When it came out I was aggressively grilled by my then bf's dad about why I wasn't watching True Detective. When I said it seemed "too disturbing for me" he dug into me like "Why? Can you not separate life from fiction? Do you have a trauma based psychological disturbance that is preventing you from watching this show?" He would not fucking drop it!
“I was also doing a lot of comedy with men and the men with whom I was doing comedy loved True Detective.” - one of the scariest sentences i’ve ever read! never watched but i like police procedurals (maybe only when they’re movies though?) and woody harrelson
Excellent issue Fran! To this day my best friend derides me for not having ever watched the first season. At this point me not watching it is a running bit to spite him! Side note: also wanna add that I recently discovered your article on The Souvenir on Bright Wall/Dark Room and was very moved by your musings on the film(s). Love your writing!
Having only seen season one to completion I remember assuming everyone who also liked it was enjoying it the same way I was (as over the top, silly, macho camp) and then realizing around episode 3 that they all seemed to actually think it was Good good and not lmao good, which was, I have to say, a little harrowing…
Season 2 is aggressively "lmao good" (and maybe even "lmao bad" in that particular HBO kind of way where it's still also good...). I think some of the capital-t Themes hit harder for me now than they would have then but the show makes smoking look just good enough to not be taken all that seriously.
I need to finish it! David Morse saying “you have one of the largest auras I’ve ever seen” lives rent free in my head, so I do think I owe it to myself.
Omg yes Fran I love reading people talk about how True Detective’s first three seasons are basically… a cop show that, by the end, hates the idea of cops… And that this is, in part, precisely why it works?!😋 AGREED! Lol, I am now morbidly intrigued about season four? TV gods help me.
I’d agree with those friends on that!🤔 But I feel like maybe you’d like season 3 if you like season 1? (oh dear god no, now I’m sounding like a Netflix recommendation algorithm, someone stop me🤣). If you ask me, 3 feels a lot like season 1 in terms of story-structure , AND YET, it also has fun magical-realist-y elements here and there that make at least a handful of the episodes worth a watch? Plus… as reliably as water is wet, Mahershala’s performance is kinda beautiful in it. There’s this one dinner scene where he and Carmen Ejogo’s characters have some of the most bizarre and aggressive sexual-tension I have ever seen on tv, and it burned holes in my goddamn eyelids. It was great🥹😜
When it came out I was aggressively grilled by my then bf's dad about why I wasn't watching True Detective. When I said it seemed "too disturbing for me" he dug into me like "Why? Can you not separate life from fiction? Do you have a trauma based psychological disturbance that is preventing you from watching this show?" He would not fucking drop it!
he should have just pitched you using memes
“Why was I going to do unpaid labor for a TV show? Please.”
Truer words have never been spoken (this is also why I refuse to watch beyond Season 1 of Westworld).
Westworld would have been a truly perfect one-season show!!! You missed nothing!
“I was also doing a lot of comedy with men and the men with whom I was doing comedy loved True Detective.” - one of the scariest sentences i’ve ever read! never watched but i like police procedurals (maybe only when they’re movies though?) and woody harrelson
Woody is great! Maybe the best I've seen him...
Excellent issue Fran! To this day my best friend derides me for not having ever watched the first season. At this point me not watching it is a running bit to spite him! Side note: also wanna add that I recently discovered your article on The Souvenir on Bright Wall/Dark Room and was very moved by your musings on the film(s). Love your writing!
Thank you so much! I totally understand not watching things to spite your friends... me with The Curse..
Having only seen season one to completion I remember assuming everyone who also liked it was enjoying it the same way I was (as over the top, silly, macho camp) and then realizing around episode 3 that they all seemed to actually think it was Good good and not lmao good, which was, I have to say, a little harrowing…
Season 2 is aggressively "lmao good" (and maybe even "lmao bad" in that particular HBO kind of way where it's still also good...). I think some of the capital-t Themes hit harder for me now than they would have then but the show makes smoking look just good enough to not be taken all that seriously.
I need to finish it! David Morse saying “you have one of the largest auras I’ve ever seen” lives rent free in my head, so I do think I owe it to myself.
this post is so powerful i’m almost considering rewatching it now…
the godfather 2 footnote ijbol
I was crazy for that one...
Omg yes Fran I love reading people talk about how True Detective’s first three seasons are basically… a cop show that, by the end, hates the idea of cops… And that this is, in part, precisely why it works?!😋 AGREED! Lol, I am now morbidly intrigued about season four? TV gods help me.
I guess I should see Season 3 eventually? No one I know dislikes it but no one is like, "it rocks" either...
I’d agree with those friends on that!🤔 But I feel like maybe you’d like season 3 if you like season 1? (oh dear god no, now I’m sounding like a Netflix recommendation algorithm, someone stop me🤣). If you ask me, 3 feels a lot like season 1 in terms of story-structure , AND YET, it also has fun magical-realist-y elements here and there that make at least a handful of the episodes worth a watch? Plus… as reliably as water is wet, Mahershala’s performance is kinda beautiful in it. There’s this one dinner scene where he and Carmen Ejogo’s characters have some of the most bizarre and aggressive sexual-tension I have ever seen on tv, and it burned holes in my goddamn eyelids. It was great🥹😜
Regarding Bradley's quote i say the same about him tbh
Please don’t share our texts again without asking.
👶🏻