I do my weekly DVR Purges, but let's be frank: they are crap. I don't proofread them at all most weeks. They're collections of scattered thoughts that barely even make sense a week later. What I've decided to do is, with most of these shows I watch taking a break, reflect on where I stand with them, assessing what is in the show's favor (assets) and what could get it in trouble (liabilities).
Now, not every show I watch will be included. In general, I'm sticking to shows that I've kept notes (be them from Purges or otherwise) as I've watched. That means, shows like The Bridge, Looking, Sherlock, and Dexter will not be included. To get my thoughts on those, ask me. This project, supposing I stay on schedule should take all month and I hope it does a good job summing up where these shows stand. In some cases, I'm hoping to convince you to start watching. Other times, it'll be nothing more than a postmortem for a show that's gone.
I hope you enjoy.
Favorite Episode(s): "Who Goes There" & "The Secret Fate of All Life"
Matthew McConaughey: Bryan Cranston is not a lock to win the Emmy this year. That's how good McConaughey is in this. Of the lead roles in True Detective, his is the showier and I'd go as far as to say he's better as Rust Cohle than he is in his Oscar winning turn in Dallas Buyers Club. No role this season was as instantly iconic, with all his rambling soliloquies about time as a flat circle and other such philosophizing.
Woody Harrelson: It's a shame that McConaughey is so good and flashy, because Harrelson is spectacular in his own right. Quite frankly, without Marty Hart, Rust Cohle is a listless madman. What Harrelson does in True Detective is more raw. Rust wears his crazy like a badge of honor. Marty tries to keep it down and lets it build until he can't control it (his fight with Rust, hitting his daughter, or terrorizing his mistress and her boyfriend).
The Interview: It doesn't get much better than listening to Rust and Marty getting interviewed and narrating the events in 1995. The fun of seeing one thing as they say another, or the conflict with what one another says, or Rust casually being in complete control of his questioning is what made this season great. It may have fallen some toward the end, but the journey of those first five episodes was a masterclass of narration and build.
The End: Apparently, the point of the show was never to tell the story of solving a serial killer case. It was to tell the story of these two detectives. In that sense, the show is a complete success. The problem is that people did get investing in the case and the mystery of it, with the Sun King and the Spaghetti Monster. That made the finale in particular hard when most of it is brushed off as an afterthought. Most of this blame is on the audience for coming up with pet theories or expectations. Some of it does go to Nic Pizzolatto for such a promising and intriguing setup.
The Women: The show took a lot of hit for this. People didn't want to accept that the show is only concerned with the two leads who, in this case, were men. Still, Michelle Monaghan is a talented actress, and even in the sixth episode, when it was her telling the story and basically calling the shots, she still seemed secondary: someone for Marty and Rust to play off. The same goes for the next most prominent woman, Alexandra Daddario, who was essentially there to be attractive and afraid of Marty when needed. Hopefully season two has more plans for the women.
Anyone else who isn't Cohle or Hart: You know who else had nothing to do other than the women? Everyone else who wasn't Rust or Marty. I get that the show is about an extensive examination of those two, but that doesn't mean every other character had to be so one or two dimensional. The detectives questioning Rust and Marty were basically a collection of cop tropes. The bad guys, like Erroll and Reggie Ledoux were equally as bland. It would be nice to have a fleshed out cast next time.
I love that limited series like this are becoming more popular. Here I thought a couple years ago that the mini-series was dead. It turns out that it just needed some new branding. I love that the single-season commitment gets someone like McConaughey, who is at the height of his popularity, on TV or Woody Harrelson, who still has a thriving movie career (even if it's not at his co-star's level). This was a fantastic self-contained story and, best of all, there's no chance of its reputation being ruined by another season trying to continue the story. HBO has itself quite a franchise now, and I can't wait to see what another season and another story brings.
Previously this Offseason...
Community
Brooklyn Nine Nine
New Girl
Suburgatory
Modern Family
Parenthood
The Mindy Project
The Michael J Fox Show
The Big Bang Theory
Agents of SHIELD
The Crazy Ones
Back in the Game
Parks and Recreation
The Walking Dead
The Middle
Saturday Night Live
Cougar Town
House of Cards
Louie
How I Met Your Mother
The Americans
Archer
Silicon Valley
Hannibal
Girls
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