The story follows two detectives in the deep aired south: Woody Harrelson as Marty and Matthew McConaughey as Rust. Of course their personal lives take up as much space as the case, and of course they don't really get along. The case here is a series of killings, mostly of young girls. Marty seems to have the role of family man sorted: wife and two kids. Yet he cheats on his wife, isn't dad of the year and sometimes abuses the power that being a detective gives. But he also seems well intentioned and his flaws are realistic. Plus he's played by Woody Harrelson so we're inclined to like him. Rust is a nihilist who's found a better output for his depressing world view in solving crimes than poetry blogging. Like Marty he's well intentioned but flawed. He fights hallucinations while on the case, along with bouts of alcoholism and drug abuse. The two obviously grind off of each other like old cranky gears, but the chemistry of Harrelson and McConaughey make it good fun to watch.
As the show starts we're told the pair hasn't talked in years. In the present day of 2012 the two detectives are in the process of giving interviews to police, which works as narration for their first cases together in 1995 and their last together in 2004. The show dips in and out of the three time periods freely. For obvious reasons this structure works perfectly for a mystery story; the writers revealing and withholding information as they see fit. I'll admit to getting lost within the case. But the details aren't really important, just where they lead to.
Where do they lead in True Detective? After the first few episodes - solid if what is more or less expected from high quality detective fiction - the show really hits its groove. The huge time jumps, creating gaps in the story's timeline that go on for years, could have made the show feel too light footed - not grounding the story enough - yet the show jumps in head first. What we get is all the most interesting elements from a single case, leading to a splurge of violence and moral dilemma.
I guess there is a message here, or a general pondering, of what makes a "true" detective. The writers are smart enough to let this hang in the background, though. You should know from the off that such a thing won't involve playing by the rules and making detailed police reports that make deadlines. Neither detective escapes the show with hands clean. Yet that's the point: the show's point is that justice is about catching the bad guys, and not how you catch them. It's obviously up for disagreement, but that creates debate nonetheless (always a good thing). But there's one thing that makes this show a cut above. I could praise a lot of things here: there's the cast, for which Harrelson is expectedly likable and McConaughey expectedly intense (I'd say it's his best although I'm yet to see the role for which he recently won an oscar), not to mention one of the best showcases of Michelle Monaghan, playing Marty's wife. I could praise the production design, which has the heat of the southern country constantly weighing down on the hunt for the killer. I could even single out the show's tracking shot - 6 minutes long - which I'm sure people'll be bigging up for a while. But really the best thing about True Detective is that it's a thriller about something. McConaughey's struggle with the universe hangs over everything. In the background of the case is his constant staring into the endless, dark void. It's a crime show about much more than two detectives trying to solve a case. One of the best show's I've ever seen.
*The following is mostly a reworking of the my last post, based on feedback I've received. Hence the similarities.
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