We watched the first episode of the second season of True Detective yesterday, and here are five of our first impressions from the initial watching:
1. The opening credits are much more slick and smooth, as is the aesthetic in True Detective so far, comparatively speaking. There’s that harshness of Louisiana from season 1 that’s sorely missed here, replaced by the more crowded streets of LA, taking a bit of that secluded intimacy away.
2. Having 4 central characters will make or break the plot, as what made the first season work so well was the dynamism of Rust and Cohl. The introduction of four may dilute the focus on ultra-close character drama. On the other hand, it opens up some great opportunities. At least one of them is likely to be killed off. Something Season 1 couldn’t really do.
3. As for the plot, it appears to be much more straight forward than the episode would have you believe. It was a convoluted process to establish the case and took away from fleshing these characters out a bit more.
4. The show has gone through lengths to distinguish this from the first. It’s a completely new ball game here, but there are some similarities in the characterisation. Particularly Farrell’s character who can be similar to Rust in that they both seem to posses rage-fueled tunnel vision in the face of personal adversity.
5. It remains to be seen whether Season 2 will continue that clever quiet storm that was brought to Season 1. We’re off to a decent start, but this first episode was far from as gripping or effectively atmospheric as Season 1’s pilot.
True Detective screens in Australia on Mondays on Showcase.
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