry little boy act had me thinking his personal dramas were actually interesting last week. Kelly Reilly delivers an interesting take on the mob boss’s wife character, she has got all the characteristics of the stereotype down, yet she is in on all of the schemes and it’s very hard to read what she is thinking during these shady meetings. Finally, True Detective’s ace in the hole is the unexpected talent. Last season it was McConaughey, this time around it’s Vaughn and while he’s not as spectacular as McConaughey, his performance is still quite impressive, some may even say it’s alright, alright, alright(sorry but you knew it was coming).
I’m still not quite sure about this season, the characters are great, the acting is superb and there are some quite spectacular scenes but everything else in and around is just a bit mediocre. I’m not walking away from the show, (I can’t really anyway, considering I’m reviewing the whole season) yet I’m not shouting it’s name from the rooftops. Velcoro and the Semyons are the most interesting characters so far and Jordan Semyon has been quite understated so I would say she is the one to watch. The murder plotline is another reason I’m still watching but it can be overshadowed but some otherwise dull character personal lives. Since I can’t quite work out how to finish this, I think I just leave you with this weird freeze frame ending that didn’t suit any of the show’s style so far…
Have anything to add, or just downright disagree with me feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.
Article by Daniel Priman.
