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Blitzwing99
Reviews
True Detective (2014)
What an arc, oof
Apologies for having a rough take on this show, I really enjoyed the thought and work that went into the franchise's first three seasons. I just can't get with this Night Country detour, this dog won't hunt. I'd you love it all, great, have fun, if not, read on.
Taken as a complete package, True Detective has seen some dizzying heights as well as some really deep lows. To say that this show has changed since inception is quite the understatement. The tone, performance, set design and overall production quality on this show set a standard few recent shows have been able to grasp. It wasn't just TV at one point, it was a real immersion into the subject matter and a chance to maybe say something new.
The casting in this show has been meticulously selected for the story at times and seemingly for window dressing at other times. The dialogue ranges from impenetrable but thought provoking to downright servile. Sometimes you feel like you're watching the answer to drama, other times it's a convoluted mess with no continuity.
The great see-saw that is creative output matched to format from the streaming giants feels like McDonalds for the brain after season 4 made it clear we're here to have its viewpoint smashed over our heads. The first 3 seasons follow some predictable patterns but seem linked together in their insistence on moodiness and storylines that push the viewer along, even if the outcomes weren't universally loved. Season 4 has no relation to the rest of the series, it's a watered-down X -Files episode with extremely well paid talent delivering drivel. Nobody is surprised the spark of hope this show engendered went out after Rust and Cohle hung it up. Nobody is surprised the devolved, uncritical mess Season 4 revealed has satiated the masses and they're crying for more of this tapioca.
To put it clearly, quality died here with Night Country, a resignation to the same bland porridge everybody is shoveling down is rampant throughout. We've been baited and swapped out here for bush league plot and mind numbing ethics lessons from the mighty theatre majors.
The Walking Dead: Pretty Much Dead Already (2011)
Super Strong Encore Season
This is by far the best second season of any show I've watched outside of the newer Battlestar Galactica. The evolution of the all the characters is harmonious with the decay of the world rapidly increasing. The plot coherence and character development isn't rushed or left feeling conjured. Casting is immaculate, each person easily portrayed with sincerity. Shane's plot especially drives the story so superbly in this episode, his compounding need to justify his already escalating homicidal behavior is the perfect catalyst.
Hershel's plight of clinging to the lost hope of his deceased family and friends, now walkers hidden in the barn and tended to like barn animals as they rot, undead, erupts perfectly with Shane losing his cool and forcing the confrontation at the barn. The tension is palpable and all the actors performances are authentic and nuanced.
I really appreciate the subtle and stark changes in Lori and Rick without it being overly complicated. Carl's amazing recovery and resilience after being shot provides that much more of a difficultly for Shane given the love triangle he's already headlong into. Finding Sophia in the barn provides a strong resolution to this chapter, clearly illustrating how far the group has come and how far they've changed from the shows initial season. It's truly amazing how this show can take a natural outside shot and make it fit the context of the story without you ever feeling like you left the context of the scene you're in, absolutely spellbinding in feel and artistry. AMC was so stacked with talent when this show was made back then, a monument to another time.
True Detective: Night Country: Part 5 (2024)
Part V
There's a cool story here this season, just put in the wrong wrapper, this is a standalone tale, not an anthology piece. Could've gotten to this point in the story by episode 2, gutted this smokescreen subplot buffet and it could've been a tad gritty. In general we're super spoiled with amazing content spilling out our ears these days, you'd think that'd drive big time showrunners to really strive to make this franchise succeed where many fail. In the end it seems we're gonna get one good season of this show and a repetitious lesson in why with each new season.
I could see this being a fun book to read, you need a lot of narrative dialog to help care about the story. I want to try and understand how this could've been salvaged from what we've seen here that could've worked given the fabulous talent speaking the lines.
Halo: Sanctuary (2024)
Taking its first steps
Video game derived shows have some pretty big limitations to suspend disbelief but they are fun if done right. Halo is a massive scope project, I don't envy this show the bar it has to best to be impactful on any meaningful level. They've done a better job this season of smoothing out the inconsistent competing plots the first season struggled with. I'm interested to see the continuation and maturation of the characters a bit more and the actors seem to inhabit the familiar Spartans from season 1 more convincingly. The real standout so far in terms of delivery would be the amazing feats of agility displayed by the Spartans fighting Elites and training, really showing off the special nature of the Spartan's combat prowess. This is not Shakespeare nor is it Kubrick but it is Halo and that game is pure imagination at work. Given this as a Beta test bed for development of more material I'd say there's plenty of fertile ground for a feature film eventually, perhaps Reach's fall could be considered.
True Detective: Night Country: Part 3 (2024)
Kool Aid
This story needed to stay in the locked room it got cooked up in, for the integrity of the show this far. Even at its worst, TD has held the bar to a high standard. If I armed a production staff with the talent this show has and shackled them with this albatross of a plot I'd expect to have my job given away. They came to a gunfight with a strongly worded letter and seem surprised to be shot, Im watching now for the flaming cartwheel view.
On the upshot, watching the show with the sound muted can be entertaining, I lived in AK for years, the locale is unmatched for sheer stark beauty. Even the old X Files Ice episode from '93 ripoff I could get down with, but somehow they've managed to blow this one up like the Griswold's Christmas Turkey. Why not drop Negan in with Lucille, break out the Winnebago for some batting practice with the cops and see who makes it to fight whatever comes out of the ice eh?