The season finale managed to touch me as very few other series did. It was pure, tragic art. And it was beautiful. I love film noir and this second season was as noir as it can get.
While the season started slowly, as a whole, I consider it to be masterfully crafted. I liked it even more than the first season, and I thought that was amazing at the time (the Mccounaghey - Harrelson duo was perfect but the story wasn't as exciting overall as this season). It was daring, it was consistent in tone. The characters broke away from the apparent stereotypes in the second half of the season, being defined by both the writing and the acting ability of the cast.
The casting couldn't have been better. I've read a lot of complaints about Vince Vaughn. I was doubting him but he proved me wrong, I'm actually wondering why he's sticking to romantic comedies, seeing him act in True Detective. He has more to show than that. During the first few episodes, I thought Taylor Kitsch is trying to fill in for Rust Cohle in this second season and it wouldn't work. His character was actually very different and he brought much more than a cheap imitation of Mccounaghey's style. Colin Farrell was basically born to play Ray Velcoro and Rachel McAdams was a great fit for the powerful Ani Bezzerides who was able to keep up in a world dominated by dangerous men.
The photography and the music (most of it was very subtle, but noticeable, creating a constant tension) were beautifully intertwined and have really helped to create this gloomy, dark, hopeless atmosphere that seemed larger than everything and everyone. The city as a whole and some locations in particular (the bar deserves a special mention - Lera Lynn's music!) became characters themselves. Frightening characters.
It was very daring for the writers to have all the male leads die. And it worked much better than a predictable, boring happy ending. Their deaths weren't accidental, they were the result of their beliefs, the consequences of their actions. Each death felt significant and tragic and that isn't easy to achieve.
There are a lot of subtle touches in this series that some people, myself included, really appreciate. Everything is pieced together on a deeper scale than it might look at a glance (a good example from the finale is the irony of Frank dying in the desert while Jordan was on a boat).
I'm glad I wasn't as vocal as the majority in the first few weeks, I was confident in the season as a whole and my expectations weren't just met, they were exceeded. And that's such a good feeling. I hope there will be a third season, with a different setting and different characters. I think it's a brilliant formula, having high caliber actors, great writing and several hours (instead of 2 or 3 for a feature film) to develop the story and the characters. I'm absolutely sure that it would be just as good. Maybe better. In a different way.
While the season started slowly, as a whole, I consider it to be masterfully crafted. I liked it even more than the first season, and I thought that was amazing at the time (the Mccounaghey - Harrelson duo was perfect but the story wasn't as exciting overall as this season). It was daring, it was consistent in tone. The characters broke away from the apparent stereotypes in the second half of the season, being defined by both the writing and the acting ability of the cast.
The casting couldn't have been better. I've read a lot of complaints about Vince Vaughn. I was doubting him but he proved me wrong, I'm actually wondering why he's sticking to romantic comedies, seeing him act in True Detective. He has more to show than that. During the first few episodes, I thought Taylor Kitsch is trying to fill in for Rust Cohle in this second season and it wouldn't work. His character was actually very different and he brought much more than a cheap imitation of Mccounaghey's style. Colin Farrell was basically born to play Ray Velcoro and Rachel McAdams was a great fit for the powerful Ani Bezzerides who was able to keep up in a world dominated by dangerous men.
The photography and the music (most of it was very subtle, but noticeable, creating a constant tension) were beautifully intertwined and have really helped to create this gloomy, dark, hopeless atmosphere that seemed larger than everything and everyone. The city as a whole and some locations in particular (the bar deserves a special mention - Lera Lynn's music!) became characters themselves. Frightening characters.
It was very daring for the writers to have all the male leads die. And it worked much better than a predictable, boring happy ending. Their deaths weren't accidental, they were the result of their beliefs, the consequences of their actions. Each death felt significant and tragic and that isn't easy to achieve.
There are a lot of subtle touches in this series that some people, myself included, really appreciate. Everything is pieced together on a deeper scale than it might look at a glance (a good example from the finale is the irony of Frank dying in the desert while Jordan was on a boat).
I'm glad I wasn't as vocal as the majority in the first few weeks, I was confident in the season as a whole and my expectations weren't just met, they were exceeded. And that's such a good feeling. I hope there will be a third season, with a different setting and different characters. I think it's a brilliant formula, having high caliber actors, great writing and several hours (instead of 2 or 3 for a feature film) to develop the story and the characters. I'm absolutely sure that it would be just as good. Maybe better. In a different way.