True Detective, Season 2

[tower912]

Geez, what a cast of characters.   Could they get any darker or bleaker?    Who are we supposed to root for?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Geez, what a cast of characters.   Could they get any darker or bleaker?    Who are we supposed to root for?

Just wait.  I have the first four from HBO as screeners.  I did not like episode 1, 2nd episode was ok but not great.  Going to pick up some nice steam for 3 and 4.  Having lunch with HBO Wednesday before I head abroad, hoping to hear how the rest of the episodes went. I was such a huge fan of the first season and had low hopes for this one. Still not convinced they will be able to pull it off, but at least the show is getting better.  Vaughn needs to get better, so far the acting is eh.

[MUsoxfan]

Just wait.  I have the first four from HBO as screeners.  I did not like episode 1, 2nd episode was ok but not great.  Going to pick up some nice steam for 3 and 4.  Having lunch with HBO Wednesday before I head abroad, hoping to hear how the rest of the episodes went. I was such a huge fan of the first season and had low hopes for this one. Still not convinced they will be able to pull it off, but at least the show is getting better.  Vaughn needs to get better, so far the acting is eh.

You're right. Vaughn is the weakest so far. He seems to be struggling with a less manic speaking character

[tower912]

Having a 'Game of Thrones' moment and shooting a character you were hoping could be redeemed is an interesting twist.

[CreightonWarrior]

Don't think he's dead based on all the scenes we haven't seen from previews...my bet is that it was rubber bullets

[tower912]

In the preview for the next episode, the statement was ...'one of my detectives shot'....    not killed.   Still darker and bleaker than the last one, at least so far. 

[Lennys Tap]

Vaughn needs to get better, so far the acting is eh.

That's like saying Derrick W needs to shot his free throws better. Tons of evidence says that's not happening.

[jesmu84]

Got caught up last night. One thing I'm missing is the cultural/geographic element of the last season. The bayou was almost a character in itself. I realize you can't do LA quite the same way, so I think the writer went for more characters/deeper personal stories. Itll be really interesting to see how they wrap everything up from where we are now because it takes longer to extrapolate 4 people vs 2.

Also, grantland recaps for true detective are outstanding.

[Mutaman]

I have the first four from HBO as screeners. 

Wow what an important man he must be.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Got caught up last night. One thing I'm missing is the cultural/geographic element of the last season. The bayou was almost a character in itself. I realize you can't do LA quite the same way, so I think the writer went for more characters/deeper personal stories. Itll be really interesting to see how they wrap everything up from where we are now because it takes longer to extrapolate 4 people vs 2.

Also, grantland recaps for true detective are outstanding.

What threw me off at first was the city they were referencing out here.  They made it up...doesn't exist, but many of the other references do exist so a bit confusing at first.

[jesmu84]

What threw me off at first was the city they were referencing out here.  They made it up...doesn't exist, but many of the other references do exist so a bit confusing at first.

Never having been out your way... is there another city they could have used that actually does exist? Or, maybe, I wonder why they chose to create a fictional city? Perhaps they thought if they used a real city and portrayed it's officials as being corrupt, that would offend someone?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Never having been out your way... is there another city they could have used that actually does exist? Or, maybe, I wonder why they chose to create a fictional city? Perhaps they thought if they used a real city and portrayed it's officials as being corrupt, that would offend someone?

There actually is a city that somewhat fits the bill.  Very few people live in it, basically run by a family.  If I were to guess, this is the city the modeled the series after for this location.

Vernon, California

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernon,_California

[brewcity77]

I enjoyed the second episode. The dialogue between Farrell and McAdams was fantastic. The end finally gave it a bit of kick, though I'm not a huge fan of the way they handled that.

While both of them are grossly flawed, that's part of what I like about Ray and Ani as characters. It feels like this will be somewhat a redemption story for Ray, and him turning on Vaughn seems inevitable. It also feels like Ani will be the one that guides him to that redemption, despite her own clear issues.

The one I'm less impressed with now is Taylor Kitsch. The character just feels so flat. "Can I get back on the bike?" Okay, we get it, you just want to live the Erik Estrada dream. He doesn't seem very vested in his job, or his own love life, or much of anything. Hard to care about a character who's so lackadaisical about everything.

I'm not as anti-Vaughn as some. He's typecast as a comic character so this role seems odd, but I thought his take as Norman Bates was a bit underrated back in the day, and think he might be able to do well as a bad guy. They're working hard to make him seem like the villain with a heart of gold, though. Honestly, part of me wants to see Kelly Reilly turn out to be the brains (and true villain) of the Vaughn empire. Just something devious about her portrayal here.

Expecting this to live up to the first season was always a tough ask. But the first one had a slow start as well, didn't really know what was going on until 4-5 episodes in. I'm willing to be patient with this.

[ChicosBailBonds]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/abigailtracy/2015/06/30/the-town-in-true-detective-is-based-on-a-very-real-place-with-a-very-corrupt-past/

[CTWarrior]

The one I'm less impressed with now is Taylor Kitsch. The character just feels so flat. "Can I get back on the bike?" Okay, we get it, you just want to live the Erik Estrada dream. He doesn't seem very vested in his job, or his own love life, or much of anything. Hard to care about a character who's so lackadaisical about everything.

I'm not as anti-Vaughn as some...

Agree with all of this.  I find it strange that people are complaining about Vince Vaughn when Taylor Kitsch could not be more wooden or uninteresting.

I know you are all probably right, but that double-tap sure seemed final to me.  I wonder if its only flashbacks or something for that character.

[reinko]

The best VV scene thus far was when he approached the guy who just go rear ended, but again that fit VV's lane of sarcastic, a little funny, over the top...

[brewcity77]

The best VV scene thus far was when he approached the guy who just go rear ended, but again that fit VV's lane of sarcastic, a little funny, over the top...

Agreed. That definitely utilized Vaughn's strengths, and gave a glimpse of the sarcastic, asinine villain I'm hoping he becomes. I think he's been pretty decent in the bar scenes with Farrell as well. The only scene that really felt off to me was the opening of E2 when he was staring at the water mark on the ceiling.

[brandx]

The one I'm less impressed with now is Taylor Kitsch. The character just feels so flat. "Can I get back on the bike?" Okay, we get it, you just want to live the Erik Estrada dream. He doesn't seem very vested in his job, or his own love life, or much of anything. Hard to care about a character who's so lackadaisical about everything.

He is supposed to be flat. Suffering from PTSD. Probably on anti-depressants. Doesn't want to deal with people. On his bike, he is finally free.

[Pakuni]

He is supposed to be flat. Suffering from PTSD. Probably on anti-depressants. Doesn't want to deal with people. On his bike, he is finally free.

Also, probably gay ... hence his disinterest in his girlfriend (not to mention a blowie from the starlet).

[tower912]

What is it with the male characters not enjoying BJ's?     Not a lot of movement in this episode.   Vince Vaughn's character going back to his roots was fun.     Collin Farrel trying to start down the path to clean living (water?  wow.) was interesting.     Seems like season 2 is a non-stop cameo fest.   

[Coleman]

I'm finally caught up and all I can say is...

This season sucks. I even had low expectations. It didn't need to be as good as Season 1, it just needed to be 50% as good and I'd enjoy it. And it has failed. Vince Vaughn can't act seriously. I enjoyed him in Old School and Wedding Crashers, he should stick to those types of movies. Like others have said, I miss the cultural/setting perspective offered in Season 1. Acadiana is much more interesting than LA County. McAdams and Farrell hold their own, but that is about the only positive.

[tower912]

What made season 1 so memorable was the focus on the two main characters and a reasonable pace toward a solution.    This season seems unfocused so far. 

[CTWarrior]

What made season 1 so memorable was the focus on the two main characters and a reasonable pace toward a solution.    This season seems unfocused so far. 

Besides location, season 1 had a few other things going for it that season 2 does not.  McConaughey and Harrelson were fantastic, and only Farrell approaches that level here.  Season 1 had them recounting an interesting investigation in the past and fudging things to help with character development, a device that would seem repetetive for season 2.  Also, season 1 kept throwing out red herrings (governer involved?  local church involved?  strange cults involved?) and asking potentially interesting questions that would keep you looking forward to the next episode where those questions were inevitably ignored and new questions posited that again would whet your appetite for the next episode.  None of that this season either. 

Because of all those unanswered questions last season, the final resolution was quite a letdown.  Perhaps this season's lesser build up will pay off with a more interesting resolution.  I've invested 3 hours so far, so regardless I figure to watch the next 5 to see how it turns out.  I suppose that's part of the beauty of an 8 week run.  By the time you figure out it isn't any good, you're too invested not to finish it out.

[PGsHeroes32]

People who say VV can't act truly don't really know good acting then.

The guy is real good. His issue is he picks a bunch of crappy comedies recently. He's at his best when he's improvising and going manic in things like Swingers, old School and Wedding crashers.

But watch Clay Pigeons, Domestic Disturbance/Psycho(even though both movies suck) and especially Return to Paradise(phenomenal). The dude can act.

[brandx]

People who say VV can't act truly don't really know good acting then.

The guy is real good. His issue is he picks a bunch of crappy comedies recently. He's at his best when he's improvising and going manic in things like Swingers, old School and Wedding crashers.

But watch Clay Pigeons, Domestic Disturbance/Psycho(even though both movies suck) and especially Return to Paradise(phenomenal). The dude can act.

Agree. I think the people disappointed in Vince want him to be like he was in the comedies.

I like this season's True Detective better than last year's. More main characters means more time to develop all the backstories. Love the pace of the show. Love that the show doesn't rely on car chases or explosions or CGI.