HBO: True Detective

[keg in kc]

Hits in January.

Starring Matthew McConaughey & Woody Harrelson.

[KC_Connection]

This season feels like an episode of the X Files. Enjoying it so far.

[Cheater5]

I’m completely underwhelmed and disappointed (again).

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

No. Worse than that. In fact, I think it’s absolute dogshit and not just because all the male characters are either incompetent, weak, or wife-beating criminals. But to that point, the writers want us to believe militant lesbians *ahem* …er… women running a small Alaskan village is rather commonplace; much like a mostly female construction or coal mining crew, or maybe a female led wildland firefighting team (insert eye roll). Clearly, they purposely reversed all the roles of traditional male characters to female, and set the story in a remote Alaskan village, which would absolutely never be this way in reality.

The dialogue is awkward and the acting is wooden. Nobody talks like these characters do in real life, and for a series that started off ten years ago with intelligent writing and directing—it’s insulting.

I could write a short essay on how terribly bad the storyline in episode one is alone; the bodies are found by a ghost doing interpretive dance. No shit; a f***ing ghost doing interpretive dance. What-the-f**k ever…Cringey ‘symbolism’ with a magical polar bear, bad CGI caribou that leap to their death in slo-mo; oooooh, that’s creepy! I stopped after one episode. I just don’t care.

Each successive iteration of this show seems to get progressively worse, but this season it bottoms out.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by KC_Connection

This season feels like an episode of the X Files. Enjoying it so far.

Its some weird shit but like other True Detective seasons I imagine the actual case will end with a relatively normal outcome.

[KC_Connection]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Its some weird shit but like other True Detective seasons I imagine the actual case will end with a relatively normal outcome.

Probably but they’re certainly going heavy into the supernatural right now. It’s like a mashup of X Files and the Thing so far. Love the feel of it.

[ChiTown]

I’ve hated this season so far. It’s a jumbled ****ing mess. I don’t know who is directing this, but they have the attention span of a gnat. It’s ****ing all over the place. Just awful viewing. Sadly, I think I’m giving up on it.

[SAGA45]

Navarro's face bothers me

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by SAGA45

Navarro's face bothers me

She's kinda sorta cute

[ModSocks]

Enjoyed the first couple of episodes, though i understand the feminism complaints. This last episode though...snooze fest. Super heavy on the "strong woman" narrative and incredibly boring and uninteresting dialogue.

[SAGA45]

Originally Posted by BWillie

She's kinda sorta cute

Hmm...one thing's for sure....she rode ol' buddy into the sunset and beyond.

[ChiliConCarnage]

I had a hard time keeping my attention on the 3rd episode too. Dislike the storyline with Danvers young assistant. I don't enjoy the back story/drama between Danvers and Navarro either but I bet that's key for some reason

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Cheater5

I’m completely underwhelmed and disappointed (again).

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*

No. Worse than that. In fact, I think it’s absolute dogshit and not just because all the male characters are either incompetent, weak, or wife-beating criminals. But to that point, the writers want us to believe militant lesbians *ahem* …er… women running a small Alaskan village is rather commonplace; much like a mostly female construction or coal mining crew, or maybe a female led wildland firefighting team (insert eye roll). Clearly, they purposely reversed all the roles of traditional male characters to female, and set the story in a remote Alaskan village, which would absolutely never be this way in reality.

The dialogue is awkward and the acting is wooden. Nobody talks like these characters do in real life, and for a series that started off ten years ago with intelligent writing and directing—it’s insulting.

I could write a short essay on how terribly bad the storyline in episode one is alone; the bodies are found by a ghost doing interpretive dance. No shit; a f***ing ghost doing interpretive dance. What-the-f**k ever…Cringey ‘symbolism’ with a magical polar bear, bad CGI caribou that leap to their death in slo-mo; oooooh, that’s creepy! I stopped after one episode. I just don’t care.

Each successive iteration of this show seems to get progressively worse, but this season it bottoms out.

I'm not watching it because this show lost me about midway through S2 and I never finished S3 either. It just couldn't recapture the magic of S1 and now it's just a run of the mill procedural trading on goodwill that's long in the rearview (and built, in part, on Alexandra Dadarrio's truly stunning rack).

That said - it's not all that out of the realm that you'd have women in these roles. Read "Ranger Confidential" if you have some time - good book. Written by a woman that ran the Rangers service at Yosemite and worked in various national parks. It's among the least organized and coherent books I've ever read, but as a sort of memoir and series of stories that provide some behind the scenes information about working in Park Services, it's pretty fascinating.

Yes, women are less common than men in these jobs. They're not absent, nor are they excluded from positions of leadership. Moreover, in order for women to get the full-time gigs with benefits and retirement, they have to go take some fairly shitty jobs along the way. I mean ultimately that applies to men as well for these gigs (there are a lot of folks with forestry backgrounds hunting for these jobs; most of them end up as part-time contract labor), but because of how few women there are in the area, the climb can be steeper.

I don't have anything else to add to the show really, but that's not completely beyond belief that a couple women would end up taking a gig in a shit burg of a town because they're trying to find a full-time position and use it as a stepping stone. Maybe she convinces a colleague to also come with her and so now you have 2 women up there because nobody else really wanted to pull up stakes and move to Alaska.

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

I'm not watching it because this show lost me about midway through S2 and I never finished S3 either. It just couldn't recapture the magic of S1 and now it's just a run of the mill procedural trading on goodwill that's long in the rearview (and built, in part, on Alexandra Dadarrio's truly stunning rack).

That said - it's not all that out of the realm that you'd have women in these roles. Read "Ranger Confidential" if you have some time - good book. Written by a woman that ran the Rangers service at Yosemite and worked in various national parks. It's among the least organized and coherent books I've ever read, but as a sort of memoir and series of stories that provide some behind the scenes information about working in Park Services, it's pretty fascinating.

Yes, women are less common than men in these jobs. They're not absent, nor are they excluded from positions of leadership. Moreover, in order for women to get the full-time gigs with benefits and retirement, they have to go take some fairly shitty jobs along the way. I mean ultimately that applies to men as well for these gigs (there are a lot of folks with forestry backgrounds hunting for these jobs; most of them end up as part-time contract labor), but because of how few women there are in the area, the climb can be steeper.

I don't have anything else to add to the show really, but that's not completely beyond belief that a couple women would end up taking a gig in a shit burg of a town because they're trying to find a full-time position and use it as a stepping stone. Maybe she convinces a colleague to also come with her and so now you have 2 women up there because nobody else really wanted to pull up stakes and move to Alaska.

Yeah but...i get what he's saying. It's not just that they're women. It's that the dialogue and characters really do feel like they were written for a man. I told my wife the same exact thing while watching one of the episodes. Especially Jodie Foster's character.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Yeah but...i get what he's saying. It's not just that they're women. It's that the dialogue and characters really do feel like they were written for a man. I told my wife the same exact thing while watching one of the episodes. Especially Jodie Foster's character.

I swear I said the same exact shit to my wife. Both detectives have the personality of men.

"How many guys in this town has Jodie Foster's character ****ed? She ****s like a dude!"

[KCUnited]

Jodie Foster's character being accused of being a Mrs Robinson had me rolling

Whats most annoying to me is how unnecessary all the extra stuff is in what is an amazing setting for a True Detective season

Its perfect. Middle of nowhere, low on resources, 2 months without sunlight making people crazy, the dynamic of the indigenous people and culture, the ****ing ice everywhere. Its really perfect and they're bogging it down with some silly role portrayals and brutal pacing

[ModSocks]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

Whats most annoying to me is how unnecessary all the extra stuff is in what is an amazing setting for a True Detective season

Its perfect. Middle of nowhere, low on resources, 2 months without sunlight making people crazy, the dynamic of the indigenous people and culture, the ****ing ice everywhere. Its really perfect and they're bogging it down with some silly role portrayals and brutal pacing

Exactly what pulled my wife and I in. She's a huge fan of the movie "30 days of night" and Ep1 gave some strong 30 days of night vibes.

Despite my criticisms ive been enjoying the show and will likely see it through to the end. But the last episode was a combination of feminist cringe and sleep inducing dialogue. Was a tough one to get through.