True Detective Season Two - Episode One

I was a huge fan of the first season of True Detective. I came to it late but fell in love with the language and the acting. The second season can only fail in comparison to the brilliance of season one. I know this and for that reason I am cutting season two a huge break. I have read that many were disappointed with this first episode but I wasn't one of them. I enjoyed the laying of the foundations to this story and I will be there to the end.

These are some dangerously damaged human beings here. And the worst part is that all of them are armed and backed by the power of the police force. When their jurisdictions overlap during a sensitive murder investigation, all their lives will intertwine as the pit just gets deeper and deeper.

The criminal thinks he can go legit while the cops have long since forgot was 'legit' means anymore. All are deeply disappointed in themselves and are drowning in their own histories which is something we all have to battle if we hope to keep the madness at bay for one day more. Damn. I relate to that kind of ennui. I think I will enjoy my wallowing in all this self pity.

That being said there are so many different agendas at competition here that I think I need at least three episodes to settle in. Why can't I binge on this season like I did with season one? No, I had to get on the weekly fix which may be the best way to watch this show.

Colin Farrell is so sad and addicted that I can barely believe that he has any redemption left in him. I was more convinced of his lost soul when he handles the bullying of his son in an unforgettable way. How can he feel so untouchable? How corrupt is everyone here?

Vince Vaughn I ache for. I see a man who came from nowhere and had to do some very bad things to rise up the ranks of a nameless criminal organization. We meet him on the eve of taking his whole operation 'legit' - something that is not assured when his point man is found murdered on a highway, his eyes burned out with acid. That is always a message. Someone saw something that he shouldn't have seen. He has a great wife who believes in him and she is going to become the worst kind of collateral damage before this story is done. Vaughn return to his 'roots' will be terrifying to watch. He has spent a long time learning to control his inner beast I suspect.

Rachel McAdams underplays her beauty and boy, the writers load her up with the most messed up family I have seen in a long time. Trust me. It's messed up but not in a way you would believe if I told you about it. Her conversation with her Father is brilliant and reveals so much about their shared history. I can only imagine what the world looked like through her eight year old eyes. I hope they don't show me that.

Taylor Kitsch has run from his looks all his acting career. So talented and underrated. His character is living so close to the edge that he can curl his toes over the cliff. He needs Viagra to have sex and races his motorcycle at insane speeds. Fear is the only way that he knows he is alive.

 

It's a tough thing to come after the amazing season one of True Detective. It took me awhile to get with the rhythm of those first eight episodes but the writing and performances were so good that I had to see more. In fact I consider that first season to be one of the best shows I have ever seen on television. Except for that tacked on ending that ruined everything that came before it, it was perfection. I will be watching to see if True Detective Season Two lives up to it's impressive pedigree. From what I have seen so far gives me hope.