An ongoing exploration of the dark and gritty reboot
Matthew McConaughey recently stirred up some folks by saying that yes, he misses playing Rust Cohle and, yes, he would consider reprising that character, if given the right opportunity. “Would you ever consider going back,” his interviewer asked him. “Yeah, I would," McConaughey answered. This fueled some speculation and some argument. Questions like what would …
I'm one of the lone defenders of True Detective's second season. So far, I can count on one hand the people I know who actually liked it. While I disagree with many of the complaints and criticisms that have been leveled and hurled against it, I'll admit that some of the complaints were grounded in …
Continue reading What Would Christian Bale Do in Season Three of True Detective?
In a previous post, I've argued that no one should call a show good or bad until the end is known. Which means, now that the end is known, we can decide if True Detective's second season was good or bad. People love complaining about how confusing the plot of this season was. And I won't …
Continue reading What Would Faulkner Say About True Detective Season Two?
Well, Season Two is over. Whether you are satisfied with the ending or not, chances are that you are a little bummed that you don't get to watch it next week. Lucky for you, we have a list of things to watch and read if you are a fan of True Detective. Time might be a …
Continue reading Thirteen Ways to Fill the Flat Circle After Season Two of True Detective
Enjoy fan theories? Check out more fan theories here, or buy D. F. Lovett's novel The Moonborn here. A recent scene in True Detective got me thinking about something I haven't thought about in a long time: Friends. In probably the saddest scene of the second season, Ray Velcoro and his son Chad eat pizza in silence …
Continue reading True Detective vs. Friends: Did Ross Geller Lose Custody of His Son?
In a previous post, I mentioned Herodotus's lesson, to "call no man happy until he is dead." My specific application of his lesson in that case was to say that the biggest issue with HBO's Ballers is the tendency for the episodes to end on soft, conflict-free notes. But I also failed to bring the …
Herodotus told us to call no man happy until he is dead. The same is true of television: no series, no season, no episode can be called good until it is over. All endings matter. And it is for this reason that the first episode of HBO's Ballers is good, while the subsequent two are bad. …
So far, so good, for Season Two of True Detective. Except for one aspect of the first episode that didn't work for me. There are four main characters in this season, double the number of the first season. None deserve the label of protagonist. And of the four, none serve less of a purpose in …
Continue reading How Taylor Kitch’s Paul Woodrugh Should Have Been Introduced in True Detective
We all know what the Bechdel Test is. Or, if you don't, it's that rule, invented by Alison Bechdel in her comic strip Dykes to Watch Out For, about fiction which describes whether or not a work approaches gender in an appropriate way. Among the many works that fail the test are Star Wars (not a …
Continue reading Why Silicon Valley’s Approach to the Bechdel Test is Brilliant
Am I the only person disappointed that the episode didn't end with Matthew McConaughey showing up to the crime scene, winking at the camera, and saying "All right, all right, all right. Turns out time really is a flat circle." Other than that, pretty good episode. Very different from the first season, but if it …
Continue reading What’s Missing From True Detective Season Two