This One Weird Demonic Act of Violence Will Keep You Up At Night
You may recall that a while back, the Humungus name-dropped (with glowing indifference) the HBO series, True Detective. And so it was with some trepidation and against my better judgement that I gave it a try and you won't believe what happened next!
Grim stuff.
This is where you're supposed to say, "Yeah it's dark, but sooo well written and acted", and so it is. It also pulls you in and strings you along, and thus, strung-along as I am I thought I'd share some random thoughts, in no particular order of importance.
First
I must say that Louisiana sure looks like a swell place. I can see why some people would chose to put down roots there and raise a family. If only for the scintillating conversations you're likely to have with the locals.
Intense
That Matthew McConaughey, he sure has got the 1000 yard stare down to an art form. I first saw him in a fluffy RomCom that daughter n°2 was watching on a VHS cassette that her cousin forgot to return to Blockbuster in the 90s. Good thing they went under; there must have been $800 late fees due on that flick. Then, later in some movie about dragons in London. He was sort of campy-intense in that, but over the past couple years I've suddenly seen him inhabit some seriously harsh roles. Seems he's found his niche and this is his epitome.
T&A
It's an HBO show so, of necessity, there are the obligatory loveless sex scenes to glide your emotions smoothly between the pits of depression and the perky peaks of titillation, with a dalliance in the Sargasso Sea of tawdry. The actresses who disrobe and simulate desperate acts with Detective Caintkeepitinhispants (Woody H, oddly enough) are, by and large, remarkably attractive. Which is nice, and it can be helpful to know with certainty whether the rug matches the drapes, when you're out discussing such matters with the fellers over a brewski.
Sadly, since it is a nuanced tale with many contrasts, the 'remarkably attractive' part is not a hard and fast rule.
Church folk
It seems that no writer in Hollywood has ever met a real live Christian, preferring to go with the shorthand (Inbred/incestuous, half-wit, overbearing hypocrites, pedophiles and psycho-killers, with either gap-toothed grins or capped pearlywhite gladhand smiles who want to take all your fun and money away) rather than get out there and study these rare creatures, in the wild. I grew up with Baptists, southern and otherwise and I can say for a fact that in 99.93% of the cases, their one, major, unforgivable sin was habitually serving jello & marshmallow 'salad' at the church picnic.
In defense of these lazy writers, I suppose a fair depiction of Christians wouldn't get past the censors at HBO.
In Summary
I just finished the 8th episode of season one, and this seems like a good enough stopping point. Not that whatever comes next would be especially unworthy, but they've nicely wrapped up both the initial story and main character arcs here in a satisfying catharsis, while giving a hint of deeper, darker spiritual undertones beneath the problem at hand that I don't particularly relish visiting in grim, gritty detail. I think I can let go and move on at this point, unlike our true detectives.
Grim stuff.
This is where you're supposed to say, "Yeah it's dark, but sooo well written and acted", and so it is. It also pulls you in and strings you along, and thus, strung-along as I am I thought I'd share some random thoughts, in no particular order of importance.
First
I must say that Louisiana sure looks like a swell place. I can see why some people would chose to put down roots there and raise a family. If only for the scintillating conversations you're likely to have with the locals.
Intense
That Matthew McConaughey, he sure has got the 1000 yard stare down to an art form. I first saw him in a fluffy RomCom that daughter n°2 was watching on a VHS cassette that her cousin forgot to return to Blockbuster in the 90s. Good thing they went under; there must have been $800 late fees due on that flick. Then, later in some movie about dragons in London. He was sort of campy-intense in that, but over the past couple years I've suddenly seen him inhabit some seriously harsh roles. Seems he's found his niche and this is his epitome.
T&A
It's an HBO show so, of necessity, there are the obligatory loveless sex scenes to glide your emotions smoothly between the pits of depression and the perky peaks of titillation, with a dalliance in the Sargasso Sea of tawdry. The actresses who disrobe and simulate desperate acts with Detective Caintkeepitinhispants (Woody H, oddly enough) are, by and large, remarkably attractive. Which is nice, and it can be helpful to know with certainty whether the rug matches the drapes, when you're out discussing such matters with the fellers over a brewski.
Sadly, since it is a nuanced tale with many contrasts, the 'remarkably attractive' part is not a hard and fast rule.
Church folk
It seems that no writer in Hollywood has ever met a real live Christian, preferring to go with the shorthand (Inbred/incestuous, half-wit, overbearing hypocrites, pedophiles and psycho-killers, with either gap-toothed grins or capped pearlywhite gladhand smiles who want to take all your fun and money away) rather than get out there and study these rare creatures, in the wild. I grew up with Baptists, southern and otherwise and I can say for a fact that in 99.93% of the cases, their one, major, unforgivable sin was habitually serving jello & marshmallow 'salad' at the church picnic.
In defense of these lazy writers, I suppose a fair depiction of Christians wouldn't get past the censors at HBO.
In Summary
I just finished the 8th episode of season one, and this seems like a good enough stopping point. Not that whatever comes next would be especially unworthy, but they've nicely wrapped up both the initial story and main character arcs here in a satisfying catharsis, while giving a hint of deeper, darker spiritual undertones beneath the problem at hand that I don't particularly relish visiting in grim, gritty detail. I think I can let go and move on at this point, unlike our true detectives.
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