True Detective (SPOILERS)

If Marty hadn't already retired at this point, his cop superannuation would be at threat because of this investigation

The reaction to the snuff video was indeed, eh, laughable, the other thing that sort of bothered me was the baby in the microwave, seemed like something out of a DARE ad.

Absolutely loved that they put that incredible Townes song at the end though, brilliant.

Very eager to see how this is going to be wrapped up in just one more episode.

Cat burglar Cohle gave me mental wood.

I think all of the mythology and mystery that were hinted at and slow-roasted for the first 6 episodes will lead to a very satisfying ending that ultimately falls way short of the show's promise. We already see glimpses of that happening in EP07. Yes, it was entertaining and mechanically rewarding.

• Rust and Marty are reunited: YAY!
• They're fighting crime and solving the mystery: YAY!
• The Tuttle family were the Boogeymen after all: YAY!
• Lawnmower Man: YAY!
• Carcosa and Yellow King scrawled with a sharpie on the walls of Rust's storage unit: YAY!
• Nutty old Bayou Black Mama saying scary shit: YAY!

This was the unofficially official chewing gum episode. Every gulp of sweet saliva went down smooth but none of the mystery and pathos of the first six episodes was left in tact. Hence, I think the sum of the parts were pretty...fucking...disappointing.

Now, might that have been a Red Herring episode? Are we being led down the primrose path only to have a steep and thorny conclusion ground us to a halt next week? Dunno. Right now, they've put in place the mechanics of a conventional Melodramatic Triangle / Revenge Tragedy. Good will triumph over evil. Going into EP07, I expected a conclusion reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in The Pledge. Following EP07, I expect something more akin to Breaking Bad's finale.

I write all of the above with the sincerest hopes I'm wrong, but here are a few ideas I expect to unfold next week:

• Marty's oldest daughter, including her "paintings", will make it clear she has first-hand knowledge of the Spaghetti Monster Man and the Ring of Circus Freak Pedophiles
• Rust said he had some "other business" to attend to but needed to solve the mystery of the disappearing children first. Will he end the show by killing himself?

One other note:

As pointed out by others, everything that happened in that storage unit rang pretty hollow. Those scenes have festered in my mind and generally represent the biggest misstep yet in the show's trajectory. That set looked so fucking sloppy and "put together" that I almost wondered if we were being led to believe that it was all bullshit, a fabrication of Rust to get Marty involved again. Maybe even including the video itself being something staged! That's how corny it looked. Yet, again, as already pointed out by may others here, Harrelson's performance aka. Marty's reaction to the snuff film seemed really forced.

Too many Tuttles. Too much of a Mardi Gras web of Tuttles, Preachers, Bastards, Inbreds, Meth Heads, Cops and Cults. I think anyone who wants to enjoy the final episode to the max should rewatch the first 7.

  On 3/5/2014 at 10:03 PM, Schlitze said:

Too many Tuttles. Too much of a Mardi Gras web of Tuttles, Preachers, Bastards, Inbreds, Meth Heads, Cops and Cults. I think anyone who wants to enjoy the final episode to the max should rewatch the first 7.

I totally agree. If any show would have benefit from the House of Cards 'binge-watch' model, it's True Detective.

At this point, I'm fucking lost in details. But isn't that sort of the disappointment that's being teed up in EP07? If, in fact, we end up with a ring of Tuttleses, Childress(es), this goofy Sheriff, Lawnmower Man, and other assorted d-bags, won't that be totally deflating? Like, who gives a shit. A big satanic cult thing in the armpit of America? Pretty conventional stuff.

I think at this point the only thing that would be satisfying to me would be something supernatural, or at the very very least, something totally uncanny.

The pair of them have pissed a lot of people off during the investigation. One idea i had was Rust and Marty being lowered down into the river in one of those devilish twig ornaments while everyone they've pissed off (the entire state) look at them from the riverbank with disgust as they submerge. And it's lawnmower (SR4) man controlling the crane that lowers them down.

Rust will probably martyr himself into legendary TV status.

  On 3/5/2014 at 10:00 PM, Mirezzi said:

• Rust said he had some "other business" to attend to but needed to solve the mystery of the disappearing children first. Will he end the show by killing himself?

yeah he basically said he was tired of life but had to finish this case first. right?

I think both our heroes will go down taking out the yellow king.

or rust will kill the yellow king and then turn the gun on himself. cut to black. roll credits.

Rust has been a bit too much of a tormented, self destructive superhero to survive the series and live happily ever after. I think it'd be a bit too predictable and corny to have him go through all the action and die a martyr at the very end though. Would be a twist to have him killed off at the start of the episode and force Marty to pick up the pieces and finish it himself

Both Rust and Marty have no ties to anyone anymore. They could both be goners

I have a feeling that Marty's gonna die and Rust is gonna stay alive. I think that would be more tragic and fitting for Rust.

I think what was most disappointing with the last EP actually was that the image of Rust drastically changed.

imo the contrast between fucked-up-drunk-rust & flashback-badass Rust was the best thing about the series.

unless there's something really messed up that we don't know about him yet, they pretty much let all the air out of this show....

in the last ep, Rust doesn't seem all that messed up at all, more like some sort of guerilla with a masterplan to bring down the baddies. kind of like a revenge -jesus version of himself... and kinda meh..

such noble rust...

  On 3/5/2014 at 11:23 PM, xxx said:

 

  On 3/5/2014 at 11:14 PM, Candiru said:

Both Rust and Marty have no ties to anyone anymore. They could both be goners

If this True Detective series plans to rotate cast, characters and plotlines, it might be the only way to end it.

 

yeah i think they have to die otherwise they'll be too tempted to bring them back

could be a bad ending with them being captured and the end shot is of them both with antlers tied to their heads.

  On 3/5/2014 at 11:32 PM, phling said:

I think what was most disappointing with the last EP actually was that the image of Rust drastically changed.

imo the contrast between fucked-up-drunk-rust & flashback-badass Rust was the best thing about the series.

 

unless there's something really messed up that we don't know about him yet, they pretty much let all the air out of this show....

in the last ep, Rust doesn't seem all that messed up at all, more like some sort of guerilla with a masterplan to bring down the baddies. kind of like a revenge -jesus version of himself... and kinda meh..

such noble rust...

I don't disagree with you at all. I listened to Andy Greenwald / Chris Ryan's podcast today and they talked about that very subject. Ryan said that he now thinks the show will conclude with A-List talent tackling B- or C-List material. He thought the most interesting thing about the show thus far had been the philosophical, the mythological, the inert and ponderous shit going on with Marty and his family, Rust and his demons, etc. I think he's exactly right. It looks like they're ready to tie a bow on it and conclude the show as a procedural cop drama. Greenwald thought EP07 was fantastic because it pushed all the interiority of the two main characters to the side and favored the plot mechanics of a cop show.

I dunno, but I think its greatness is in danger. We're one episode away from this being a better-told, better-acted, better-written version of the Red Riding miniseries from 2009 and I don't think that's nearly enough. I had forgotten that show even existed until Chris Ryan mentioned it.

I do think Pizzolatto and Fukunaga have earned the benefit of doubt here though. They may wrap this fucker up with aplomb.

The baby in the microwave reminded me of when Terry o'quinn's character Peter Watts finds the baby in the cooler in Millennium (the super underated/highly recommended mid 90's fox program with Lance Henriksen)

  On 3/5/2014 at 10:15 PM, Mirezzi said:

I think at this point the only thing that would be satisfying to me would be something supernatural, or at the very very least, something totally uncanny.

LSD dosings for all.............?

I feel it coming...

then they could do "supernatural" imagery and ideas based in a real situation.....

let me fix that for you ^

I think those are reaching it. The writer has said he is not trying to outsmart the viewer and I bet the conclusion will end up being pretty mundane, as much as you can with some weird murderous sex cult thing. Nothing supernatural or strange things as Rust talked about time being flat or whatever.

It's not reaching. Something is definitely being implied. A few episodes ago Marty said something about his worst offense being neglecting his daughters and then they are both shown looking up a tree at a crown. (oh shit) Weird vibes were experienced.

^ Needs follow-up picture of glum-looking Cohle with caption, "I get older, and they stay the same age."