True Detective

At first, I wanted to write that this was like someone took "Seven," "Law and Order:SVU," and  "The Silence of the Lambs," mashed them together and threw them in the Louisiana swamps and what wondered out was an eight episode act of haunting television beauty.  Now, I do realize I put this show in a very positive light by that glowing review but the only negative I see is comparing this act of haunting television beauty to anything else, and I mean anything.

Matthew McConaughey continues his McConnaissance with his unfathomable portrayal of the tortured  Detective Rust Cohle.  It's not that he is a very complex man, he is just so exhaustively fed up with the world around him, and who wouldn't be. I would be too if I had the x-ray vision to look into a person's soul that this guy has, and be right all the time about what I saw.

Lets face it, Woody Harrelson is a chameleon and can literally absorb himself in every role he takes on.  Detective Marty Hart is the family man part of this serial killer tracking duo and he too is also very tortured, by his life and his job.  I don't think he even realized it though, until he met and partnered up with Rust.

The story is dark and chilling but rolls perfectly along with an apocalyptic Southern Louisiana sitting exquisitely in the background like a character in itself in the storyline.  The going back and forth between time periods can be a little overwhelming at first but if you keep your eyes on the prize, you will be able to follow along but you have to keep your eyes on it.  The writing is tight and perfectly executed, weaving a tale of human darkness and suspense that hasn't been seen in years.  There's no CGI special effects (well, 1 or 2 instances but they are small and necessary), explosions, or flashy costumes.  Its just good old fashioned story telling, character development, and actors making these characters burst all over the screen. The final episode itself was awesome, with scenes that could rival some horror these days.   This is a prime example of the road to creative tour-de-force television has paved in recent years and I say keep it coming. Watching this nearly 8 hour, what I like to call television motion picture since each season is a stand-alone story (see American Horror Story), was better than most things you will see at the movies these days and it doesn't take a true detective to tell you that.

Thank you and see you at the next blog.