True Detective

[Rdeezy]

Well I mean it feels forced in that his pessimism is just gone, in a way that's not very different than a religious epiphany. But if it didn't happen, this character would have been a sad ******* at the end as he was throughout the series, and the audience wouldn't be as happy with that, so I get it. I actually expected him to die, and think the story would have had a more fitting conclusion for the character if that had happened.

Here's the writers quotes on the ending:

"To retreat to the supernatural, or to take the easy dramatic route of killing a character in order to achieve an emotional response from the audience, I thought would have been a disservice to the story. What was more interesting to me is that both these men are left in a place of deliverance, a place where even Cohle might be able to acknowledge the possibility of grace in the world. Because one way both men were alike in their failures was that neither man could admit the possibility of grace. I don't mean that in a religious sense. Where we leave Cohle, this man hasn't made a 180 change or anything like that. He's moved maybe 5 degrees on the meter, but the optimistic metaphor he makes at the end, it's not sentimental; it's purely based on physics"

And this one refgarding the experience Rust recounts to Marty:

"It’s not a belief – he’s talking about an experience. And he’s not talking about a reconciliation with loved ones after death: If you listen to what he says, he says, ‘I was gone. There was no me. Just love… and then I woke up.’ That line is significant to the whole series: “And then I woke up.” The only thing like a conversion that he has is when he says, “You’re looking at it wrong. To me, the light is winning.” And that doesn’t describe a conversion to me as much as it describes a broadening of perspective. The man who once said there is no light at the end of the tunnel is now saying there might be order to this. I don’t think it says anything more than: Pick your stories carefully.

 

[Rdeezy]

I chalk it up to him having so little to believe in that even the slightest flicker of a thought that "maybe this isn't all there is" was something to latch onto.

Exactly, man I typed so much and you come in and boom! Cut right to it!

 

[batfan08]

I also think he dealt with it in a fashion that was completely realistic for his character. "In the beginning, there was only darkness. I think the light's winning." It's such a logical way to interpret it. Whether you're religious or not, there's the biblical aspect, with the whole "let there be light" thing, but there's also the scientific aspect, with the Big Bang and whatnot.

 

[karamazov80]

I don't know. He seems to have made a shift from pessimist to optimist at the end, exemplified by the point about the light winning, which he never would have said at earlier points in the story. That feels like a lot more than moving 5 degrees or whatever. Just doesn't feel very natural to me, for that character, even though it obviously does happen with people. And even though I prefer to let something stand on its own merits, I do get what the creator/writer is saying about putting the characters in a positive place at the end. That makes the story more enjoyable as a whole for the audience, and probably for him. But for me, it's one of the few things that was a bit jarring, and actually brought me out of the story, because it didn't feel like a natural ending to that specific character. That's my take, anyway. Still a great show overall. I thought T Bone did a great job with the music.

 

[batfan08]

I disagree in that regard. I think the light comment was a reasonable observation. Regardless of what you subscribe to, in te beginning, there was only darkness. That's logic, not religion. I think that comment summed it up perfectly, as he's still a man of reason; he just looks at things a little differently. Another thing to keep in mind is that there's comfort to be found in detachment. There's a big difference between wanting to believe that death is an end to your suffering your whole life, and believing death is an end to your suffering after knocking at its door.

 

[devilof76]

Another analogy which applies is that prior to birth, there is nothing but darkness: the absence of everything. Light is the first contrast to that oblivion. In trying to find escape in death, he realized that there was still light in life. Prior to that, he felt like there was no real difference between living and dying. The pain he was experiencing was an absence; what's the difference between standing around feeling empty and becoming part of the emptiness? What he experienced at the end was the difference between being and nothingness, and he came down on the side of preferring to be.

 

[batfan08]

Another analogy which applies is that prior to birth, there is nothing but darkness: the absence of everything. Light is the first contrast to that oblivion. In trying to find escape in death, he realized that there was still light in life. Prior to that, he felt like there was no real difference between living and dying. The pain he was experiencing was an absence; what's the difference between standing around feeling empty and becoming part of the emptiness? What he experienced at the end was the difference between being and nothingness, and he came down on the side of preferring to be.

That never even occurred to me, but that is absolutely brilliant.

 

[devilof76]

Thanks. Glad you like.

Saying that the "light is winning" was less an observation of the universe than it was an expression of the change in his emotional state. He faced death and it gave him an opportunity to see the difference. The love he found was just the fact that he was alive and the contrast was so extreme that he couldn't help but be moved in the other direction.

 

[Rdeezy]

It was an observation of the universe not an expression of the change in his emotional state. It was just the first optimistic thing he said in the entire series.

The writer said it was something he was saying without sentimentality or illusion. Just based on physics. But Rust also seemed like he possibly wanted there to be more to life than nothingness, but the only time he felt that was during his near death experience which, he actually felt something in a very long time, which broadened his view point a bit.

 

[devilof76]

You can't observe the universe as a whole.

And it's a basic fact of nature that life is not nothingness. Death is the only place that happens. Nothing sentimental about recognizing that. Nothing mystical or religious about it either.

 

[Rdeezy]

Ok I should of said it was his view of the universe: as its a fact that the universe was once only darkness. I dont think him saying the lights winning was an expression of his emotional change as you said. And i shouldve said that Rust seemed to be wanting there to be a meaning to his life, beyond his belief that this life has no meaning. Which he seemed to come to terms with after feeling the love of everyone he ever loved during his experience.

 

[batfan08]

I think it's a bit of both, honestly. It's fair to say that the Rust from 1995 probably would've had thoughts much more in line with Marty's about the subject, though. I feel that devil eloquently summed up the fact that you can't really appreciate life until you've come face to face with death, but I also think that the whole "in the beginning there was only darkness" thing could be interpreted either way. I think that's part of the beauty of the themes of True Detective. They really are universally compatible, in some respects. People of religion, science, and reason can all glean meaning from the end of Rust's journey, and, yet, the deeper meaning is still the same: Rust is able to see a glass half full where he once saw a glass half empty.

 

[Rdeezy]

Shots of the completed Rust figure

 

[Mister Ski]

Rust looks great Rdeezy. Congrats!

 

[Rdeezy]

Rust looks great Rdeezy. Congrats!

Thanks Mister Ski!

 

[CF79]

Love that figure.

 

[Rdeezy]

True Detective got 12 Emmy nods today

Best Drama, Best Actor for Mcconaughey and Harrelson, Best Writing and Best Directing, among others

Heres a story I found on S2 from ew.com
https://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/10/hbo-true-detective-season-2-scripts/

 

[Sachiel]

Interview with Nic Pizzolatto

You must be feeling pretty happy this morning. How many nominations was it?
You know, I don’t really know. [Laughs] Maybe 12?

Not bad for a rookie.
I’m extremely grateful and humbled. I’m just honored to be on a list of such great television.

So is Season 2 written at this point? Where are you in the process?
I’m hitting the halfway mark on the scripts.

What else can you tell us?
Not much. We’re not keeping any secrets, so when something concrete develops, we’ll announce it to everybody. But everything has just been empty rumors so far.

Can we dismiss some of those rumors? Jessica Chastain, Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Christian Bale, and Josh Brolin have been mentioned as potential stars. Have you started casting for Season 2 yet?
No.

Some viewers wish McConaughey and Harrelson were coming back for Season 2. Do you?
I mean, I miss them as human beings. But the plan was always to tell a different story.

Do you think their example has made it easier to convince big-name actors to cross over to television?
Seems like it.

Cary ***unaga directed every episode of Season 1. Will be there multiple directors this time around?
Yes.

You've said the show is set in California and it’s about the “secret occult history” of the U.S. transportation system.
I would actually just stick with “set in California.”

So it’s not about the U.S. transportation system?
I’d rather not to elaborate on that.

When we spoke during Season 1, you told me that you already had characters for Season 2 that you loved as much as Rust and Marty. Are you still working with the same characters?
Yep, but since then they’ve deepened and become richer. Creating new characters for Season 2 was the same experience as creating Rust and Marty. They didn’t exist until I created them, then in their creation I developed a personal attachment to them. I think it’s the same in anything you write. It’s your job to come up with compelling characters who speak to an individual authenticity. If I’m not interested in the characters I can’t go on. I have to be fascinated by them. It’s the same job as Season 1 to me.

You said at the time that Season 2 would center around three main characters. Is that still the case?
That ballooned a little bit. I would say there are four central roles.

Are any of them women?
You’ll have to wait and see.

Regarding the gender question: did the criticism you received about “underwriting” women characters affect your approach to Season 2?
I think it affected me a little bit in my conception of Season 2, but then not at all. I realized I was listening to things I didn’t agree with and taking cues from the wrong places. I just put it out of my mind.

What do you mean by “taking cues from the wrong places?”
I mean that writing towards what I consider an insubstantial criticism isn’t a good way to create.

No one else in TV has had to follow up a runaway success like Season 1 of True Detective by starting over from scratch. Who was more scared by the prospect: you or HBO?
I don’t think either of us were daunted by it. HBO has been nothing but supportive of whatever I want to do next. The work is where I tend to feel pressure—not so much in the reaction to it.

Let’s talk about what makes True Detective True Detective. When you have new characters, a new setting, and a new story, what’s the consistent through-line? Why isn’t it just a different show from season to season?
I guess it’s the authorial voice and sensibility. True Detective is a densely layered work with resonant details and symbology and rich characterization under the guise of one of the forms of this mystery genre. That’s what we shoot for.

Do you see that weird-fiction or existential-horror vibe as part of the show’s signature as well?
I think there’s a certain atmosphere that you’ll find is a consistent element in True Detective going forward.

When the Season 1 finale aired in March, some people were upset. Why? Do you think they misunderstood the show?
When you say people, I think you’re talking about a small percentage of the audience. I’m extremely happy with the finale. It was exactly the finale I wanted the show to have. And that in no way means the details or symbology of True Detective were irrelevant or meaningless—it merely means they were misread by a certain percentage [of viewers].

What do you mean by “misread"? I always thought the show was about the dangers of storytelling itself—as opposed to the particulars of the story that was being told.
Right. The symbology and details were pointing towards resonances in the themes and characters of the show rather than being a trail of breadcrumbs in a kind of…game.

How long can you keep writing every episode and overseeing a series all by yourself? I’ve heard you say that you’ve got three seasons in you, max.
So far, yeah. There are lots of other TV shows I’d like to do—more traditional TV shows. This one is making a whole new TV show every year.

So you’re not bringing in other writers to help out.
It’s my mandate as a writer to not let the success of Season 1 change my process. However we got here has been shown to work, so I’ll probably stick with those methods.

As long as you can keep it up.
That’s right. Until I drop dead.

 

[batfan08]

I could easily see McConaughey and Pizzolatto coming out with Emmy's. I adore Breaking Bad, but Cranston's already cleaned up over the past 6, or so, years. Rustin Cohle is one of the most compelling and fascinating characters I've ever seen, and I think McConaughey deserves recognition for how much he killed it.

 

[Rdeezy]

I could easily see McConaughey and Pizzolatto coming out with Emmy's. I adore Breaking Bad, but Cranston's already cleaned up over the past 6, or so, years. Rustin Cohle is one of the most compelling and fascinating characters I've ever seen, and I think McConaughey deserves recognition for how much he killed it.

I agree I think both will win in their respective categories. I also think TD will take best drama over BB which won last year amidst all the final season hype, but now its been off the air for almost a year.