Originally written August 31, 2015

The unfortunate thing about season 2 of True Detective is that comparisons to its first season are unavoidable. See, season 1 was such a hit among audiences, and it was easy to know why. The show had a very distinct feel to it, and the camaraderie between the two leads was why people enjoyed it so much. So now, they’ve thrown all of that way, and we’re given a very different show than we got in season 1. So it’s unavoidable to think about how great season 1 was when you’re watching season 2, and when that happens, you notice how season 2 just kind of pales in comparison. However, “different” doesn’t mean “bad,” and “not as good” doesn’t mean “not good.”

As I mentioned in my review of season 1, True Detective is an anthology show, meaning that every new season is its own separate entity. So, season 2 has an entirely different case, setting, and set of characters than season 1 did. I feel like this sort of thing is what’s ultimately going to simultaneously work in favor of and against this show more than anything else. See, it’s a good thing because this means every season we’ll get a fresh new start, so we’ll get an entirely new experience, and a sort of reboot if a particular season didn’t work too well. However, because of this, the showrunners also probably feel like they don’t want any seasons to blend together. If one season felt just like a previous season, we’d be comparing the two like that and saying that they’re reusing previous ideas.

This is why I honestly do commend season 2 of True Detective for trying something completely different than season 1. The only problem is that they winded up trading things that did work in the show for things that didn’t. I think the easiest place to start is the setting. See, season 1 felt unique in this area because it was a quiet area of Louisiana, which hasn’t been seen many times. Not to mention, it did an interesting thing in playing with different time periods. Season 2 plays it a LOT more straightforward, with there just being one continuous time period from beginning to end for the whole season, and the whole thing taking place in California, which has been seen so many times before. However, there’s the start of a consistent theme here where the setting provides a stark contrast to what we saw in season 1, which I consider a good thing because it gives us a different viewing experience. So, while I consider the setting to be “not as good” as season 1’s, it doesn’t make the show “not good.”

This also ties in with tone. Perhaps one of the more interesting things about season 1 was that it had this dark, creepy, almost supernatural feel to it. I think the thing that viewers enjoyed so much about that is that it set it apart from other traditional cop/detective shows. With season 2, since it’s set in an LA-type setting, the show plays a lot more similar to a traditional cop/detective procedural show. I felt they did the most they could with this kind of tone, and it doesn’t detract from the show too much. I simply just preferred the more unique tone that season 1 had. Again, season 2’s tone wasn’t as good, but they still made it work.

Next we have the case itself. Season 1 had a cool, cult-like, serial killer sort of case going for it. Season 2 plays it more straightforward, with a city official named Ben Caspere being murdered, and a tale of conspiracy and corruption stemming from that. I’ll be honest, the case itself is the worst thing about season 2, hands down. The details of the case are so convoluted and involve so many minor characters that I could never keep track of. An easy defense people like to use for this sort of complaint is that “you weren’t paying close enough attention” or “you’re too dumb to understand what’s going on.” I disagree with those notions. A story shouldn’t be so unnecessarily complicated that you need to remember the most minor details to comprehend the basics of what’s going on. Season 1 had no problem with conveying its storytelling, so there’s no reason why season 2 should. I actually had to look up plot summaries after every episode I watched because I just didn’t get what was going on. Things started to make a lot more sense after I read the summaries, but the point is that I shouldn’t have to do that. The case was definitely the worst aspect of the season.

However, on the flip side, the best thing about the season is its characters. This is another “not as good” that doesn’t mean “not good” example. Undoubtedly the characters were the best aspect about season 1 too. More specifically, it was the relationship that the two main characters shared. Season 2 does things a little differently, by giving us four main characters instead of two. I was initially opposed to this since I liked the dynamic from the first season so much, and while I still do prefer that, by the end of season 2 I enjoyed its main characters so much that I was fine with this shake-up to the formula.

Our main characters include three detectives and one businessman. The first detective is Ray Velcoro, a burnout that gets through his day either drunk or high all the time, mostly because his ex-wife won’t let him see his son that much. Not to mention, this is a child that could actually not even be his since his wife was raped around the same time. The second detective is Ani Bezzerides, a woman that gives off a tough exterior to guard herself against past trauma, and who likes to have sexual encounters while avoiding any real connection with the men. The third detective is Paul Woodrough, a highway patrol officer that’s taken off the streets after being accused of sexual misconduct, and who is hiding a secret that he’s been struggling with coming to terms with. Finally, the businessman is Frank Semyon, a corrupt man that was business partners with Caspere and has now been screwed out of most of his fortune because of Caspere’s death. Frank is one of those complicated bad guys, who will be beating someone’s face in one minute, be a great husband to his wife Jordan the next, and give thoughtful monologues the next. All four characters have their own depth to them, and while some of them took a little while for me to warm up to (particularly Frank), by the end of the season I liked all of them immensely. My favorite was definitely Bezzerides though.

Velcoro is played by Colin Farrell, Bezzerides is played by Rachel McAdams, Woodrough is played by Taylor Kitsch, and Semyon is played by Vince Vaughn. I’ll be honestly, I’m not a huge fan of any of these actors. I’ve disliked Colin Farrell in everything I’ve seen him in. Rachel McAdams is probably the one I liked the most. Taylor Kitsch I’m really not familiar with. And Vince Vaughn has always been pretty hit or miss for me. However, I have to say, I enjoyed all four of these actors a lot in this season. It’s probably the best performance I’ve seen from all four of them, especially Farrell and McAdams. In the beginning I thought Vince Vaughn was doing a terrible job and I hated his character, but by the end of the season he really managed to win me over. Sometimes the writing on this season was kind of bad at certain points, particularly for Frank, so I think that’s why sometimes Vince Vaughn just didn’t have good material to work with. But all four of these guys gave great characters.

Overall, I think it’s undeniable that season 2 of True Detective just isn’t as good as its first season. But I will still argue that season 2 is a good season. I think it turned off many viewers since it’s so different, and admittedly the shake-up is initially pretty jarring. In fact, the season is only 8 episodes just like its first season, and for the first two episodes I honestly didn’t like it at all. I was on board the hate train just like everyone else. But episode 3 was kind of the pivotal episode where people decided if they were on board or not, and after that episode I thought it was starting to get okay. After episode 4 I started to like it, and then for the final four episodes I was really into it, with a finale that had me absolutely loving it. It takes a little while to warm up to, but then the season winds up having some real stand-out moments, such as a shootout and an undercover op that are both just fantastic. So, I felt the season started out terribly and ended amazingly. There was definitely room for improvement in this season but, all around it was still pretty good.

3.5/5