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FOT Community => General Discussion => Topic started by: "Jon" on July 21, 2015, 09:52:26 AM

Title: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: "Jon" on July 21, 2015, 09:52:26 AM
Sorry to say, but I can't follow Tom on True Detective. Season 2 is such pretentious, badly written garbage that I am struggling to not lose all respect for anyone saying they like it. Sure, it's "stylish", but the pseudo-deep dialogue and fluff can't distract any thinking person into believing this isn't a pile of g. I'm with AP Mike on this one.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: Kurz on July 21, 2015, 09:55:34 AM
So, pretty much the first season without a southern twang.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: "Jon" on July 21, 2015, 09:58:45 AM
This season is maybe even more pretentious bordering on camp.


Wasn't a big fan of Season 1 either, especially in hindsight. What's the point of all these pseudo-deep lines like "blue balls in your heart", or "This sublunar world of ours".
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: nec13 on July 21, 2015, 12:02:42 PM
Season 1 was overrated, but at least the quality of the acting made up for the subpar writing. Season 2, OTOH, has both lousy acting and lousy writing. There's nothing redeeming about it. It's utter trash.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: fonpr on July 21, 2015, 12:07:35 PM
Season 2, OTOH, has both lousy acting and lousy writing. There's nothing redeeming about it. It's utter trash.
Quit holding back, Nec.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: Kurz on July 21, 2015, 12:27:45 PM
I like that bar, where presumably, they don't check your age before entry, but your level of existential crisis.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: Mike Desert on July 21, 2015, 05:24:40 PM
I tried watching it because I heard they were getting in to the King in Yellow mythos which I love, but after 2 episodes I couldn't get into it. so dull to me...maybe it gets better?
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: Tom Scharpling on July 22, 2015, 03:45:20 PM
I saw the first episode this year. I am not defending season two because I hadn't seen Season 2. But I also didn't want to make a snap judgment based on one episode.

I will catch up and we will see what's what.

Tom!
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: peter falk on July 23, 2015, 08:21:30 AM
Sorry to say, but I can't follow Tom on True Detective. Season 2 is such pretentious, badly written garbage that I am struggling to not lose all respect for anyone saying they like it. Sure, it's "stylish", but the pseudo-deep dialogue and fluff can't distract any thinking person into believing this isn't a pile of g. I'm with AP Mike on this one.

The Lovecraft / Ligotti pulpiness, slick filmmaking style and creep charisma of McConnaughey all made season one fun to watch for me, but those elements are all gone from season two.  This season has been so epically dumb and phoned in, and I think the tipping point is the climax from two episodes ago.  I don't know if I can withstand another aerial shot of the freeway or another college freshman-existentialist rant from Vince Vaughn after that, and I haven't bothered to watch Sunday's episode yet.  Wasn't this season supposed to be a 70s period piece about the occult origins of the California interstate?  That sounds more interesting than the snoozefest HBO delivered.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: "Jon" on July 26, 2015, 04:20:01 PM
I think I'd be fine with TD if it didn't take itself so seriously. I just can't stand this level of pretense. And this season even tarnishes Season 1 for me, because after all we are supposed to take all those pseudo-philosophical ramblings of "Rust" in S1 seriously, too, aren't we?
"College freshman's existentialist-philosophical rambling" hits the nail on the head.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: Carver on July 26, 2015, 07:55:40 PM


Wasn't this season supposed to be a 70s period piece about the occult origins of the California interstate?  That sounds more interesting than the snoozefest HBO delivered.

I liked how the first episode hinted at that, with the camera work and also the motorcycle guy with his psychic-kinda connection to the highway.  That was interesting.  Too bad that all got dropped immediately.  I read an interview with Pizzolato that they ditched the occult freeway angle because there was so much other stuff they wanted to do.  I would've taken a lot less Vince Vaughn at the sperm bank or talking about smashing rats to get back the cool creepy subtexts of the first season.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: peter falk on July 27, 2015, 11:34:23 AM
Having caught up, I'm not sure if Colin Farrell's New York Dolls-accompanied coke binge redeems the season or plunges it further into oblivion...
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: buffcoat on July 27, 2015, 07:58:40 PM
Is it cool to come up with a major thread and then just openly abandon it? What is this, Lost?

I haven't started Season 2. I really liked Season 1, but the choice of actors for S2 was uninspiring to say the least.

I liked VV in Swingers, but Made is one of the worst movies ever... made.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: JeffertonFromTX on July 28, 2015, 01:50:41 PM
But...we finally saw Ani use her knives, guys.

I guess I'm in the tiniest possible boat, but I'm into this season. Its trashy and weird and overwritten, and apparently that's great to me.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: JonFromMaplewood on July 28, 2015, 04:07:30 PM
I dumped this season after two episodes.  It felt like James Ellroy minus the great writing.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: akaJudge on July 28, 2015, 04:28:52 PM
still watching, but if anything could put me off for good it's a rich-white-guy-secret-sex-party. Sheezus.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: Kurz on July 28, 2015, 05:04:36 PM
But...we finally saw Ani use her knives, guys.

I guess I'm in the tiniest possible boat, but I'm into this season. Its trashy and weird and overwritten, and apparently that's great to me.
Yeah, it's like a rowboat almost. Let's hope it doesn't rain, or else we'll be in trouble.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: JeffertonFromTX on July 31, 2015, 04:32:38 PM
It will be one those things that I think people come around on once they A. divorce themselves from how they feel about S1 and/or B. people finally grasp the concept of an anthology series.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: Kurz on August 01, 2015, 05:32:06 AM
Possibly. Meanwhile, I'm in a rowboat with a certified peeper. Is that the start of season 3?
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: JeffertonFromTX on August 01, 2015, 12:56:58 PM
Possibly. Meanwhile, I'm in a rowboat with a certified peeper. Is that the start of season 3?

To quote Velcoro, "Wouldn't that be fucked up?"
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: Kurz on August 01, 2015, 08:04:54 PM
We get the world we deserve.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: Wordy Ginters on August 02, 2015, 10:09:22 AM
But...we finally saw Ani use her knives, guys.

I guess I'm in the tiniest possible boat, but I'm into this season. Its trashy and weird and overwritten, and apparently that's great to me.

It IS a tiny boat.  But I'm in here bailing water with you Jefferton.  I'll take pretentious and weird character noodling over formulaic plot driven series any day of the week, especially in an HBO series.  The episode last week, as incoherent or hard to buy as it was at times, still featured a half dozen lines that made my thighs tingle.
Title: Re: AP Mike is right about True Detective
Post by: peter falk on August 12, 2015, 11:48:34 AM
I take back all of my criticism about this season.  That finale was pretty great.