True Detective

paolo

Mechanical phantoms
A wonderfully executed show but the finale made me think that the big revelation was that it really WAS the clichéd gothic cop drama it seemed like initially after all.

That's enough for me. I was expecting/hoping TD would be a good old-fashioned murder mystery, and that's what it is (with added bonus existential angst)

I don't think I'll ever get bored of decent murder mystery stories
 
Last edited:

IdleRich

IdleRich
Just watched the whole thing and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't really disappointed by the ending, it never really felt as though it were going to have a supernatural element to it as there was little to suggest that throughout. I guess it could be deemed unfair in that you couldn't really work out the murder but I just enjoyed the story all the way through. Brilliant murder mystery with philosophy thrown in. The acting and the atmosphere and the feeling of evil was really strong, I thought it was one of the darkest things I've seen. I'm quite in the mood for southern gothic at the moment I think.
Anyway, tired so won't write more - anyone know if the next series will deal with the unapprehended members of the occult ring or will it be a totally new story?
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Dunno if I mentioned this already but the palpable sense of immanent evil - like an evil that's generalized, an aspect of the geography of the region, quite apart from the actions or motives of any individual character - reminded me a bit of 2666. (Edit - ha, repeating myself as usual.)

Also loved the is-it-real-or-just-in-his-head quasi-supernatural elements, and the way this is introduced via the subjective experiences of an unreliable (drug-damaged, traumatized) narrator. In fact this aspect links the story to 'The Repairer of Reputations', the first story in The King in Yellow, which is narrated by a character whose version of events is highly debatable, to say the very least.
 
Last edited:

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
“America is not a young land: it is old and dirty and evil. Before the settlers, before the Indians... the evil was there... waiting.”

YES. One of my favourite lines from Burroughs or anyone else for that matter. http://www.dissensus.com/showthread.php?t=8186&p=249055#post249055

[Has anyone read a James Lee Burke novel called 'In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead'? Saw the film adaptation with Tommy Lee Jones the other night and it struck me as very similar to TD; weather-beaten, maverick detective suffering from visions on the trail of serial killer who preys on working girls through the swampland of Louisiana.

Ha, not yet but IdleRich was telling me about this very film the other night in the context of TD, and now I really want to see it. Also need to watch Twin Peaks from start to finish I think, having only seen (ahem) peeks of it before now.

Re-read The King in Yellow recently, or at least the first four linked stories. Just so good, especially 'The Yellow Sign'.
 
Last edited:

Patrick Swayze

I'm trying to shut up
“America is not a young land: it is old and dirty and evil. Before the settlers, before the Indians... the evil was there... waiting.”

Has anyone read a James Lee Burke novel called 'In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead'? Saw the film adaptation with Tommy Lee Jones the other night and it struck me as very similar to TD; weather-beaten, maverick detective suffering from visions on the trail of serial killer who preys on working girls through the swampland of Louisiana.

yeah good film and book

film reminded me of something between TD and No Country... but I think that was just because of Tommy Lee Jones
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
Both have Tommy Lee Jones and Kelly McDonald strangely enough.
I watched the Electric Mist film the other day and I fancied some more southern gothic stuff and decided that it was as good a time as any to embark on True Detective.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
What's wrong with the ending of Angel Heart? I thought it was great. Although it is slightly different from the book I think, can't remember how.
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
Well a lot of people found the ending to True Detective disappointing, but I thought it was pretty good.
 

Ness Rowlah

Norwegian Wood
yeah good film and book

film reminded me of something between TD and No Country... but I think that was just because of Tommy Lee Jones

Great book (series), good movie. Read the first dozen off the Robicheaux-novels (the running, forever recovering alcoholic detective) but then dropped out of the series around 10 years ago. Like JLB's meandering language and use of dreams/half-reality as part of the story.

Haven't watched TD yet, but if I'm telling better half that's it reminds people of Robicheaux-novel scheduling should become easier as she has lapped up all the JLB novels, including Billy Bob Holland stuff and also his daughter's Alafair Burke books).
 

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
The phrase "less dark" makes me think there'll be a hilarious cameo by Simon Pegg, for some reason.
 

Patrick Swayze

I'm trying to shut up
Like JLB's meandering language and use of dreams/half-reality as part of the story.

Haven't watched TD yet, but if I'm telling better half that's it reminds people of Robicheaux-novel scheduling should become easier as she has lapped up all the JLB novels, including Billy Bob Holland stuff and also his daughter's Alafair Burke books).

this is used in True Detective to some extent
 
One of the DVD extras in series one has the shows' creator interviewing the soundtrack guy (who also sings the theme tune). They talk about how they wanted to make the music sound like Louisiana but without having any 'Louisiana' music. They actually mention the criticism about East coast hip hop featuring in one of the scenes (Crowleyhead getting exposure), and pooh pooh the idea that just because characters would most likely be listening to southern tracks- they have to play southern tracks.
 

IdleRich

IdleRich
It's not who I would have gone for... but I think that the first series was more down to story line and the performances that the director got out of the actors... maybe. Then I remember that they've got rid of the director too. New story, new cast, new directors... hope they haven't thrown out the baby with the bath water.
 

mistersloane

heavy heavy monster sound
I watched all of True Detective a few weeks back, and I can't remember a single thing about it other than it had Black Angels on the soundtrack and some shots that were nice but I can't remember what they were either. Couldn't even tell you the plot now. Poof, up in smoke, into the ether, bye bye TV show.
 

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
One of the DVD extras in series one has the shows' creator interviewing the soundtrack guy (who also sings the theme tune). They talk about how they wanted to make the music sound like Louisiana but without having any 'Louisiana' music. They actually mention the criticism about East coast hip hop featuring in one of the scenes (Crowleyhead getting exposure), and pooh pooh the idea that just because characters would most likely be listening to southern tracks- they have to play southern tracks.

Yeah, I fuck with the soundtrack/score dude, T-Bone Burnett, a lot TBH. He's responsible for the music for The Hunger Games movies (so he is the genius who decided to put Laurie Spiegel in there and thereby basically got her a decent check; he also constructed this really borderline GOTHY/apocalyptic song with Taylor Swift and some of her labelmates) and the song selections of the Nashville series (all actually written by professional Nashville singer-songwriters).

I think his soundtrack work is great in the context of the show, and obviously the Wu-Tang use is perfect for the scene. The line about them saying 'conjuring Louisiana without actually necessarily being Louisiana artists' is cool; it reminds me of say, the inadequacy of vision where David Simon's "Treme" is concerned.

At the same time though, if Burnett had been exposed to something like Concentration Camp, or even generally popular southern rappers like 8Ball & MJG or UGK... It could've conceivably gotten the atmosphere just as well.

I'm not mad at that though. I wonder if there are Louisiana people who find the application of Les Claypool's cartoon white trash aesthetic onto Louisiana cool or weird.

But yeah, Burnett is one of my favorite people in 'media' music right now. I'd love to yell at him for an hour. Hopefully he sticks around this season.
 
Top