071 – True Detective, “Form and Void”

And so ends the first season of True Detective. Before we get too deep into it I want to take the opportunity to mention that some of what I say may be considered SPOILERS. I won’t get too into specifics or anything, but if you are like me then you will not want to know anything about the finale before you watch it. In that case I would ask why you’re reading a review, but it is your life. Do what you want. I am really into the laissez-faire Internet browsing.

065 – True Detective, “After You’ve Gone”

I am conflicted about the penultimate episode of True Detective. More conflicted than I have been with the show in several weeks. The latest episode, “After You’ve Gone,” finally brings Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) together in the (almost) present day. The sole-narratives focus gives the episode a little energy, but it brings along a steep price.

054 – True Detective, “Haunted Houses”

True Detective is coming off of two very strong episodes. The question is whether the creative forces behind the show can keep this momentum going in the final three episodes of the show.

050 – True Detective, “The Secret Fate of All Life”

“Every episode of True Detective is better than the previous one.” This is something that I have been saying since the show premiered, but it is only now starting to get to the point where a “better” episode also means a “good” episode.

041 – True Detective, “Who Goes There”

Television is known as the “writer’s medium.” Once a feature screenplay gets into the hands of a director it is widely accepted that the movie’s authorship is handed off as well; but in television the executive producer or showrunner calls the shots. A television director isn’t expected to break new ground – in fact it often falls to a TV director to maintain the tone that has already been established. True Detective, however, is one of those shows that just refuses to adhere to convention. Up to this point it has been unclear just who is in the driver’s seat on this project: writer Nick Pizzolatto or director Cary Joji Fukunaga. Well, Fukunaga certainly fired a shot across his co-conspirator’s bow in this most recent episode.