True Detective Season 2 Review

A Dark Chess Game of Pawns Fighting against their Kings of a Town

True Detective Season 1 was a series we were waiting for years. It had a great cast, story which was getting interesting every episode, wonderful direction and the score that spoke to us. And after a year of wait True Detective Season 2 arrived with a new cast, new story, new atmosphere and a darker tale.

The second season focuses on political corruption in southern California following the high-profile murder of a city planner, and features a new cast including Colin Farrell as Ray Velcoro, Rachel McAdams as Antigone “Ani” Bezzerides, Taylor Kitsch as Paul Woodrugh, and Kelly Reilly and Vince Vaughn as Jordan and Frank Semyon.

It is very easy to say that Season 1 was far more better than Season 2. But I don’t want to compare it, because it will just be left aside in the unfair fight. The thing with Season 2 is whatever we see is dark. Every character is dark. They don’t have anything happy going on. They are deep in their voice.

Ray is someone who has lost himself in a self belief that he is a bad man. He wants to do good for his son, but his ex-wife doesn’t want Ray to be an influence on him and always threatens for a paternity test. he spends his life with drinking, drugs and working for Frank.

Ani, her character was dark and serious because she made it that way. She thought herself as a lone ranger fighting against all. She doesn’t want to get intimate with anyone. She has issues with her father. She wants to talk sense into her sister. She just pushes away people who just want to help her.

Paul, he was a strange character for me. He just wanted to ride his bike. He had issues since he came back from army. He was gay, but he didn’t want to believe that himself. He just wants someone who can live their life and can let him be himself. He is controlling something, he always has a long face and a depth in his voice.

Frank, a man who climbed his ladder and want to finish on top. He wants to be in control of all things. But it just doesn’t just happen for him. He wants a baby, his wife can’t have any. He wants a part of the big project and want to go clean, his partner is killed, and left him stranded to go back tho his gangster life. He has a good thing with Ray and he was the only person who he could trust.

Frank Semyon: Never do anything out hunger. Even eating.

The story has too many layers to peal off. If one bad things starts, there another bad thing pushing to tap in from somewhere. For the half part of the season, it wasn’t sure for me, what was really going on, and where it was really leading to. But it started making sense soon. It was like a story of few men who bought the town with their money and influence, they ran it for long, but the past came back to haunt them, but they know it and they start the defense by playing their pawns. Pawns start to play, they get in the game, the start to fight, but they soon start to question ‘What are they fighting for?’ and soon they realize and the pawns start to hunt the men who gave them the job. They want the truth.

“Everything is fucking.” 

The story is sometimes slow, it isn’t leading anywhere. But as soon as we hit the last three episodes, everything comes back to the place it was meant to be. Casper’s murder, the shootout, the robbery, the links, the money and the diamonds. I was not surprise by on why it all started, I was just waiting on how it will end. I was just wondering why was Frank killed, it was not necessary and Ray! Come on Nic. These were the men who were doing the right things finally and it really was not any use to kill them.

“We get the world we Deserve”

This is the quote used in the posters, but it was a world created by someone else and someone else was paying for it. But it came back to them, but it wasn’t the point.

The problem with this season for me, that everything was too serious and dark. There should some layers which are light.Everything is fucked up here. The sex parties, the shooting, personal lives, everything was just way too fucked up. There was no power to anyone, everyone was playing their own game.

The acting was really great, especially Rachel McAdams as Ani, she was like female Rust here. Colin Farrell is always amazing in whatever he does. Taylor Kitsch’s character was like confused teenager the whole time. But Vince Vaughn, he really owned up to his character, he was excellent, he had power over his character. His conversations with Ray where a treat to watch.

Nic Pizzolatto should keep it simple and to the point, keeping the audience in too much in dark is not the solution to keep it going. And don’t create a character which you yourself are confused to what to with it and if you don’t find it to going on Kill It.

Season 2 was a good Police Drams with few memorable quotes and performances. The writing could have been a little better with some developments and keeping it to the point. Instead it went bizarre and finally to something and then fucked up a few times and stood on one leg.

Rating : 8/10

By : Milez Das