True Detective (HBO) Official Thread

To be fair the writer always insisted it was never a 'who dunnit' and all the answers are there early on

I totally agree with you, Daniel. It never felt or seemed like a whodunit to me. It was always a character study, and the mysteries (in '95 and in 2012) were just vehicles to work with the relationship between the two main characters.

When they resolved the mystery in the finale and we first see that both have lived through it, I sat here specifically thinking, "Boy, I hope they don't end right now -- they have to resolve this relationship more than this mystery."

And I was rewarded. Yay.

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If he didn't want to create a whodunit, he probably shouldn't have made the very first scene of the very first episode the mysterious staging of a ritualistically killed body, and then spent 6 minutes in the first half of that same episode at the crime scene with the main characters speculating about who did it and why.

He can say he wasn't trying to create a whodunit (and I assume we've all read the same interviews where he says as much) but what ends up on screen has a bit less clarity of purpose. The only reason I'm not too up in arms about it is because it became obvious what was going on a couple of episodes before the end.

Great video of the first season, spoilers obviously.

This is true, Yoda, but in that same episode (the first one), it was clear to me that this was really about these two characters. That, unlike so many whodunits, the detectives were not the means to solve a puzzle or riddle but were the main focus of the story.

Nic P. surely knows that the key thing to do with any story is to hook the reader/viewer right in the initial pages/minutes. Put them on the edge of their seats right away and they will follow you anywhere. He had to start the story somewhere, and if he had started with the two main characters talking about and establishing their relationship, I don't think it would have set as good or compelling a tone. Part of what I loved about all eight episodes was the continued creepy, slow-burn, unraveling/unwinding of everything -- plot, character development, scenes/settings. It was so quiet and deliberate in every area, and even in that initial scene, I didn't come away with a sense of urgency that often accompanies murder mysteries. I was fascinated, riveted.

And that continued through the series. So, I think that first scene set the mood and tone but not necessarily the plot development. (Does that make sense?)

I understand the reason he did it, but I think it leaves him open to a very fair, reasonable critique: that 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.

It's not the end of the world, and I'm more than willing to praise the show anyway because everything else about it is so drop-dead fantastic. But it's something a lot of otherwise good shows do these days, and I'd like to see a lot less of it. Or, better still: shows so freakin' good that that don't have to choose between the two.

Fair enough. I guess was never all that interested in the mystery end of things so I never felt that tug in two directions.

I think the title of the show ("True Detective") was more misleading that way than that first scene. I'm especially curious about how and what the next season/part of the anthology will involve. My guess is that, even though the title of the show didn't really fit this first story much at all (sounds more like a magazine of true crime stories than a title for this first story), it had to be generic enough to cover future stories as well....

Yeh the writer also said about how it allows for a lot of variety in future seasons, as long as it follows a detective story the setting can be completely different and it doesn't even have to be a serial killer or muder mystery at all even

I liked the title because I thought "True Detective" was meant to describe Cohle, with the implication being that a true detective is obsessed with the job, to the detriment of himself and those around him. In other words: this is what an actual detective looks like, and it's ugly. They're not good guys, but they "keep the bad men from the door," as Rust said.

But I might be giving the show too much credit on this front.

SPOILERS

The only dilemna about who did or didnt do it was ended when Cohle no longer was a suspect. After that it was "how in creation are they gonna find this animal?".

Imo the True Detective title refers to Cohle being haunted by this case 10 years after leaving the force, and returns to the case with the sole intent of finding the killer. He was willing to break the law, break into homes, and "make" people talk. Sad observation, but if Cohle or Marty never left the force they never would have found the killer.

It was an "honest" mystery.

I just had to:

Oh goodness, me too! That final scene with just the two of them was just perfect, I'm so glad it ended like that . And I hardly breathed during that labyrinth scene..( great set) my skin was crawling! Great tv!

Yes, Christine! Completely agree on all counts! I really just wish Rust's final line had been clearer and less mumbled. I know what it is NOW, but it would have made that ending feel even better if I had heard it properly last night when we were watching it!

Oh, and can you say "Emmy" for Mr. McConaughey?

Surely yes!
Aus, I had to concentrate on the talking in quite a lot of the series, I only just caught what he said at the end by turning it over in my head! a lot of the conversations in the series were mumbled or the accents were quite thick. Husband gave up

If you guys have a DVR, you can always go back and put Closed Captions on, if it comes to that.

We rewound it but still couldn't make it out. I was usually pretty good about the conversations -- although I admit Cohle's ramblings were harder to decipher than Marty's -- but last night, especially the VERY LAST LINE, seemed more important to keep track of.

Glad I'm not the only one who found the slurring a little tough in spots.

You couldn't make out the captions?

We didn't have captions on. We just rewound it and listened again. Still no dice on that last line. I dislike using CC unless I have to -- I find I end up reading too much, to the detriment of watching the action or seeing the subtle facial expressions, etc. So, we pretty much never use them.

I'm not talking about watching the entire show that way; just the last line, since it was driving you nuts. That's what we did. I was 95% sure I'd heard it right (and it turned out I had), but it still only took 30 seconds to go back and flip them on to make sure. Heck of a lot quicker and less nerve-wracking than waiting for someone else to confirm them, at least.

I'm also kind of confused by your initial response, because I suggested captions and you just said you rewound it again--were you replying to christine and not me, or did you just see the first half of the sentence that mentioned "DVR" without noticing the captions part?

I'm pretty befuddled by this exchange.