HBO's True Detective

He was unable to make chicken salad out of chicken shit, that's for sure. But it's not all on him, either.

 

I couldn't believe they left that in the show. I also laughed out loud. I mean, it's not like they were ignorant of the reaction Vaughn was getting after three or four episodes, which still would have been plenty of time to snip or edit around that line. At least they made a GIF that will live on forever.

 

I liked the season enough and thought it got better as it went along. I thought the finale was hit and miss, though. I saw one critique saying the season struggled because there were twice as many main characters but still only eight episodes so thus too much to cram in. That was also the reasoning for the 90 minute finale, to try and get a little more time to wrap them all up. But I thought the finale could have easily still been an hour.

For some reason I didn't love that all the main bad guys won and basically no one else did. I guess that can happen in real world and the point they were trying to make. Still, it just seemed like an extreme stance. I actually thought that softened some with how they wrapped it up (kind of dumb to add the baby, unless it was some sort of legacy statement, but the rest was OK). Also interesting was the main critique of the first season was that there weren't strong enough or present enough women and it was the women who were still standing at the end. Too much of a coincidence?

Overall, though, it did keep me watching enough. Still liked the darkness and the tension. Nothing in it would stop me from trying it again next year if they do a third go.

 

I liked the season overall.
Hated the first episode, but thought the finale was OK, although far from great.

I'd watch a third season.

 

The villain characters disappeared for weeks at a time and we were supposed to care about them getting away with something. The younger Chessani guy was on screen for about five minutes in about Episode 5 and we're supposed to be outraged he gets elected mayor? The set photographer was on screen for even less time and yet he's revealed to be behind the murder that spawned the whole season?

And then there was Stan ... who the hell was Stan again?

 

Lost

 

Dexter's final season — and especially its finale — was a disaster by all accounts, but I never watched that show.

 

Lost always gets maligned when it comes to the "worst finale" talk, but at least they friggin' tried something. Better to go out failing spectacularly as opposed to with a shrug.

 

'Dexter' was much worse.

I don't think you're supposed to outraged about the younger Chessani being elected mayor; it was just part of Pizzolatto's ongoing theme: The world is full of nefarious forces, and their machinations are opaque and arcane. Good people can try to pierce through but ultimately have little effect.

 

So basically, triple Chinatown's running length, with much of the same backdrop and themes, but with not nearly the same entertainment and artistic value.

During the finale, I kept thinking, "Man, I'd rather watch a show about all of the weird accessory characters they've had this season." Dr. Rick Springfield, the Mayor's eurotrash wife, his sleazy son, the waitress with the facial scar at the bar... Plenty of undeveloped characters that were sacrificed so that we could have lots of one-on-one talking with Mr. and Mrs. Vaughn, and to see Colin Ferrell and McAdams have cringy sex.

 

Loved "Dexter," but that finale was beyond ridiculous. And, yeah, that last season pretty much sucked. Still, a great show overall.

 

Maybe this is why I had an issue with all the bad guys winning. I don't know. Just seemed like they got off so clean. And I'm not against all the bad guys coming out on top. There was just something to this one that didn't totally click. Like it was forced. I mean, the people taking them down couldn't get one break? Maybe that's where the open ended thing with the reporter at the end comes in.