True Detective is set in the coastal area of South Louisiana where the protagonists, Rustin Cohle (Mathew McConaughey) and Martin Hart (Woody Harrelson), are homicide detectives for Louisiana’s Criminal Investigations Division. Cohle is depicted as a brilliant man in pain, who suffers from hallucinations induced by previous encounters with drugs. These hallucinations are showcased not as the workings of a deranged mind but as a cloud of consciousness where Cohle is perhaps seeing more than anyone else around him. Hart, on the other hand, is shown at first as an ordinary American man with a nice family, a house and a stable job. His character gradually unfolds to reveal a complex personality, where the lines between right and wrong often blur.
The show begins in 2005, where both detectives are grilled over a case they investigated way back in 1995, when Cohle was transferred to Louisiana and partnered with Hart to chase down a ritualistic serial killer. Both lead actors are phenomenal in their roles, while writer Nic Pizzolatto and director Cary Joji Fukunaga do a fine job of penning and executing the flashback from the present to the past along with portraying the intensity and the inherent depravity of human nature with brilliant precision. The first half of the season focuses on the act of killing and its degeneracy rather than the killer, unlike most other criminal series which mainly revolve around the pursuit and apprehension of the murderer. The second half of the season focuses on the lives and ideologies of Hart and Cohle.
On one hand, we have Hart who illustrates the contradictory nature of man; where morality comes into play only when it concerns others, but is overruled for oneself by the temptations of the mind, body and soul. On the other hand, we have Cohle who displays an existential, nihilistic approach to life. He sees each individual as devoid of meaning or purpose, with no innate value. The idea propagated by many shows that man is intrinsically good is completely disregarded here, instead it brings to the fore the darkness and mediocrity hidden within people. With brilliant use of Louisiana as the backdrop (especially the barren lands that depict the barrenness in humanity) and the accompanying soundtrack, True Detective is a show that needs to be on everyone’s watch list.
Rating: 4/5
Kifah Qasim is a freelance writer.
Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, July 13th, 2014.
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I would give it a 5/5. By the way this analysis should have come up long time ago as the 2nd season is in works to commence.
Time at ET seems to be slow. This show has premiered and ended in the January-March window. Seriously, these reviews should follow the premiere or at least the finalé to have some sort of a use.
By the way, I don't know why this novice reviewer has given this show 4 stars while seasoned critics across the globe have been raving about it. 5/5, no questions.
this series is rated 16 and some explicit scenes r thr so no need to be on everybody's list.
Rating 4/5
Seriously? How.. I mean how? This was pure class, in every department. It is a definite 5 star.. by a long mile.
One of the finest drama you watch in ages. Seeing these two seasoned actors work together is just a treat.