the tone he wanted to create was at odds with the plot he wanted to unfurl. He wanted an air of mystery, so he setup an actual mystery that he wasn't terribly interested in. But lots of viewers were. The fact that a straight character study wouldn't have been as compelling at first is, of course, the whole point: hook you with one thing and then try to reel you in with another.
Hmm, I don't know, Chris. I concur that the climax and revealing of the 'master villain' didn't meet the standard set by that incredibly long build-up (well over 6 episodes), but I slightly expected that when something is set in a real world, but hints at the extraordinary and the occult. The climax is actually not the best bit; the intrigue is. It's kind of like when you watch a magic trick, watching it performed is nice, but the intrigue of
how it was done, is more interesting and compelling.
The show had a lot of us fooled, reading too much into it and micro-analyzing every detail, when all of that wasn't necessary. The (misleading) imagery and hinting at the occult, Rust's philosophical pessimism, it served its purpose, namely intriguing you as a viewer, then getting you completely invested, and perhaps, as many will have been, fooling you.
I myself was certainly guilty of it. I thought Marty's daughter would also be a victim of such an occult raping and killing, but couldn't have been more wrong on that. But tbh, good writing will do that to you: present stuff like that as a potential direction / twist to create tension and keep you wanting more.
Overall, this has to be the highest quality TV show of all time. The production value is off the charts. That catacomb maze finale, the tracking shot, the atmosphere creation, the overall tone and style that can only come from a single guy's plying his directorial vision, and the utterly amazing acting. The consistent high standard that was achieved is mind-blowing. But that sort of unique, high-end stylization with top notch actors can only be achieved over a short run. It would be impossible to do this kind of show over 10 + episodes, because it's incredibly time-consuming and no doubt costs boatloads of money to make.
To be honest, I think True Detective was as good as some of the best episodes as Breaking Bad, The Sopranos, and Deadwood. It was a marvel to experience.