Thank Christ.
Ok, to begin with, Season 2 of True Detective wasn’t the worst thing that you’ll ever watch. Colin Farrell’s performance was very good, the orgy episode was incredibly freaky and as always, the show looked beautiful. Oh yeah, it also featured one of the best shootouts that was ever filmed for TV.
This being said, we just couldn’t buy Vince Vaughn’s gangster, the plot felt like it was far too slavish to Chinatown and the overall mystery just felt undercooked.
It also didn’t help that the extremely talented director of the first season, Cary Fukunaga, didn’t return behind the lens after he fell out with the show’s creator, Nic Pizzolatto.
To be honest, very few shows could rival the debut season fo True Detective because when the show was released, it felt like a wonderful lease of life for the murder mystery genre. Hell, we could talk for hours about *that* epic tracking shot as Rust and Marty flee the gunfight.
The chemistry between Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey was superb and the gothic murder mystery kept audiences hooked.
Anyway, after the plot was revealed for Season 3, it’s clear that the new episodes will be aiming to capture the magic of the first season.
Speaking with Observer at the Tribeca Film Festival, True Detective star Jon Tenney admits the new episodes will be more like the debut season.
“I can’t get into real specifics, but I think it does move a little bit in the direction of season one… a little bit more maybe than season two. The scripts are just so compelling. Again, really moving. The company is great. I can’t really say a whole lot, but I’m thrilled to be part of it and I think people are going to really dig it.”
Truth be told, we’re somewhat sceptical after the news that the director, Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room), left the show but this news might appease fans of any lingering doubts.
With regards to the new cast, Oscar-winning Mahershala Ali will be the lead alongside Stephen Dorff . Ray Fisher has also been added as a series regular, joining Ali, Dorff, Carmen Ejogo, Scoot McNairy, Mamie Gummer, Rhys Wakefield, Michael Greyeyes, and Jon Tenney in the anthology drama.
Season 3 will tell the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods.
As for the plot, Dorff will play Roland West, an Arkansas State Investigator who, along with his partner, has his life and career influenced over three decades by a baffling crime. Ali will play the lead role of Wayne Hays, a state police detective from northwest Arkansas with Fisher playing his son.
Now that we know it’s going to be more like Season One, we’re pumped.
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