I adore season 1, it's one of my favorite seasons of TV ever, but I do feel and felt at the time that they didn't quite do it justice with the finale, and sort of wrote themselves into a corner leading up to it. The villain, his revelation, their confrontation with him all felt tonally dissonant from what we'd seen beforehand. Episodes 4 and 5 of season 1 are right up there with the best TV episodes of anything I've ever seen, and the ending was still good, just it dragged it down from a 10/10 to an 8/10 overall for me.
Television True Detective: Night Country | Season 4 | FINALE SPOILERS
- Thread starter Salt Bailly
- Start date
I liked the ending, really liked the actor for the killer as well, proper creepy switching his accents and was cool how they’d put him in prior without suspicion.
Not really a spoiler but I think they’ve done that this season as well when they first went to the plant
It was a bit over the top how hard he was to kill but I think it’s more realistic that you have that quite short sequence at his property where it all ends (lots of shows have the police chase a suspect back and forth, with near misses and narrow escapes so they can then use that drama again and again). Season 1 is about slowly gathering all the evidence with a few red herrings and then a fast but brutal climax.
See I think for what they ultimately had to do with 1 hour of TV left it was good. Just, the preceding 7 episodes for me hadn't really built up to a satisfying end of a sudden reveal of a villain, an evil lair and an enormous character shift for Rust. They pulled all of that off very well despite that though. But I didn't think that was where the prior episodes had written to show to be going.
Well, that was kind of boring, except for the last few minutes.
One problem I feel this season has, is that none of the characters are really likable. Sure, Jodie Fosters character is competent and has a few funny lines, but she is also just a bit of a bitch. The other lead is boring and abbrassive. There's a big difference between this and season 1, where the main characters were flawed, but interesting. We haven't gotten a lot of the latter up until now.
One problem I feel this season has, is that none of the characters are really likable. Sure, Jodie Fosters character is competent and has a few funny lines, but she is also just a bit of a bitch. The other lead is boring and abbrassive. There's a big difference between this and season 1, where the main characters were flawed, but interesting. We haven't gotten a lot of the latter up until now.
Yeah, agreed. The two leads in S1 both oozed charisma. Because they were played by two extremely charismatic actors. That’s definitely not the case here. So this season doesn’t compare well on that basis at all. Mind you, if it wraps things up without all the green paint nonsensical drivel of S1 it will come pretty close to compensating for the relative lack of charisma of the two leads.
The green paint thing was one of my chief complaints with the end of S1, but this season won't come near the worst episodes of S1 on its best days. It's absolutely miles below it.
I’ve similar feelings about it although I’d be much harsher on the ending. Which I thought was risible nonsense and ruined the show for me. It actually made me cross it was so stupid. So ended up dragging a 10/10 down to a 6/10.
It certainly hasn’t run it close so far. Although the sense of place is similarly well done. The cast is definitely a notch below. Remains to be seen if it can match the set pieces. That oner where they raided the hillbilly drug den was so fecking good.
Yeah I'm being a bit kind to the ending there.. I really didn't like it at the time. But the only reason I give it that bit of leeway is I feel where it had written itself to be going up to then was basically nowhere - no resolution of the mystery, no answer to the investigation, no redemption for Rust. And that just wasn't ever going to be the way to spend that final hour with those characters and that story. So they had to do something. But I still think what the ultimately did wasn't great at all.
Really I think it was such a good buildup that almost nothing could satisfyingly cap it off in one hour.
Funny that the one character that comes to mind who would’ve had the presence to shine in S1 is one that has a connection to it.
But maybe I’m partial to her because she’s Andor’s mom.
But maybe I’m partial to her because she’s Andor’s mom.
But was it that sudden? A peado we had seen in the earlier episode and someone who was connected to and protected by the Tuttles. Also about the lair, that was maybe a bit too much but nothing too bad or cringe.
But agreed the sodding Rust was bad even he had lost her daughter and you kind of could get that.
Fair enough but which were the parts so risible that they almost ruined the show for you?
Almost all of it. But especially everything to do with the green paint. For a show with the word “Detective” in the title, the detective work in that final episode was excruciatingly stupid.
I will not have you guys slander Season 1 in here! Ok, the green paint thing was maybe a bit of a stretch, but the rest was close to perfect television, damnit!
Totally forgot about the green paint..yea, not the strongest part of that season 
Still, very minor in the grand scheme and I always loved the possibility of the whole thing rooting in a HP Lovecraft universe which was opened up with the final encounter. The last dialogue was drivel but imho worked for the character believable enough.
Still, very minor in the grand scheme and I always loved the possibility of the whole thing rooting in a HP Lovecraft universe which was opened up with the final encounter. The last dialogue was drivel but imho worked for the character believable enough.Totally forgot about the green paint..yea, not the strongest part of that season
Yeah, it might have been a bit sappy, but it was meaningful to Rusts character arc and the theme.
The original script had Rust vanishing entirely after encountering the spiral, confirming the supernatural element.Totally forgot about the green paint..yea, not the strongest part of that season
Latest episode definitely the weakest so far. I wonder if they'll do something epic in the next one to match the single take at the end of ep4 of season 1. You'd hope they have something up their sleeve to elevate the quality if they're going to lean so heavily into the first season comparisons.
People need to stop shitting on season 2. People hated it for the same reason they hated season 2 of The Wire (only to change their minds after a rewatch).
Season 3 though, yeah that was crap.
Season 3 though, yeah that was crap.
Season 3 was pretty good - I quite enjoyed that. It's definitely a lot better better than this one, so far.
Episode 4 with the long one shot scene is absolutely sublime.
Nah it's not. It's just usual online hyperbole. Last episode was a trudge but I've enjoyed the location and mystery so far. Season 2 was a meme.
They don‘t need to be likable for me but they are cardboard-character portrayals (that goes for about everybody so far imho) so after all it‘s super bland watching with the occasional shocker scene, those are well done in themselves imho but there is just no cohersion to it so far. Like the musical score at times that makes you wonder if actually anybody watched it in the editing room.
I remember being hugely disappointed with the finale. I'm just rewatching season 1and hoping I like it more now.
I'm enjoying this season but it remains to be seen if they can plant the landing.
Terrible terrible take.
Season 2 on first watch was tragically bad. It was like going from Fergie to Moyes.
Season 2 on subsequent rewatches has been better because you’re not going in with the expectations you originally had - and it morphs into a so-awful-it’s-good in a comedy sort of way.
So it’s simultaneously awful and great, for very different reasons.
Season 3 was a very solid season, a level or two below Season 1 but still above most TV.
I haven't even watched Season 2 except for a few clips, but this is a line that is actually in the show: "If you ever bully or hurt anyone again, I'll come back and buttfeck your father with your moms headless corpse on this goddamn lawn"
Brilliant. Maybe I should actually give it a shot.I quite liked season 2 
Never do anything out of hunger, not even eating.I quite liked season 2
I don't even have a problem with the green paint really, maybe the old lady keeping a record of everything was a bit too random and plot armour-ish.
S2 left an utterly bad taste in your brain after the first time since you always anticipated that one brilliant twist that made it at least bearable as a S1 successor. Haven‘t seen it for a very long time but I remember it being at least somewhat consistent in itself (partly even truly cheesy but it also didn‘t seem to take itself too serious although I guess that‘s quite debatable - at least that motorcylcle scene where he‘s about to commit „almost“ suicide always felt deliberately over the top).
Liked the cast quite a bit though.
Nothing I‘d recommend watching to anybody but I put it mentally on the „LA film noir modern cheese edition“ shelf and it sits quite nicely there.
Liked the cast quite a bit though.
Nothing I‘d recommend watching to anybody but I put it mentally on the „LA film noir modern cheese edition“ shelf and it sits quite nicely there.
I've always thought second season was great, with Farrell bossing it. great OST as well.
I quite liked season 2
Worth watching. But of course very different, an nowhere near as good, as season 1. We should finish re-watching season 1 tonight - and I'm hoping the last episode is better than I remember it to be.
Great might be overselling it.
Was it better?
Yes. I think the first time around expectations were so high that no end could have lived up to the rest of the series.
That said the very end was far from perfect. Rusty's spiritual musings seemed out of character to me and it would have been far better if far less was said.
Still very glad I watched it again. If this was a film the two leads would surely have won Oscars.
What’s absolutely wild is that Mc Canaughay didn’t even win an emmy. Fecking Billy Bob won it for Fargo.
No, Cranston won for Breaking Bad.
Ah I’m thinking of the golden globes.
Binge watched S2 yesterday night Definitely not as bad as I remembered it only the last 1-2 ep were a bit all over the place.
Definitely not as bad as I remembered it only the last 1-2 ep were a bit all over the place.Seen the first 2 episodes... enjoying it so far. Getting a Twin Peaks/GoT (white walkers) vibe with a bit of Mare of Easttown sprinkled in.