TV: True Detective Season 4 (starring Jodie Foster)

[Smelling Salt]

I dunno what to think of this season at all. I wanna see where the weirdness goes, but man the dialogue is so hokey and the Wayfair CGI completely distracting.

People strolling into the arena without issue is also just bizarre. Lots of little strange scenarios like that where people just do the most ridiculous things and are put in pointless situations. Love the falcon punch from nowhere in the arena.

And Jodie Foster is a wonderful actor, but she is running hot and cold in this. I wanna blame the character/writing, but man some of her line delivery is painful.

 

[ColonialsHockey10]

I dunno what to think of this season at all. I wanna see where the weirdness goes, but man the dialogue is so hokey and the Wayfair CGI completely distracting.

People strolling into the arena without issue is also just bizarre. Lots of little strange scenarios like that where people just do the most ridiculous things and are put in pointless situations. Love the falcon punch from nowhere in the arena.

And Jodie Foster is a wonderful actor, but she is running hot and cold in this. I wanna blame the character/writing, but man some of her line delivery is painful.

This blew my mind. There’s literally a Renaissance sculpture of mutilated people and you are just free to walk into the arena to see it.

Also, did I miss something with the frozen guy screaming in the beginning? He was alive and at the hospital, no? Won’t he have all the answers?

I absolutely love the setting but there has definitely been a few head scratchers.

 

[Hivemind]

Also, did I miss something with the frozen guy screaming in the beginning? He was alive and at the hospital, no? Won’t he have all the answers?

The Nurse that Jodie Foster was talking to one the phone said he was in an induced coma, and it would be a while until they can talk to him. I get that they're trying to establish that her character is busy and trying to do everything herself, but it did feel like a really underwhelming way to resolve that plot point for the time being. The writing in this season is definitely much sloppier than previous seasons of True Detective.

 

[JetsWillFly4Ever]

Ya, I'm still enjoying it but the quality is just nowhere close to S1.

Dialogue is quite cringy at times, I don't think Kali Reis is doing a great job. I am a big fan of Jodie Foster though and think she is nailing it.

The hockey rink stuff is just bizarre, Foster's character letting her step daughter just walk in and see all the bodies too.

Like the setting and the mystery though.

 

[Chairman Maouth]

I still find this season a little slow-paced although I think episode 2 was a little better than episode 1. It seems to me though that the murders are taking a back seat in the story to the personal conflicts between the characters. Only at the end of this episode was I reminded that oh yeah, this TV show is about murder.

I enjoyed the interaction between Danvers and the young cop where she was drilling him on investigative techniques. I gotta say though, Foster is playing a fairly unlikable character up to this point.

I didn't recognize Chris Eccleston at first without his British accent.

"Don't you dare!" — Danvers/Foster

And I'm watching and thinking the guy that plays Trooper Navarro's on-again-off-again boyfriend sounds Canadian. So I look him up and sure enough he's Canadian and a member of the Cree Nation. There are others too. This season, oddly enough though, is not filmed in Alaska or Canada. It's filmed entirely in Iceland.

Out of curiosity, I then look up Trooper Navarro, real name Kali Reis, and discover she is a former two-time world boxing champion. Since the rise of MMA I've gravitated to MMA and away from boxing and I did not know this.

This woman could probably kick all our asses.

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

Average at best. Good cast...but script and direction horrible.

 

[Hivemind]

This show would be better received (and better in reality) if it was simply Night County, and not True Detective: Night County. HBO did this project a disservice by slapping it into the True Detective "mythos" instead of allowing it to be a standalone project. It's already much more of a halfway point between The Outsiders and Mare of Easttown (to use two other HBO detective shows as references) than it is True Detective, much more about a supernatural mystery meeting (The Outsiders) crossed with detectives dealing with their own personal and familial trauma (Mare of Easttown).

 

[Speyer]

This show would be better received (and better in reality) if it was simply Night County, and not True Detective: Night County. HBO did this project a disservice by slapping it into the True Detective "mythos" instead of allowing it to be a standalone project. It's already much more of a halfway point between The Outsiders and Mare of Easttown (to use two other HBO detective shows as references) than it is True Detective, much more about a supernatural mystery meeting (The Outsiders) crossed with detectives dealing with their own personal and familial trauma (Mare of Easttown).

This whole existentialist "David Fincher approach" to murder mystery TV shows needs to die anyway. Its so overdone. There are other ways to do it. Twin Peaks and Veronica Mars (I am serious) did it more original and way better in the 90's and early 2000's.

 

[Neutrinos]

"Pro athlete" would've been my second guess if "rapper" was off the board...

 

[Smelling Salt]

Love the random and hilarious "brawl" at the hospital lmao. I assume that was to set up the scene of Navarro by herself in the room, but that doesn't make it any less hilarious.

 

[Blender]

This show would be better received (and better in reality) if it was simply Night County, and not True Detective: Night County. HBO did this project a disservice by slapping it into the True Detective "mythos" instead of allowing it to be a standalone project. It's already much more of a halfway point between The Outsiders and Mare of Easttown (to use two other HBO detective shows as references) than it is True Detective, much more about a supernatural mystery meeting (The Outsiders) crossed with detectives dealing with their own personal and familial trauma (Mare of Easttown).

I really don't like the supernatural stuff in a True Detective season, though after the latest episode I'm actually leaning towards it being a red herring. The entire town is probably infected by whatever microbes they were working on at the research station and it has been causing hallucinations and strange behaviour.

 

[Smelling Salt]

I really don't like the supernatural stuff in a True Detective season, though after the latest episode I'm actually leaning towards it being a red herring. The entire town is probably infected by whatever microbes they were working on at the research station and it has been causing hallucinations and strange behaviour.

Yep, agreed.

The only thing that throws me off is the spiral symbol. I have no idea how that is going to tie into Season 1. I'm gonna assume it's going to tie into it horribly.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I think this is pretty great through three episodes. I admit I have a giant soft spot for arctic mysteries and thrillers, everything from The Thing to The Terror (book and show) to Michael Chabon's Yiddish Policeman's Union to even 30 Days of Night. Something about that setting — the cold, the endless night — really grabs me.

I think it's been impeccably acted, especially from Foster who seems to layer in something new every time she's in a scene.

I am curious where the supernatural will go. I am leaning toward it being legit and not a red herring, but that's only because I think back to season 1 and for all the supernatural mumbo jumbo there, it ultimately was a red herring. Do they stay in that lane (the monsters are real people) or do they finally go full supernatural ...

 

[x Tame Impala]

This show would be better received (and better in reality) if it was simply Night County, and not True Detective: Night County. HBO did this project a disservice by slapping it into the True Detective "mythos" instead of allowing it to be a standalone project. It's already much more of a halfway point between The Outsiders and Mare of Easttown (to use two other HBO detective shows as references) than it is True Detective, much more about a supernatural mystery meeting (The Outsiders) crossed with detectives dealing with their own personal and familial trauma (Mare of Easttown).

Agree completely. It's been true for all 3 subsequent seasons. TD S1 was a masterpiece and they've been trying to make it an anthology ever since. I'm not sure if it's just not possible to make another season equally or more captivating than S1 or if there's mistakes with writing/casting/directing for all 3 of the other seasons.

 

[K Fleur]

I like the show so far but I’m not sure it’s actually good? Luke the performances are solid, characters are mostly kinda interesting, the setting is intriguing, but I’m not totally sold yet.

 

[BIeucheeseWithWings]

This show has mentioned "white people bad" 4 times in 2 episodes. Lool (No, I'm not white). You also have to love the fact Jodie's partner wearing cheek piercings in -30 weather. Garbage show.

 

[Neutrinos]

Oh, of course. That's why you called her the "pierced and tattooed actress with the gruff demeanor" in your post. Oh, wait, no, you just said "black actress."

You know you're wrong. That's why you initially posted your cringe, fake "my dad is black" post that you apparently edited to this. That's why you're back pedaling as hard as you can right now. You just can't accept admitting that you made a mistake.

And, yes, assuming someone's sexuality based on their appearance is also wrong. This isn't a hard concept to grasp.

"You still f***ing that dog-runner, bootlegging guy Qavvik, or are you back with girls?"

Sometimes when I'm wrong, I'm right...

 

[Tuggy]

Season hasn't been great for me so far. It's ok.

We'll see where it goes.

 

[Il Stugotz]

I really don't like the supernatural stuff in a True Detective season, though after the latest episode I'm actually leaning towards it being a red herring. The entire town is probably infected by whatever microbes they were working on at the research station and it has been causing hallucinations and strange behaviour.

Same on the red herring.
I actually think it’s a nod to season 1. 3 episodes into season 1 we were speculating that the big reveal would be some Lovecraftian horror compelling people to do evil. Rational minds confronting the Big Unknowable

I suspect that the scientists were experimenting with a microscopic organism they thought could bring people back to life. Maybe the midwife got involved on that level in an attempt to bring stillborn babies back. The symbol might be how it looks under the microscope. But it ended up contaminating them and making them go nuts

The weird patch design on the cops’ shoulders kept reminding me of Frankenstein, so I thought it was a visual allusion of using science to create life from the dead. Maybe the tongue plays in to that

But overall I think it’ll take a very satisfying twist, reveal for this to be anything special for me. I’ll probably barely remember the show in 6 months

 

[Neutrinos]

Let's not forget that when the delivery driver discovered the station was empty, there was someone else in the facility with him... I assumed it was a child

Was it wrong of me to assume the shadowy figure was a child?

 

[Hivemind]

"You still f***ing that dog-runner, bootlegging guy Qavvik, or are you back with girls?"

Sometimes when I'm wrong, I'm right...

It's like you take pleasure in making an ass out of yourself. It would be impossible for you to miss the point any harder.

Stop making judgements about people based on their appearance. It's f***ing simple.

 

[Stringer Bell]

This I think helps explain why we’re at where we’re at:
‘True Detective’ Season 1 Writer Dislikes Season 4’s Ties To It, Showrunner Responds

 

[Blender]

The latest episode was a mess.

 

[Tasty Biscuits]

The writing is definitely pretty basic, but the show is really executing well on setting/cinematography which is helping craft a pretty solid mood. My expectations are tempered and I'm just enjoying the vibe.

 

[Hivemind]

Man, this show is really trying to one up Mare of Easttown in the "every single character has a terrible home life" department.