I had heard reasonably mixed things about this season of True Detective - perhaps understandably, given the response to the first season, this second was always going to be on a hiding to nothing in regard to following it up. As it is, the narrative for the second season really has no connection to the first season and, although there is the suggestion of it in episode one, the 'interview' structure is also gone – as is a lot of the supernatural aspects (even if masks and weird parties do occasionally give it a similar feel). Instead the second season runs much more like a police procedural, albeit a very polished and high quality one.
Corruption, skeletons in closets, dirty money, and interconnected characters and threads all see this narrative play out in a pretty satisfying and engaging manner. Personally I found it not only easier to follow than the first season, but I also found the story more rewarding by the end (I was not a great fan of the conclusion of the mystery of the first season). This season perhaps pushes the darkness and oppression of the narrative a bit too much; we are always reminded how grim everything is, and how there are constant clouds of high level corruption and control always looming overhead. Mostly it is a tone I really liked, but it does occasionally get too much and feels like the show is wallowing in it a bit too much.
The story itself is complex but yet tightly packaged to keep the viewer on board. Some have complained about the number of characters and their various overlaps; I admit I did struggle at times when side characters were mentioned by name, because I did not always manage to keep up with that without checking online to remind myself who all the players were. This was a downside of the number of players – particularly that some that become key later on are really not around much more than anyone else, so no reason to remember every single name. The dialogue is a mixed bag. In some ways it is great, and has such great phrasing and presence, but then at times you do wish that people would just talk rather than speaking 'great dialogue' all the time; again this is related to the season pushing the darker and more serious tone all the time where really you wish it would occasionally relax into the real world. That said, the cast do very much benefit from this tone and writing, and as with the first season the cast are surprisingly strong throughout.
Farrell plays the broken, haunted man very well, bringing enough character to it to make it more than the cliché it could have been. Likewise McAdams is very strong throughout, while Kitsch is way better than I expected he would be able to be. The real surprise of the season though is Vince Vaughn, who is physically half the man he was, but also twice the actor I thought he was. He has a great presence and he mostly makes the intensity of much of his dialogue work with dead eyes and a determined yet fatalistic desperation. I also enjoyed that the dialogue appeared to have space for the odd dig at him (a reference to his character being great in the 90's for example). The supporting cast is deep in names and faces you will recognize, and while few have much time to do much, they add to that feeling of quality. This feeling continues in the production as a whole. From the opening credits onwards it is very slick, very professional and very well delivered. Highlights include the usual tracking shots, pull-backs, and such, and there are several very strong dramatic sequences which stick in the memory in the same way as that great one-shot sequence in season 1 did.
Those that loved season 1 for what it did, may not be happy with this season because it is essentially a whole different show; however, just like season 1, I found this to be really engaging, intense, gripping, and satisfying even if it is not without its faults, and in different ways that the first season did it.
Corruption, skeletons in closets, dirty money, and interconnected characters and threads all see this narrative play out in a pretty satisfying and engaging manner. Personally I found it not only easier to follow than the first season, but I also found the story more rewarding by the end (I was not a great fan of the conclusion of the mystery of the first season). This season perhaps pushes the darkness and oppression of the narrative a bit too much; we are always reminded how grim everything is, and how there are constant clouds of high level corruption and control always looming overhead. Mostly it is a tone I really liked, but it does occasionally get too much and feels like the show is wallowing in it a bit too much.
The story itself is complex but yet tightly packaged to keep the viewer on board. Some have complained about the number of characters and their various overlaps; I admit I did struggle at times when side characters were mentioned by name, because I did not always manage to keep up with that without checking online to remind myself who all the players were. This was a downside of the number of players – particularly that some that become key later on are really not around much more than anyone else, so no reason to remember every single name. The dialogue is a mixed bag. In some ways it is great, and has such great phrasing and presence, but then at times you do wish that people would just talk rather than speaking 'great dialogue' all the time; again this is related to the season pushing the darker and more serious tone all the time where really you wish it would occasionally relax into the real world. That said, the cast do very much benefit from this tone and writing, and as with the first season the cast are surprisingly strong throughout.
Farrell plays the broken, haunted man very well, bringing enough character to it to make it more than the cliché it could have been. Likewise McAdams is very strong throughout, while Kitsch is way better than I expected he would be able to be. The real surprise of the season though is Vince Vaughn, who is physically half the man he was, but also twice the actor I thought he was. He has a great presence and he mostly makes the intensity of much of his dialogue work with dead eyes and a determined yet fatalistic desperation. I also enjoyed that the dialogue appeared to have space for the odd dig at him (a reference to his character being great in the 90's for example). The supporting cast is deep in names and faces you will recognize, and while few have much time to do much, they add to that feeling of quality. This feeling continues in the production as a whole. From the opening credits onwards it is very slick, very professional and very well delivered. Highlights include the usual tracking shots, pull-backs, and such, and there are several very strong dramatic sequences which stick in the memory in the same way as that great one-shot sequence in season 1 did.
Those that loved season 1 for what it did, may not be happy with this season because it is essentially a whole different show; however, just like season 1, I found this to be really engaging, intense, gripping, and satisfying even if it is not without its faults, and in different ways that the first season did it.