True Detective (HBO)

Absolutely loved the first series - particularly McConaughey's performance.

Won't start watching this one until I have 3 or 4 episodes on the planner - I like to watch at least 3 episodes back to back at the beginning of new series to get in to the characters and story. Hoping Farrell can put in at least a half decent acting performance.
 
Stotty
Hoping Farrell can put in at least a half decent acting performance.
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He's pretty good, but the first episode spends a lot of time building the main players up. There's none of the extensive development that the first series did just yet.

The biggest surprise was Vince Vaughan. The role is a huge departure from his usual stuff, and the announcement that he was joining "True Detective" seemed like it was setting up a disaster, but I liked him.
 
Yeah, that's why I'm going to get a few on the planner before I start watching it - then I can have a 3 episode night and really get in to it. The thing that made the 1st series so compelling was the characters lives as much as the core story line.

Not sure why, but Farrell worried me more than Vaughan!
 
It only makes sense to kill Velcoro if his death is unrelated to Caspere's. Granted, it happened at Caspere's off-the-books apartment and nobody but Velcoro, Semyon and Caspere's killer seems to have any knowledge of it - but killing Velcoro to stop the investigation seems pointless given that the investigation seems to be designed to fail.
 
Don't jump to conclusions. Many indications exist Velcoro continues on.

Likely the best scene of the season so far. Things are looking up for rivaling season one.
 
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Dotini
Don't jump to conclusions. Many indications exist Velcoro continues on.
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Unless they filmed dummy promotional material to mislead audiences. I remember having part of Skyfall spoiled (slightly) because the trailers showed material from late in the film, ruining some of the tension. Dummy material is what I would do.

That said,
The chemistry between Velcoro and Bezzerides is stronger than the chemistry between Velcoro and Woodrugh or between Bezzerides and Woodrugh. Killing Velcoro (now) puts that arc back a bit, and that's before considering that Velcoro is the primary source of tension; after all Semyon wants him to solve Caspere's murder, but the Vinci PD don't want him to.
 
prisonermonkeys
Unless they filmed dummy promotional material to mislead audiences. I remember having part of Skyfall spoiled (slightly) because the trailers showed material from late in the film, ruining some of the tension. Dummy material is what I would do.


That said,
The chemistry between Velcoro and Bezzerides is stronger than the chemistry between Velcoro and Woodrugh or between Bezzerides and Woodrugh. Killing Velcoro (now) puts that arc back a bit, and that's before considering that Velcoro is the primary source of tension; after all Semyon wants him to solve Caspere's murder, but the Vinci PD don't want him to.
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In addition to the trailer scenes, there is the industry reported 8 episode contract of the actor, and the quoted statement of the actress playing his ex-wife that their backstory would be further developed over coming episodes.

Essentially, yes.
 
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Dotini
In addition to the trailer scenes, there is the industry reported 8 episode contract of the actor, and the quoted statement of the actress playing his ex-wife that their backstory would be further developed over coming episodes.
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Like I said, killing Velcoro makes no sense if he was killed to prevent the Caspere investigation from continuing. But if it's about something else, something from Velcoro's past, then Farrell could fulfil an eight-episode contract through flashbacks.
 
strange the attacker didn't go for a head shot after the first shot had him on his back, he was wearing body armor in the first episode though, so, i bet he'll be just fine
 
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ultraviolet
strange the attacker didn't go for a head shot after the first shot had him on his back, he was wearing body armor in the first episode though, so, i bet he'll be just fine
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I reviewed the first episode a couple of times, and failed to see evidence of Velcoro wearing body armor, except for possibly the flashback scene when he was in a deputy's uniform. I'd really appreciate the scene you saw that gave you the clue.
 
Dotini
I reviewed the first episode a couple of times, and failed to see evidence of Velcoro wearing body armor, except for possibly the flashback scene when he was in a deputy's uniform. I'd really appreciate the scene you saw that gave you the clue.
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Because assuming for the moment that Velcoro survives, then given the weapon used and the range at which he was shot, we'd normally be talking about catastrophic damage. If he wasn't wearing body armour, then the shooter was carrying rubber bullets or used loosely-packed birdshot.
 
prisonermonkeys
Because assuming for the moment that Velcoro survives, then given the weapon used and the range at which he was shot, we'd normally be talking about catastrophic damage. If he wasn't wearing body armour, then the shooter was carrying rubber bullets or used loosely-packed birdshot.
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Upon review, it looked as though the muzzle flash might have gone to the floor, beside Velcoro's torso, and not into his chest. In the previews, the officer in charge of the scene says his man was shot, not killed.
 
I'm not clicking anymore spoiler tags for now, I've seen too much!
 
At about :28 into the first episode, Ani and her partner serve a foreclosure notice on a Danielle Del Vayo, who says her sister is missing. I heard her name as "Betta", if I heard correctly. Ani seemed to find she may have visited Panticapaeum, then disappeared into Sonoma county

At about :21 into the 2nd episode, a Miss Tasha is identified in the Vinci PD HQ as Caspere's recent girlfriend.

At about the :48 mark, a pretty girl is ushered into Semyon's presence at the club, and gives a Hollywood address for Caspere's playhouse. She says "Dany said to 'pay attention to streets'". Is this Danielle Del Vayo's missing sister? Looks like the photo shown to Ani?

At the :50 mark, Ani receives a call from her partner informing her a friend of the missing girl received a call from what I heard as "Vera", locating her at Guerneville, Sonoma county.

Are Betta, Tasha and Vera all the same person??

Edit; upon review, Betta is the same as Vera, and it's my hearing that's the problem.
 
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Dotini
I reviewed the first episode a couple of times, and failed to see evidence of Velcoro wearing body armor, except for possibly the flashback scene when he was in a deputy's uniform. I'd really appreciate the scene you saw that gave you the clue.
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Colin Farrell was wearing body in the flashback scene where hes in the deput's uniform talking to Vincent Vaughn.

or...

Farrell has artificially put on weight and the makeup department should all be fired as it doesn't look one bit realistic
 
Dotini
Upon review, it looked as though the muzzle flash might have gone to the floor, beside Velcoro's torso, and not into his chest. In the previews, the officer in charge of the scene says his man was shot, not killed.
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Velcoro's body clearly jolts in reaction to the second shot. And he may not die instantly, so the officer in charge could be correct in saying that he was shot.
 
In episode 1, I'm having a serious problem with the timing of Caspere's transport from the murder scene, supposedly Hollywood, to Point Magu, where the body was recovered. The black Cadillac departed in the morning and arrived at night, even though the drive was only one county north. Either the show production is all screwed up, or the Cadillac made a lengthy stop along the way. I have an idea where the stop was, and why, but not enough evidence to prove it yet.
 
I would assume the Episode 1, day 1, timeline is supposed to be taken at face value.

:12 - Black Cadillac with body merges from Hollywood to north on 101 with sun still rising in the east.
:18 - Paul, on patrol, pulls over a female motorist, and is subsequently seen undergoing suspension from CHP.
:27 - Black Cadillac with body is cruising in wine country, the body falls over onto window.
:40 - Paul is with his girlfriend.
:47 - Body is dropped at Point Magu
:48 - Paul is still with his girlfriend.

The signals are that Paul is not the raven person, presumably the killer.
 
Really struggled with "Maybe Tomorrow" - it didn't really contribute too much to the overall story. I get the feeling that Caspere's murder will either be extremely complex, or very simple but complicated by the personal lives of the main characters.
 
I found the following on a reddit forum and thought you'd like it.

Everybody's masks are slipping;Ray's indifferent oblivion, Frank's humanity, Ani's isolated indifference, and Paul's strident denial.
 
Dotini
I found the following on a reddit forum and thought you'd like it.

Everybody's masks are slipping;Ray's indifferent oblivion, Frank's humanity, Ani's isolated indifference, and Paul's strident denial.
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Oh, I do like that element of it - but I just can't help but feel that "Maybe Tomorrow" was more about moving the chess pieces around for a bit. It was more about having the characters catch up with the audience. We already know that Ray is a burn-out, that someone is out to get Frank, that Ani is the most driven and that Paul is out of place in the investigation. It felt a lot like the first episode in places, setting things up that will be important later without driving the narrative forward the way it should.
 
prisonermonkeys
Oh, I do like that element of it - but I just can't help but feel that "Maybe Tomorrow" was more about moving the chess pieces around for a bit. It was more about having the characters catch up with the audience. We already know that Ray is a burn-out, that someone is out to get Frank, that Ani is the most driven and that Paul is out of place in the investigation. It felt a lot like the first episode in places, setting things up that will be important later without driving the narrative forward the way it should.
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There was a 2nd murder - Stan with his eyes burned out like Caspere.

There was a traffic photo of the Caddy getting onto PCH from Malibu at "one AM" - though the photo seemed time stamped at closer to 4 AM - the morning of the murder.

Some folks feel the mask on the runner and location of the burning Caddy tie in to the movie production.

Why was Ray shot with rubber pellets and not killed? Was his assailant his own Lieutenant Harris, who still needed Ray for the sham investigation, but needed Ray to keep his mitts off the video?

And why wasn't the video removed from the scene along with Caspere's body??
 
Dotini
There was a 2nd murder - Stan with his eyes burned out like Caspere.

There was a traffic photo of the Caddy getting onto PCH from Malibu at "one AM" - though the photo seemed time stamped at closer to 4 AM - the morning of the murder.

Some folks feel the mask on the runner and location of the burning Caddy tie in to the movie production.

Why was Ray shot with rubber pellets and not killed? Was his assailant his own Lieutenant Harris, who still needed Ray for the sham investigation, but needed Ray to keep his mitts off the video?

And why wasn't the video removed from the scene along with Caspere's body??
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I am aware of all this - the problem is that the series isn't giving the audience anything to work with. When you pose questions, you need to provide answers - even if you're only answering one in five or one in six. But "True Detective" isn't doing that. It gets the audience asking questions, but before we have a chance to get answers, it asks more questions. "Lost" made this same mistake and wound up in a situation where it was still refusing to provide answers six seasons later. "True Detective" won't be faced with a problem of that magnitude because it's only eight episodes, but it still needs to show the audience that there is a pay-off. And "Maybe Tomorrow" didn't do that.
 
Dotini
Some folks feel the mask on the runner and location of the burning Caddy tie in to the movie production.
Click to expand...
I'm not so sure about that - the Cadillac was parked around the corner from the driver's house and it was only burned once Ray and Ani became aware of the driver. It looks like the plan was to park it and burn it to direct the investigation towards the production, since the car could already be tied to it. Vinci PD, at least, is clearly trying to manipulate the course of the investigation.

Why was Ray shot with rubber pellets and not killed? Was his assailant his own Lieutenant Harris, who still needed Ray for the sham investigation, but needed Ray to keep his mitts off the video?
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I don't see how Caspere's personal life, his involvement with Frank and his role in the City of Vinci council all tie together neatly. At least one of them has to be a misdirect, and I suspect that it's the tape. The assailant's bird mask seems to have come from the collection on the wall, and the camera was focused on the harness. With the walls being soundproofed and the lengths Caspere went to in order to conceal it, I doubt that he used it for anything other than his night-time activities. By killing Caspere there, shooting Ray with police-grade rubber shot, and stealing the tape, it's manipulating the course of the investigation - it doesn't matter what's on the tape, just so long as the investigation is focused on it.

My theory so far:
Frank's wife had something to do with it. I'm thinking that she killed Caspere to kill Frank's deal, keeping him in a world that he had absolute control over rather than branching out into uncharted territory and dealing with Osip, who is clearly very dangerous.
 
I wouldn't read too much into it. It's a typical noir trope.

The parent figures simply embody each character's internal conflict and the conflict between the world and their role in it.

Ray's father was a cop, and his line about OJ Simpson implies that he was more of a thug with a badge. Ray respects him and clearly cares for him, but is obviously uneasy around him. He knows that his father doesn't really deserve the respect afforded to him by the community, but now ironically finds himself in the sane situation, trying to do right by his son.

Ani is a bit of a swipe at the first season, where women played secondary, passive and domestic roles; one of the themes was the horrible things men do to women. Ani rejects the borderline feminist teachings of her father, casting herself as a protector and blindly ignoring her father's own attempts at parenting simply because they are incompatible with her own narrow view of the world.

I wouldn't go so far as to call Paul's mother incestuous. Rather, she's overbearing, living viscerally through her own son; living through him to have the life she thinks that she is supposed to have - likewise, Paul is strongly implied to be gay (or at least to have had a gay experience) and is struggling to live the life he thinks that he is supposed to have.

And where Frank's father was a violent drunk, Frank is violent when sober and more docile when drunk.
 
So, it looks like the investigation is over, at least as far as Vinci PD is concerned. Ray knows differently, and Ani no doubt has her misgivings. The jury's still out on Paul, since he's so far removed from the politicking.
 
A lot of people including innocent bystanders were shot in that incredible gun battle, maybe up to 24, and most of them fatally. A gripping scene!

I wonder what the endgame is? Certainly corruption and crime won't be solved, so it must be their personal stories. Even so,I suspect there will be another layer of depraved elite behavior revealed, and more murder.
 
Dotini
I wonder what the endgame is? Certainly corruption and crime won't be solved, so it must be their personal stories. Even so,I suspect there will be another layer of depraved elite behavior revealed, and more murder.
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I think Vinci will move to close the Caspere case. The pimp's dead, and despite the gaping holes in the case against him, he fits the loose outline of what they wanted for the case. The State investigation into Vinci will proceed as planned, with the State sweeping the case under the rug. They will try to shut Velcoro, Ani and Woodrugh down one by one, but Frank's attempts to get his money back will not go unnoticed, and they will be forced to play along.
 

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