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HBO's "True Detective"


GLASSJAW

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just finished episode two, not really feeling the show so far

pros: i like most of the music and think the show is visually stunning--and not even just because of the breasts

cons: only one i can really think of is a big problem for me. some of the dialogue has made me cringe and feel a bit embarrassed. definitely not HBO quality writing, IMO.

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When you say dialogue do you mean the monologues by Rust? I found them to be heavy handed and nearly constant in the flashbacks and interrogations

idk what i mean, it's not just Rust, although i did find some of his lines in ep 1 to be really bad (that car scene about philosophy? lol), and the closing scene as well. kinda cheesy.

honestly maybe i just need to give it another try and re-watch them both (and the new one), because it's getting good reviews and has 9.4 on IMDB (LOL!!), already putting it among the best tv shows of all time, so i'm obviously missing something.

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just finished episode two, not really feeling the show so far

pros: i like most of the music and think the show is visually stunning--and not even just because of the breasts

cons: only one i can really think of is a big problem for me. some of the dialogue has made me cringe and feel a bit embarrassed. definitely not HBO quality writing, IMO.

Pretty sure a lot of the dialogue is meant to make you cringe and feel embarrassed (depends on how I guess).

It isn't supposed to be a comfortable show to watch.

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Pretty sure a lot of the dialogue is meant to make you cringe and feel embarrassed (depends on how I guess).

It isn't supposed to be a comfortable show to watch.

there is no reason to believe the show is self-aware of its dialogue, good or bad

anyway, here is a prime example of what i hate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-n-Eur98X8

in the best HBO shows (sopranos, deadwood, and even six feet under and game of thrones to a lesser extent), conflicted characters may have "moments" like this, but very rarely is it this in-your-face. i understand that this is a mini series or whatever, so character development has its restrictions with time, but seriously? isn't this more or less the same speech that was in Little Miss Sunshine four or five years ago? this sort of conflict was dealt with in those other (better) HBO shows but with far more psychology, far more symbolism, far more "philosophy." this was kitschy and totally artless, just straight to the point

this one, from the same scene, is even worse.

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there is no reason to believe the show is self-aware of its dialogue, good or bad

anyway, here is a prime example of what i hate:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-n-Eur98X8

in the best HBO shows (sopranos, deadwood, and even six feet under and game of thrones to a lesser extent), conflicted characters may have "moments" like this, but very rarely is it this in-your-face. i understand that this is a mini series or whatever, so character development has its restrictions with time, but seriously? isn't this more or less the same speech that was in Little Miss Sunshine four or five years ago? this sort of conflict was dealt with in those other (better) HBO shows but with far more psychology, far more symbolism, far more "philosophy." this was kitschy and totally artless, just straight to the point

this one, from the same scene, is even worse.

He's a pseudo-intellectual evangelist for nihilism. There's nothing conflicted about it. It's someone who's embraced his brokenness from the start (in juxtaposition to Marty).

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He's a pseudo-intellectual evangelist for nihilism. There's nothing conflicted about it. It's someone who's embraced his brokenness from the start (in juxtaposition to Marty).

is there any indication yet that he is a nihilist? (i have only seen ep 1 and 2). to me his 'pessimism' is actually a marker of his shallow conflict: he believes that nonexistence is preferred to existence and that honour is in death, but he totally admits that he cannot embrace this fact because of natural "programming." to me, that contradiction (intellectual or emotional desire to die vs. the natural will to live) is a pretty strong marker of internal conflict. he obviously cannot deal with the idea of death as well as he idealizes it (re: look how he handles his daughter's death), and he certainly doesn't have intellectual control over his emotions or nature (re: drug use and alcoholism). unless of course these elements (like alcoholism) are just used as tools to show how he subverts the need for inhibition or guilt or something, in which case that's even more stupid

these are pretty common (and imo boring) signifiers of conflict, and don't really create a complex or even mysterious character that i personally care about at all--especially when the comparison can be drawn to other HBO shows, which were better able to draw out complexity and metaphor through psychoanalysis (sopranos), politics (deadwood), etc.

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is there any indication yet that he is a nihilist? (i have only seen ep 1 and 2). to me his 'pessimism' is actually a marker of his shallow conflict: he believes that nonexistence is preferred to existence and that honour is in death, but he totally admits that he cannot embrace this fact because of natural "programming." to me, that contradiction (intellectual or emotional desire to die vs. the natural will to live) is a pretty strong marker of internal conflict. he obviously cannot deal with the idea of death as well as he idealizes it (re: look how he handles his daughter's death), and he certainly doesn't have intellectual control over his emotions or nature (re: drug use and alcoholism). unless of course these elements (like alcoholism) are just used as tools to show how he subverts the need for inhibition or guilt or something, in which case that's even more stupid

these are pretty common (and imo boring) signifiers of conflict, and don't really create a complex or even mysterious character that i personally care about at all--especially when the comparison can be drawn to other HBO shows, which were better able to draw out complexity and metaphor through psychoanalysis (sopranos), politics (deadwood), etc.

He's pretty much the textbook definition of nihilism

Most commonly, nihilism is presented in the form of existential nihilism, which argues that life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value

I see him as someone broken by past events (or maybe even to start), who has come to terms with that fact and has become settled into his nihlism. The conflict isn't inner, but passively against societal norms with his attitude. It provides a perfect foil to Marty's very different form of brokenness.

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I freakin' love this show. It might be slowly turning into my favourite.

I love the way it's filmed. I love how all the music is so captivating towards what's going on.

I love all the conversations between Matthew and Woody. The way Woody hates all the crap he spews out of his mouth. McConaughey's acting has been fantastic in this show.

Also love the boobage. Daddario boobs is something I wasn't expecting ever. Especially after her being in the Percy Jackson films.

Michelle Monaghan's a hottie too. :P

Man....the killer reveal at the end was intense.

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Is it possible to just enjoy things and not break everything down like you're a critic, GJ?

some people on CDC like trying to break down trades, rosters, sports lineups, etc. how is that any different? this is something i enjoy. i enjoy the discussion about media discussion just as much as i enjoy media consumption. the conversation may even be MORE important.

we're all critics to some degree. if you can't explain why you like or dislike something, it's just small talk. and that's boring

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Is it possible to just enjoy things and not break everything down like you're a critic, GJ?

I don't really have a problem with the discussion taking turns like that. It makes things more interesting and like Luciferase said (you'll always be Hodor to me, L) the alternative is virtual thumbs up, thumbs down, or "Wow! Boobs!" (not that there's anything wrong with that. ;) )

Truth be told, CDC could use a bit more intellectual discussion. I'm pretty sure that if you brought up "nihilist" in a lot of threads, there'd be people who thought you were talking about a person who lives on a river in Egypt...

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Haven't seen the show as I don't have HBO. Only way I'd see it is when it comes to Blu-Ray and I decide to buy it.

As for people making a fuss over Alexandra Daddario. I wiki'd her, and the only thing I've seen her in is an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I'm neither here nor there on her. Perhaps I'd feel differentely if I weren't married.

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Haven't seen the show as I don't have HBO. Only way I'd see it is when it comes to Blu-Ray and I decide to buy it.

As for people making a fuss over Alexandra Daddario. I wiki'd her, and the only thing I've seen her in is an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I'm neither here nor there on her. Perhaps I'd feel differentely if I weren't married.

google image search "alexandra daddario true detective" and you'll get what the fuss is all about.
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google image search "alexandra daddario true detective" and you'll get what the fuss is all about.

Won't be doing that ;) Perfectly happy with the wife and what I've been getting from her, especially since October.But like I said, perhaps I'd feel differentely if I were single.

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