True Detective: Season 2 (2015)

I feel like I wasted over 8 hours of my summer watching this. Season 1 was such a revelation, an incredible feat of storytelling. That made Season 2 all the more disappointing.  It lost all the magic, the surprise, and just everything really.  Cary Joji Fukunaga didn't come back to direct or executive produce this season, and maybe that was part of the problem.  But the biggest problem for me was in the writing and story.  The story was severely lacking in anything remotely interesting nor manageable.  The story is impossible to follow and I found myself unsure of anything going on after Episode 1.  It moves slowly and it was just plain boring.

There are four main characters, compared to two from last year. All four of them are extremely messed up and they just keep getting less and less likable with each episode.  Their dialogue is uninspired and unintelligible unlike the brilliant and memorable musings of Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in the car.  The actors try, but they are not given much to work with.  And as much as I like Vince Vaughn, I don't really like him when he is too serious.

The setting of California isn't nearly as spooky as the Bayou of Louisiana.  There was an atmosphere in the first season that was supplemented by the creepy cults.  California, despite the factories, suburban sprawl, and mansions is just a little too sunny to give us the same feeling.  

True Detective: Season 1 (2014)

True Detective is not just an average mystery.  It is half detective gothic, half rich character development, and its the latter half that really lets Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson shine.  McConaughey is widely considered a front-runner (along with Bryan Cranston) in the Emmy race and rightly so, but Harrelson holds his own and does not let his costar overshadow him one bit.  If it had not been for McConaughey's momentum fresh off his Oscar win, I think Harrelson would be right up there with him.  His character might not be as mysterious or philosophical, but he has equal depth and range.  Together, their brilliant dialogue reinforces the intense atmosphere and dark style set by the Louisiana bayou.  T Bone Burnett backs that up with a fittingly ominous and gorgeous soundtrack.

We watch the characters evolve as well as the mystery unfold over a twelve year period.  In terms of storytelling, the format of the show allows for the story to unfold slowly, keeping the viewer transfixed.  Multiple timelines reveal different stages of the detective-work sometimes out of order, letting the viewer piece it together.