For such a highly regarded mini-series, the opening episode of "True Detective" is poorly paced and is extremely muddled in the development of the action.
The strength of the program is in the pairing of two detectives with starkly contrasting personalities. Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) is a conservative family man and a traditional investigator. Rust Cole (Matthew Mcconaughey) is a brooding introvert and atheist, who is a stickler for detail in examining the ligature marks (indicating binding by a rope) or lividity (describing the bruising marks) in a satanic murder case in Erath, Louisiana. He also has a background in the occult and New Age literature that may be relevant to the principal case.
The telescoping of the action through flashbacks slows the film and detracts from the drama. At some point, the two detectives had a falling out. Now, over a decade has passed, and Hart and Cole are being interrogated separately by police investigators.
Much of the film content is unpleasant, as the two detectives seek to understand the satanic killing of Dora Kelly Lange, age 28. For Cole, there may be a clue to the murder in exploring the true nature of a "paraphilic" love map, namely, something pertaining to fantasy, fetishism, or animism. In the course of their investigation, the detectives learn about Santería, or Regla de Ochá, a religion that developed in the Caribbean developed during the Spanish Empire.
Overall, the program does not develop enough of the relationship of the two detectives where we should see much more of the chemistry and the banter. It is not even made clear what is the significance of the program's title, "The Long Bright Dark."
A disappointing premiere episode!
The strength of the program is in the pairing of two detectives with starkly contrasting personalities. Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) is a conservative family man and a traditional investigator. Rust Cole (Matthew Mcconaughey) is a brooding introvert and atheist, who is a stickler for detail in examining the ligature marks (indicating binding by a rope) or lividity (describing the bruising marks) in a satanic murder case in Erath, Louisiana. He also has a background in the occult and New Age literature that may be relevant to the principal case.
The telescoping of the action through flashbacks slows the film and detracts from the drama. At some point, the two detectives had a falling out. Now, over a decade has passed, and Hart and Cole are being interrogated separately by police investigators.
Much of the film content is unpleasant, as the two detectives seek to understand the satanic killing of Dora Kelly Lange, age 28. For Cole, there may be a clue to the murder in exploring the true nature of a "paraphilic" love map, namely, something pertaining to fantasy, fetishism, or animism. In the course of their investigation, the detectives learn about Santería, or Regla de Ochá, a religion that developed in the Caribbean developed during the Spanish Empire.
Overall, the program does not develop enough of the relationship of the two detectives where we should see much more of the chemistry and the banter. It is not even made clear what is the significance of the program's title, "The Long Bright Dark."
A disappointing premiere episode!