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CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#1: Jan 17th 2014 at 1:53:01 PM

New crime drama series out on HBO. I noticed there wasn't a discussion thread about it, so here we are.

Anyone else see the first episode? Thoughts?

edited 17th Jan '14 1:53:16 PM by CrimsonZephyr

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Nicknacks Ding-ding! Going down... from Land Down Under Since: Oct, 2010
Ding-ding! Going down...
#2: Jan 17th 2014 at 5:51:53 PM

I knew you'd like this show.

Not exactly my cup of tea, unfortunately, but I think I'll keep on following it.

This post has been powered by avenging fury and a balanced diet.
zam Since: Jun, 2009
#3: Jan 19th 2014 at 11:51:19 AM

I liked,it can't wait for the next episode.

Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#4: Jan 25th 2014 at 4:36:02 PM

Just got caught up.

Satanist you say? Silly Louisianans thats obviously some kind of Celt Pagan thing with Cajun birdtraps for local flavoring.

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
zam Since: Jun, 2009
#5: Jan 26th 2014 at 7:13:09 AM

It's not like they're gonna do the research on that.

Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#6: Jan 26th 2014 at 1:05:56 PM

The showrunners or the detectives?

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
Nicknacks Ding-ding! Going down... from Land Down Under Since: Oct, 2010
Ding-ding! Going down...
#7: Jan 27th 2014 at 12:36:52 AM

There's only one writer, and he talks about the sticks here.

Q: It seems that some elements of True Detective draw influence from the realm of literary horror. I speak not only of the references to The King in Yellow, but also the stick-like creations reminiscent of Karl Edward Wagner's story “Sticks”, as well as Cohle's Ligottian worldview. What drew you to these elements, and how did you go about choosing to incorporate them into the show?

Nic: Sure. That influence is, like everything in True Detective, part of a whole-earth catalog of cultural obsessions, including my own. If your character conveys a vision of cosmic horror, it felt appropriate for me to dramatize the Lovecraftian sense of madness, of a carnivorous universe in which you’re food. And Cohle’s attitude is similar to things Lovecraft said (and Cioran, and Schopenhauer), though we can see Cohle would have a substantial confirmation-bias based on his life story.

The stick lattices are actually things I discovered in researching early Megalith cultures and the mound-builders in Louisiana, but I discovered Wagner’s story and then it seemed even more appropriate to the kind of subconscious cultural associations the killer creates, the atavistic dread that the show tries to transmit. I suppose what drew me to these elements were the show’s themes and characters, and my own interests, which to be fair are pretty broad and discursive. And no one told me I couldn’t do it, you know? If these things are all appropriate to the story and its themes and they can be incorporated organically and become an authentic part of the story, why not? Why not mash these influences together? Provided it’s in a way that doesn’t betray or lead astray the governing genre being served.

This post has been powered by avenging fury and a balanced diet.
Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#8: Jan 27th 2014 at 9:24:48 AM

So who else noticed that 2010 Hart doesn't have a ring on his left hand?

Not surprising.

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#9: Jan 27th 2014 at 10:43:51 AM

Yeah, it's pretty obvious 2012!Hart is divorced.

Was kind of funny to see Cohle dancing while sporting the same empty, Thousand-Yard Stare he has while on the job.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#10: Jan 27th 2014 at 10:47:30 AM

"For the good of the family."

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
zam Since: Jun, 2009
#11: Jan 27th 2014 at 10:50:17 AM

God I hate Hart. His hypocrisy burns.

Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#12: Jan 27th 2014 at 11:05:34 AM

I assume thats partially the point. The seemingly normal but fundamentally broken Hart contrasted with the socially broken but totally honest and non-distracted Cohle.

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
Kentok Earth-Pig Born from Upper Iest Since: Jan, 2010 Relationship Status: You can be my wingman any time
Earth-Pig Born
#13: Jan 27th 2014 at 12:35:53 PM

To be honest, Hart kinda comes across as dead weight in the show so far. It's annoying because that means Rust is the only one driving things forward (case wise). I love the interplay between the two characters but I wish things were a bit more even handed.

This show is great, by the way. The two week wait for the next episode is starting to kill me already, last night's episode had such a strong final 10 minutes.

You can get what you want and still not be very happy.
TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#14: Jan 28th 2014 at 5:52:45 PM

I also feel like the narrative force is favoring Cohle so far. As said, he's driving the plot, except for times when Hart is navigating certain social situations for him. (Like when he smooth talked their Captain or whatever into giving them time to try to get results rather than turn things over to that "task force".)

I also get the feeling that there's quite a lot of Nostalgia Filter going on with Hart when he talks about his family. While we're seeing the truth in the sections from the past, the way Hart talks about it definitely has a disconnect. This probably ties into the lack of a ring from the 2010 version of Hart and him wanting those things back.

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
zam Since: Jun, 2009
CrimsonZephyr Would that it were so simple. from Massachusetts Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
Would that it were so simple.
#16: Feb 11th 2014 at 8:04:56 PM

Yeah, that tracking shot was pretty sweet. Not often you see a genuine one without editing shortcuts or CGI these days.

"For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die."
DrFleming Since: Dec, 2011
#17: Feb 20th 2014 at 6:01:44 AM

Cosmic Horror Related Shenanigans. Calling it. Cthulhu Mythos Apocrypha!

Nah, I highly doubt they'll go down that route (partly because it'd be too "goofy" for the stereotypical Prestige Drama audience), but one can dream.

BornIn1142 from Estonia Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Faithful to 2D
#18: Feb 21st 2014 at 2:56:36 PM

How plausible do you think it is that Cohle's and Hart's big break-up was some sort of ruse and the ten years Cohle's spent missing in action was part of a personal deep cover assignment? It seems that there might be some sort of conspiracy behind the murders rather than a lone nutter, possibly involving that big-shot religious guy we saw back in episode 1, so he might have actually been infiltrating the group responsible, which is why he's become so suspicious to the detectives in present day.

Also, The King in Yellow is currently the most downloaded book in Project Gutenberg. Coincidence?

Stevron The Undefeated from Capua Since: Dec, 2011
The Undefeated
#19: Feb 22nd 2014 at 11:07:45 AM

[up] That's what I think could have happened.

Sony fan here.
gvzbgul from Middle Earth Since: Jul, 2010
#20: Mar 2nd 2014 at 12:52:12 AM

Marty "got religious" for a bit while he and his wife were back together. But I don't think he'd have been doing any infiltration then, maybe he "gets religious" after the divorce but now it's a ruse?

NotSoBadassLongcoat The Showrunner of Dzwiedz 24 from People's Democratic Republic of Badassia (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Puppy love
The Showrunner of Dzwiedz 24
#21: Mar 2nd 2014 at 3:50:45 AM

And I'm telling you, Cthulhu's gonna come out of the swamp in the series finale. ;)

"what the complete, unabridged, 4k ultra HD fuck with bonus features" - Mark Von Lewis
Canid117 Since: Oct, 2010 Relationship Status: Hello, I love you
#22: Mar 2nd 2014 at 2:13:53 PM

Commenting late now before the next episode but Jesus Christ Marty! Last time you saw her she was a child prostitute! The fuck is wrong with that guy?

"War without fire is like sausages without mustard." - Jean Juvénal des Ursins
zam Since: Jun, 2009
#23: Mar 4th 2014 at 11:08:59 AM

Cthulhu knows what goes through that man's head.

NotSoBadassLongcoat The Showrunner of Dzwiedz 24 from People's Democratic Republic of Badassia (Old as dirt) Relationship Status: Puppy love
The Showrunner of Dzwiedz 24
#24: Mar 6th 2014 at 2:15:37 PM

What's the role of the lawnmower guy in all of this? And why did his dad (presumably sheriff Childress) go all Sandor Clegane on him?

"what the complete, unabridged, 4k ultra HD fuck with bonus features" - Mark Von Lewis
HersheleOstropoler You gotta get yourself some marble columns from BK.NY.US Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Less than three
You gotta get yourself some marble columns
#25: Mar 9th 2014 at 6:57:37 PM

Did not think that would end on such an up note

The child is father to the man —Oedipus

Total posts: 53
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