Matthew McConaughey as Rust Cohle and Woody Harrelson as Marty Hart
This week I am diverging from my usual theme of Oscar winners of the 00s because I could not find any way to watch the 2005 film, Crash and also because I recently finished watching a TV show that I still have a lot of thoughts about. I’ll try to format this post the same way I have been doing the others!
Show: True Detective
Channel: HBO
Premiered: January 12, 2014
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Monaghan
Emmys: Directing for a Drama Series, Casting for a Drama Series, Makeup for a Single Camera Series, Cinematography for a Single Camera Series, Main Title Design
Summary: The trials and tribulations of two Louisiana police detectives over the course of 17 years and a hunt for a serial killer.
This past weekend I found myself feeling sick with absolutely no desire to leave my bed. Naturally, with all this time on my hands I decided that a good binge watching session was in order. I winded up choosing True Detective because there were only eight episodes, it was critically acclaimed, and months before I had watched the first episode and a half before deciding I really did not like it and did not see what all the hype was about. In my ill state I decided to give it another chance and I’m so glad I did.
The main title sequence is the first thing you see of the series and it really sets the mood of the show. The haunting music with a country vibe coupled with the cinematography that layers the silhouettes of the characters over the landscapes and settings where the story takes place makes you appreciate how much effort went into the main title sequence alone. If you watch it here you’ll get a good idea of the tone of the show.
True Detective opens in the year 2012 with ex-partners Marty Hart and Rust Cohle being interviewed separately by a pair of detectives. The interviewers ask them about a famous case the partners had in 1995 because the file had been lost, or so they say. Marty and Rust separately recant their story through flashback to 1995 with occasional cuts to 2012. This style of storytelling allows for the characters to reveal information to the audience in the future and then go back to 1995 to show what led up to certain events.
I understand why I did not like the show at first. There is so much unspoken dialogue and so many things going on under the surface and what dialogue is spoken is typically some long worded, philosophical rant from McConaughey’s character that leaves most people (including his partner) scratching their heads. I still can’t tell when I went from pushing myself to get through one more episode to being so immersed in the story that suddenly its 2AM but nothing is going to stop me from watching this finale.
As for the actors, McConaughey and Harrelson do a fantastic job in each of their roles, I honestly can’t say who is better. McConaughey is Rust Cohle, the despondent, nihilistic loner with a troubled past who is prone to pessimistic rants about society, religion, mankind as a whole, you name it. Harrelson is his foil, Marty Hart, veteran detective and family man who has some secrets and inner demons of his own.
The funny thing is, Marty and Rust are the only two characters throughout the course of the show that are fleshed out. The only other character that receives comparable screen time is Marty’s wife Maggie Hart, played by Michelle Monaghan. Even then we only see her in the capacity of the two male leads and her actions are predictably those of the “angry housewife.” In a way, this makes sense for such a character driven story. In the end, the show is really centered on Marty and Rust and the evolution of their partnership with the murder mystery set as the backdrop.
I don’t want to go too much into the plot for anyone who hasn’t seen the show, but I will say I walked away from the show extremely impressed and very surprised that a show could completely change my mind in only 8 episodes. I also want to say that even though the finale disappointed many fans, I was very pleased with how it turned out but if anyone has seen the show I’d be curious to see what you think. I would recommend anyone give this show a try, and that it is definitely worth 8 hours of your time.