True
Detective, an ambitious 8 part series on HBO, where the word Detective is
singular not plural. Always wondered if the title gave that designation to Rust
Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) who obsessively continued "detecting/searching"
for 17 years after a serial killer case in the backwoods and swamps of
Louisiana was "solved" with lots of unanswered questions left in the
dank and steamy air. His partner - Marty Hart ( Woody Harrelson), a mercurial,
womanizing, down-to-earth antithesis to Cohle saw the conclusion of the case, and the end of their relationship as the finale to a tormented, life-altering
period.
We meet
them again in 2012- a plot device which had many "red herrings" -the
two former Louisiana detectives being interrogated - a flashback technique -
addressing issues of hindsight, marriage, prevarication and the attempt to
bring some clarity to the intervening time period.
Basically
this series was about the relationship between these two men; their different approaches
to investigation - the ups and downs of their personal connection -
interspersed with mysticism, philosophical gibberish, religion, hard drugs,
drinking, rough sex, shootouts, and most importantly deeply ingrained familial
tragedies that slowly leak - drip by drip down to the next generation. We can
not escape the "darkness' of our forebearers, at least that is what
creator Nic Pizzolatto would have us believe.
What held
my interest, despite the convoluted plot and Rust Cohle's pretentious monologuing,
was the strong acting performances by McConaughey and Harrelson. The chemistry
between them was strong, their human failings and the burdens of life's heavy
lifting were etched in their body language as well as their oftentimes
passionate and eloquent features. Each stayed in character - one mask like and
inscrutable, the other engaging with a seductive grin - the tongue peeking out
with delight out of the corner of Harrelson's lips.
I believe
the last episode left an opening for a sequel. I hope so.
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