Don't Put True Detective on a Pedestal

Let me guess, it is Tuesday. You are at school, work or at home maybe, and there is one or two people in
the common place that cannot stop talking about "True Detective."  There is major FOMO going on right now, and you want to be a part of the action. I saw it happen with two of my friends, Eric and Mitch, whom caught up before the finale happened on Sunday evening. There will be more people loading up on "True Detective" because it is only eight episodes, all on HBO Go and people know what everyone is saying about it right now.

My biggest fear for the show going forward is people having lofty goals that it is 'the best season of television I have ever watched' and then going around saying 'it is not what I expected.'  Truth be told, I fell asleep twice trying to watch the first episode. It is really slow and dry to start out. I actually was ready to give up on the show, but the hype kept growing so I stuck with it despite being a show that put me to sleep in the first two episodes. I never do that, but I am happy I did.  By Episode Four, you are completely sucked in and ready to roll with Marty and Rust whom are people's favorite cop duo in the last five years. 

But do not expect to be something like "Homeland" where it sucks you in right away, and you cannot leave it. In a way, "House of Cards" does that too, but this is not that type of show. It is a slow burn like a good bourbon. You watch it for the acting displays put on by Matthew McConaughey who is the best actor in the modern game right now (Seriously, I do not know how this happened, but if he were a baseball player, there are columns coming out about his PED use at his older age).  Woody Harrelson does a damn good job too, and that is forgotten at times because McConaughey as Rust Cohle is a beautiful sight to see. The acting makes this television show, and while the story lacks sometimes, these two make a fantastic eight episode masterpiece.

In my personal opinion, people talk about the greatness of the show is due to the acting. We think of it as a better show because the acting throughout is magnificent. If actors a little below Harrelson and McConaughey are playing these roles, I think we do not have the same sort of admiration right now with it. Nic Pizzolatto wrote a great script, but these two did such a damn good job at making into what it has become, a cultural obsession, by the television fanatics looking to fill a void with the conclusion of "Breaking Bad" and awaiting the start of "Mad Men" and "Game of Thrones." If anything, that also vaulted it to another level by placing right between all of the major television shows. "True Detective" found its niche and it will only grow throughout the months.  

 (From here on out, we will have some SPOILERS. So if you haven't seen the season, don't read, okay?) 

Since everyone is giving their two cents on the finale, I thought I would add my mine. I loved how it ended. We finally got the idea that this show is not about the crime, it is about the cops. Pizzolatto pointed that out to Alan Sepinwall, but I immediately understood that when Marty receives the news Rust was in a coma after the final scene with Errol. I realize many people thought it was too easy to find him, but remember the whole quote of 'It was right under our noses the whole time." Some people wanted both of these guys dead instead of surviving to live another day. I think the only way it happens is if one dies, but in reality, they could not survive without each other.  Also for those wondering about why 'Time is a flat circle', the news report clearing the Tuttle family meaning this whole thing never really ended, and it might begin again.  

Many people believe the story left too many loose ends, but in reality, no show is completely perfect. We are not going to get all the answers we want by the end of it. Look forward to pouring a Lone Star out for Rust. 

Charlie.