True Detective: Season 2
- Thread starter WonderBraa
- Start date
Guys, it was bad. Look at it this way- the entire rail line story line, pollution, etc. wound up doing nothing for the "payoff". Could say the same thing about the "kids witnessed a murder for blue diamonds!" or "hard drive with sex on it!". Take 1 of those 3 and make it your driving plot line. All 3 was unnecessary. Same thing with the weird cult connection, wtf did that go? Nowhere. That's where season 1 started going off the rails as well, but it was a helluva lot tighter than this year.
Here's a plot summary. It's actually more ridiculous when you READ the damn thing, then think how everything got tied up in 90 minutes last night.
Forgot about the murder shed in the woods. That really led somewhere!
Forgot about the murder shed in the woods. That really led somewhere!
I said that a few weeks ago. If you took him out, you missed nothing. This was just a way to introduce the homosexual storyline, which that and many other subplots were totally stupid.
I also hate the notion that to be artistic, everything has to be depressing. If I wanted to see corruption and evil win out I'll just watch the news.
Embarrassing effort all around. You can't tell me that the HBO brass didn't fully understand what a turd this was. I guess it's one of those "throw it out and duck / cover" situations...it was mega hyped and bought / paid for / filmed, so wtf else were they supposed to do, I guess.
We've said it over and over again all season, the story was just awful. Really tough to describe with words how mundane and poorly conceived it was.
Semyon's death walk was just brutal to watch. Reminded me of the Walking Dead episode when Tyreese dies. If you're mirroring ANY scene or situation from Walking Dead, you need to shut down production immediately and burn down the set.
Velcoro's suicide by "cop"....truly, truly shocking. [eyeroll]
Velcoro's suicide by "cop"....truly, truly shocking. [eyeroll]
We've said it over and over again all season, the story was just awful. Really tough to describe with words how mundane and poorly conceived it was.
I only wasted 8 hours of my life this season. How many times did you re-watch it?
I re watched it continuously on a loop for two months. I only stopped to use the restroom and post on here.
The show was fine. A huge step down from season 1, but like I said a week or two ago in this thread, it became the cool thing to hate on season 2 and it was tiresome to me. The show was solid, not great. But it's absolutely ridiculous to throw out half of the posts I'm seeing in this thread about how it was awful, a waste of time, etc, without making a single detailed criticism of the show. No one made anyone here watch the show. If it sucked that much, stop watching, and certainly stop posting about it.
And really what I asked this morning was why people hated the FINALE. I've yet to see a response. The finale did a solid job wrapping up everything, I thought. Not sure what people were hoping for, and it sure seems that most people had their minds made up that they were going to hate it before it aired anyway.
I thought Farrell did an excellent job. Rachel McAdams was solid. I thought Kitsch was pretty bad, and agree his character didn't seem necessary. People really hated Vaughn earlier in the show, and I can see why, but a lot of the poor dialogue IMO was intentional and a result of his character being a criminal trying to carry himself as a businessman. His character noticeably improved in the last few episodes and I don't think that's a coincidence.
My biggest critiques would be that they focused on four characters and probably should only have had two or three, and that the plot was just a little too convoluted.
And really what I asked this morning was why people hated the FINALE. I've yet to see a response. The finale did a solid job wrapping up everything, I thought. Not sure what people were hoping for, and it sure seems that most people had their minds made up that they were going to hate it before it aired anyway.
I thought Farrell did an excellent job. Rachel McAdams was solid. I thought Kitsch was pretty bad, and agree his character didn't seem necessary. People really hated Vaughn earlier in the show, and I can see why, but a lot of the poor dialogue IMO was intentional and a result of his character being a criminal trying to carry himself as a businessman. His character noticeably improved in the last few episodes and I don't think that's a coincidence.
My biggest critiques would be that they focused on four characters and probably should only have had two or three, and that the plot was just a little too convoluted.
Go back and read all my posts in this thread. I was enjoying it until the finale. It just plain sucked.
It didn't "wrap up" everything as you say. There were so many plot holes that lead to absolutely nowhere. There was nothing redeeming or satisfying at all about the finale. That's what makes it suck.
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It wrapped up completely. We know who committed each crime and why. We know which characters survived and which didn't. We also know the aftermath and what is likely to follow after the season ends.
I don't know what else others are expecting other than it to be completely 100% obvious and simpleton. Go watch Big Bang Theory then.
I don't know what else others are expecting other than it to be completely 100% obvious and simpleton. Go watch Big Bang Theory then.
Caspere's killer was identified and killed. We learned the identity of the two orphans.
Holloway was killed, although to nitpick I'm not sure why the cops would shoot him when he was clearly being attacked.
Frank is dead, his wife and his employee are now in hiding in Argentina. The Russians have been dealt with, and the Mexicans of course dealt with Frank.
Velcoro sacrificed himself to keep Burris et al away from Ani, who is also safe and in hiding in Argentina, working to expose the corruption and dirty cops. And in a neat tie-in, the journalist she was working with was apparently the same one that Velcoro roughed up early in the season. Woodrugh obviously died in episode 7 to keep his secret safe.
The only thing unsatisfying that I can think of is that yet again, the good guys don't really "win." Even though they both lived in season 1, they didn't expose Tuttle or bring down the pedophile ring, they just got the one guy. We don't really get to see them expose the corruption in season 2, either, and I'm guessing that's going to continue to be a recurring theme with True Detective.
Also, we find out that Velcoro is the boy's father, which was a nice touch, and in a real kick to the balls we find out that his message never gets uploaded.
Holloway was killed, although to nitpick I'm not sure why the cops would shoot him when he was clearly being attacked.
Frank is dead, his wife and his employee are now in hiding in Argentina. The Russians have been dealt with, and the Mexicans of course dealt with Frank.
Velcoro sacrificed himself to keep Burris et al away from Ani, who is also safe and in hiding in Argentina, working to expose the corruption and dirty cops. And in a neat tie-in, the journalist she was working with was apparently the same one that Velcoro roughed up early in the season. Woodrugh obviously died in episode 7 to keep his secret safe.
The only thing unsatisfying that I can think of is that yet again, the good guys don't really "win." Even though they both lived in season 1, they didn't expose Tuttle or bring down the pedophile ring, they just got the one guy. We don't really get to see them expose the corruption in season 2, either, and I'm guessing that's going to continue to be a recurring theme with True Detective.
Also, we find out that Velcoro is the boy's father, which was a nice touch, and in a real kick to the balls we find out that his message never gets uploaded.
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Haha. The sad part is that I might actually have to do that to make sense of that mess of a show.
It wasn't all that confusing, it just wasn't good. The characters weren't sympathetic, they weren't deep, they weren't inspiring, they weren't interesting, they weren't anything that makes you give a **** about a character. Raise your hand if you gave a f*ck that Velcoro died? What about Frank? The gay homophobe cop? Anyone give a **** about the red headed fat kid? Nope, f*ck that pizza gobbling sloth. Anyone care about the red head with big tits? No, because she didn't show them to us. Would anyone have honestly cared if it cut to Venezuela and she had been sold as a sex slave? No. Anyone care about brooding Rachel McAdams? No, not really. If she had been raped to death in that cabin, would the show have been better? Probably, yes.
It was convoluted as **** and made it annoying to follow. There were 6 million storylines that initially seemed super important, only it turned out none of them were important. What about all those drugged girls at the sex parties? Anything we can do there? Nope. Homocop, did you do something shady in the military? Maybe, but let's move on to him boning a guy and getting murdered. Hey, let's do a shoot-out where 300 civilians have their brains blown out across a city-wide block, and then never mention it again. Hey, let's find this shed where a girl was clearly tortured and murdered, and not give a f*ck about it. Let's worry about this birdman killer for like two-thirds of the season, and then not give a **** about the reveal, and also give him a super cheesy stupid line (I am the blade and the bullet.) and some screen time for 5 seconds.
Hey, let's take our only star witness and put her on a bus to a different state, and intentionally not get her contact information. Lets do this even though we are wanted for murders of which she can get us cleared. Hey, let's totally ignore these Mexicans that seem pretty f*cking serious about stuff. Actually, you know what, let's make fun of the Mexicans and then just don't even consider they might be upset when we burn down their selling locations.
Lets also never even hint at where the tracking devices on the car came from. Lets just throw a wrench in **** just because we want it to end badly, not because it makes the most sense. Obviously, the fat and skinny (russian?) guys got the cars for Frank, so we are left to assume they put the devices on them. So those two turds, who had 0 to do with the Mexicans, other than they were direct competitors as drug dealers, helped the Mexicans for an unknown reason, even though Frank had told them they'd get another million when he got to where he was going safely. Yet they sell out Frank anyway, for apparently no reason at all.
That wasn't written that way to make sense, it was written that way to deceive the audience and make sure the "good guys" didn't get away, and the writers life view of "Life sucks, and if yours sucked when you were born it will suck all the way through until the sweet release of death" is furthered.
While we're at it, lets go ahead and reward every single despicable act we can think of. Evil winning doesn't make your show cute or edgy or realistic, it just makes you a masochistic hipster who thinks he's clever.
The ending sucked in the same way that it sucks when some movies end with all the good and rewarding fantasy things happening. It's ******** when it happens that way, and it's ******** when things are intentionally driven into the ground. Nothing is so perfectly fantastic, and nothing is so perfectly awful.
It was convoluted as **** and made it annoying to follow. There were 6 million storylines that initially seemed super important, only it turned out none of them were important. What about all those drugged girls at the sex parties? Anything we can do there? Nope. Homocop, did you do something shady in the military? Maybe, but let's move on to him boning a guy and getting murdered. Hey, let's do a shoot-out where 300 civilians have their brains blown out across a city-wide block, and then never mention it again. Hey, let's find this shed where a girl was clearly tortured and murdered, and not give a f*ck about it. Let's worry about this birdman killer for like two-thirds of the season, and then not give a **** about the reveal, and also give him a super cheesy stupid line (I am the blade and the bullet.) and some screen time for 5 seconds.
Hey, let's take our only star witness and put her on a bus to a different state, and intentionally not get her contact information. Lets do this even though we are wanted for murders of which she can get us cleared. Hey, let's totally ignore these Mexicans that seem pretty f*cking serious about stuff. Actually, you know what, let's make fun of the Mexicans and then just don't even consider they might be upset when we burn down their selling locations.
Lets also never even hint at where the tracking devices on the car came from. Lets just throw a wrench in **** just because we want it to end badly, not because it makes the most sense. Obviously, the fat and skinny (russian?) guys got the cars for Frank, so we are left to assume they put the devices on them. So those two turds, who had 0 to do with the Mexicans, other than they were direct competitors as drug dealers, helped the Mexicans for an unknown reason, even though Frank had told them they'd get another million when he got to where he was going safely. Yet they sell out Frank anyway, for apparently no reason at all.
That wasn't written that way to make sense, it was written that way to deceive the audience and make sure the "good guys" didn't get away, and the writers life view of "Life sucks, and if yours sucked when you were born it will suck all the way through until the sweet release of death" is furthered.
While we're at it, lets go ahead and reward every single despicable act we can think of. Evil winning doesn't make your show cute or edgy or realistic, it just makes you a masochistic hipster who thinks he's clever.
The ending sucked in the same way that it sucks when some movies end with all the good and rewarding fantasy things happening. It's ******** when it happens that way, and it's ******** when things are intentionally driven into the ground. Nothing is so perfectly fantastic, and nothing is so perfectly awful.
[laughing] and yeah, pretty much on point there.
If you liked the show that's fine, guys. Just don't give me the "you're stupid for not getting it" or "they're saying it sucks because it's trendy to hate it"
Sometimes a TV show is objectively terrible. If you like it, ok. It still sucks, tho.
He's talking about how the Mexicans found Frank's "clean" car.
Some more evidence of terrible writing, noticed by others:
- Paul previously working for Black Mountain before his work with the CHP. Black Mountain also then happens to turn from being some private military contract in the war in the Middle East to serving only "one client" in California - Catalast: the group behind everything. Paul just happens to be the one to stumble upon the body on a random wild night of bike riding.
- Ani's sister is in the adult entertainment business and just happens to know who to talk to about getting into this super secret escort parties with rich men up in the woods. That was a convenient one.
- Ani's dad had connection (albeit, irrelevant and small) connections to Casper, Pitlor, etc. something like 30-40 years ago and Ani just happens to be the one assigned to the case since it's her jurisdiction.
- Ani and her partner go to serve eviction papers to some random Hispanic lady who then tells Ani about her missing sister...of course this missing sister happens to be at the escort parties as well (and also has a random connection to her dad/dad's institute) and knows the entire Tasha story along with identifying Laura in the picture.
- Out of all the exits Paul could have taken before his death, he leaves through a random door that Burris is waiting behind. Dat shock factor. (I know they say he has eyes all over him prior, but he ran for a while through various tunnels underground before escaping through a random ladder. They didn't have eyes on him anymore).
- Also, Black mountain/Ares never being around to actually assist Catalyst. They're not there for the cash handoff with Osip in which 12 million is being exchanged, making it super easy for Ray and Frank to complete the heist. Also, Osip actually going through with said deal, after Frank torched his clubs and killed blake.
- Ray figuring out the boy in the Osterman orphan photo was the set photographer.
- The Mexicans who kill Frank are introduced to the story out of nowhere and play absolutely no role in the central plot.
- Laura remembers Caspere from when she was 4 years old. Caspere just so happens to be showing off the blue diamonds from the heist. Seriously did he just keep $2.5mil in unset diamonds on him in case he needed to impress some hookers.
- Ray and Ani try and use the oldest trick in the book by getting Holloway to spill the beans to Ray while he's recording. Holloway's willing to have this conversation in a public place with a hooded man just over his shoulder. Then the tape recorder gets stepped on and "broken" in the scuffle, all is lost.
- The puddle below Ray's car to show the reflection of the red light on the transponder. It wasn't raining or seemed to have rained and why does there always have to be a damn light on these things.
A lot of covert car tracking devices are known for their large, blinking red lights.
You can make these complaints about any cop show, including the first season of True Detective. And really, I think what he noticed at first was the giant puddle of gasoline rather than the tracker.
I watched the season one finale last night and their big break was Marty saying "hey look, they painted this house green," while referring to some random photo.
I watched the season one finale last night and their big break was Marty saying "hey look, they painted this house green," while referring to some random photo.
My biggest gripe with this season is that it seemed to miss the point of what everyone loved about the first season.
There was no wit or humor. Instead there was just a bunch of ponderous details that had no significance.
I am certainly guilty of hate-watching it, but only because I was hoping that eventually something interesting would happen.
It didn't. What a waste.
There was no wit or humor. Instead there was just a bunch of ponderous details that had no significance.
I am certainly guilty of hate-watching it, but only because I was hoping that eventually something interesting would happen.
It didn't. What a waste.
Meh.
Was really disappointed with VV's character and his acting. And I am a VV fan. Yeah it got a little better but I think he should stick to his bread and butter with comedy. Was also disappointed with McAdams' character. She did a decent job of playing a role she is not used to...but I thought her character could have been a real show stopper if written better. I think the entire show would have been better if they had left out the gay cop and focused more on her & her story. Like others have stated...I think CF was the overall winner in the acting department. Thought he gave the best acting performance of the bunch...but having said that, his performance still wasn't great. Just pretty good. Certainly not award winning by any stretch.
And I think that is the biggest difference between the two seasons. Outstanding acting in season 1 and not near as good in season 2. Season 1 had some great report between the two main characters. The report between the three detectives in season 2 was virtually non existent and actually hard to watch at times because it seemed so "forced". A lot of that has to do with the writing & dialogue (or lack thereof)...but I think some of it has to do with the casting as well. In my opinion, VV should never have been cast for that role.
I actually think the subject matter was really interesting. Especially after someone posted the story about the real life city in California that this season was based upon. Just think they could have done a better job of depicting the story.
And. Having said all of that. I will be eagerly anticipating a glorious return to greatness with season 3. So lets get to work on the interwebz investigations. Who's starring in the next season? Can we get a different writer? Is that even an option? Will the good guys completely win in season 3? Will there be a cameo of Walt, Jr. eating a bowl of cereal next season?
Was really disappointed with VV's character and his acting. And I am a VV fan. Yeah it got a little better but I think he should stick to his bread and butter with comedy. Was also disappointed with McAdams' character. She did a decent job of playing a role she is not used to...but I thought her character could have been a real show stopper if written better. I think the entire show would have been better if they had left out the gay cop and focused more on her & her story. Like others have stated...I think CF was the overall winner in the acting department. Thought he gave the best acting performance of the bunch...but having said that, his performance still wasn't great. Just pretty good. Certainly not award winning by any stretch.
And I think that is the biggest difference between the two seasons. Outstanding acting in season 1 and not near as good in season 2. Season 1 had some great report between the two main characters. The report between the three detectives in season 2 was virtually non existent and actually hard to watch at times because it seemed so "forced". A lot of that has to do with the writing & dialogue (or lack thereof)...but I think some of it has to do with the casting as well. In my opinion, VV should never have been cast for that role.
I actually think the subject matter was really interesting. Especially after someone posted the story about the real life city in California that this season was based upon. Just think they could have done a better job of depicting the story.
And. Having said all of that. I will be eagerly anticipating a glorious return to greatness with season 3. So lets get to work on the interwebz investigations. Who's starring in the next season? Can we get a different writer? Is that even an option? Will the good guys completely win in season 3? Will there be a cameo of Walt, Jr. eating a bowl of cereal next season?
Obviously it was never going to happen, but when Frank got taken to the desert, there was a large part of me that was hoping Walt stepped out of the vehicle to greet him rather than the Mexican.
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Idk. Justified did pretty well and I don't want some New Yorker doing an embarrassing accent.
But ran, do it. Get it out of California.
I just don't care about a corrupt city and corrupt cops. I want to see some psychotic killer like in season 1. There really wasn't anything crazy here.
Justified was hit or miss with the accents. Michael Rapaport was awful.
Rapport. Sorry buddy just didn't want you going through life thinking that's how you spelled rapport.
Yeah, that was exactly who I was referring to. I hate impressions and his sounded like an impression; not the slightest bit authentic or believable.