The Inevitable Downfall Of True Detective

When Season 1 first hit the airwaves, True Detective was a force to be reckoned with. With an cast starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, and a story unlike any of seen before, True Detective was truly lightning in a bottle. Though as we move into Seasons 2 and 3, True Detective began a downward spiral. Can Season 4 of True Detective, Night Country, recapture the magic of Season 1?

#truedetective #matthewmcconaughey #woodyharrelson #nerdstalgic

SOURCES

[TheAlphaLegionnaire]

I rewatch Season 1 about once every year or two.

Time really is a flat circle…

[MadJustin]

I can't imagine the stress of being in charge of following up a masterpiece. Season 2 was always going to fall short.

[bijanadhikari]

Nothing went wrong. Season 1 is a lightning in a bottle that can never topped by any piece of media.

[discord]

My favourite line from Season 1:
"Let's make the car a place for quiet contemplation"
My wife punches me every time I say it 🤣

[StewartFletcher]

The difference is that Pizzalato spent YEARS imagining, crafting, editing, and retooling the original story. And HBO just wanted more seasons slapped out to maximize the show's popularity. In the long run, the only thing that matters is creative integrity and imaginative inspiration

[_The_Archive_]

Fun Fact: The first season of True Detective was entirely shot on film

[lance]

One of the things I most liked about the first season is that it had a hint--a suggestion--that something supernatural might be going on. That possible presence is so subtle that it can be as easily explained--perhaps more easily explained--as mere natural goings-on. And yet the show left me with the feeling that there was something supernatural underlying everything. This was done so masterfully and nothing in the subsequent two seasons approached it. The new season... I've only seen two episodes, I'll see where it's going. But nothing will top that first season, it's perfection.

[Rchd]

A big difference between season 1 and 2 was that S1 had Rust with his abstract and bleak ideas, but it also had Marty to be the balancing act everyman who'd give him a tired look and tell him "Stop saying odd shit/I'm begging you to shut the fuck up." Rust was an anomaly in that world, where the other characters didn't know how to handle him.

Where in S2 it felt like every character was trying to be Rust. They all talked depressing & weird about life and they all had endless "odd shit" conversations with each other. Vince Vaughn straight-up talked like an alien. It didn't have the regular human element that made season 1 feel real.

And on top of that, Rust was actually FUNNY. Barely anybody in season 2 was ever funny.

[jarrodwest]

One thing that the first season did was subvert the "Breaking Bad" trope which was popular at the time. I.e, take a relatable and likeable character, and gradually have them get more and more evil, until eventually the audience WANTS them to fail.

True Detective did the opposite: it took two hard-to-like characters and gradually made you understand and care for them, before finally giving them an amazing redemption arc. That's what was so special to me about the first season.

[NM-hqio]

Want to know what went wrong? McConaughey & Harrelson delivered a MASTERCLASS in acting - impossible to follow up after that

[chrisfaller]

There's a saying in the music business that sums up this problem pretty good it goes you have your whole life to write your first album but only 6 months to write you second

[fighterofthenightman]

I think people don’t emphasize enough that Season 1, while not technically supernatural, had a creepy atmosphere where you couldn’t shake the feeling that the cult MIGHT not be totally full of $hit at times. The ambiguity made it unique and deeper than most cop dramas.

The next two seasons totally lacked that. Season 4 looks to have it back, but hopefully not too far in the other (overtly supernatural) direction.

[jmalmsten]

I think upcoming series needs more Lovecraft and cosmic horror. Seeing normal rational humans grapple with unnatural malevolent forces was a big draw of s1 for me.

[wade_says]

Anything coming after Season 1 is inevitably going to be a downfall because it was literally the best single season of TV ever seen.

[alexcoyg]

With all the actors in season 2, not finding a good story is criminal.

[groobly]

Season 4 makes seasons 2 & 3 look like masterpieces by comparison

[johnantonywalton-tzxe]

Ten years later & it's still as fresh as ever. The best TV show of the last decade. Season One rules. ❤

[getdrippy]

I actually just binged all 3 seasons. I rewatch the 1st season every couple years. It's no question a masterpiece. I think season 2 is underrated. It's actually the first season I saw. 3 isn't bad at all. But you can feel them trying to hit a formula. I'll be on the couch ready for season 4 come Sunday.

[mikestokes]

This reminds me of the musical equivalent: An artist has a lifetime to make their first album and two years to make their second.

Nic Pizzolatto is on record saying that True Detective is something he’s always wanted to make and spent years writing and rewriting.

Inevitably, the follow up was never going to have the depth and subtlety as the first season.

[royjones]

My single favourite season of television. Nothing I’ve watched has ever captured my attention like it. Once a year I rewatch it.