Sean Morris
ENGL 110 / 25696
TV Review Essay

Audience Statement This review would probably be found in an entertainment tabloid like People magazine. It would be more for people solely focused on the entertainment aspect of the movie, like the plot and the actors’ performances, rather than any implied meanings or ‘academic’ aspects of the series. It would also be targeted to individuals like myself who typically don’t watch TV and just binge-watch a series when it becomes available, but want a ‘straight to the point’ review that highlights the good and bad things of a series.
Matthew’s McConnaissance Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson may not be your first choice for a gritty, noir-inspired detective series, but after watching the series it would be hard to pick anyone better for their roles. In True Detective, Harrelson is Marty Hart, a family man and run-of-the-mill cop that acts like your usual pension driven civil servant, while McConaughey plays the pensive, but condescending new partner, Rust Cole. Their goal is typical for the genre: find a murderer terrorizing this sleepy town in Louisiana. The biggest draw of the series is easily the two main actors’ performances. Now an Academy Award winner, McConaughey shows exactly how far he’s come in the last ten years from his usual Hollywood romantic comedy. Instead of the typical pretty boy, he plays an intelligent and thoughtful, but broken detective whose gaunt frame and disheveled look represent the personal trials he’s endured. And, while great, Harrelson’s performance seems mildly overshadowed. He’s there mainly to act as the foil and smartass remarks to McConaughey’s philosophical musings on their job abound. McConaughey’s character summarizes it best when he says, “Without me, there is no you.”
Much of the show revolves around the detectives recounting their story to a video camera in an office, and this focused environment is where the actors shine. The story takes place over two timelines, set 17 years apart and the time difference is especially notable on the actors themselves. Not only do the makeup and wigs show their age, but their decline into chain-smoking and alcohol dependency on camera is an in-your-face delivery of their character development.
In my mind, the series finally represents the perfect storm of only having a sole writer and a sole director. With the story development only tasked by one person, the events feel natural and constant; you don’t have any particular moments that scream out of character for the actor. Cops shows may be a dime of dozen, but this show takes the better approach of turning it into an analysis of the detectives rather than your average crime-solving show of the week and even with its future uncertain I think that this show is better off remaining a one-time masterpiece than risk being considered a disappointing rollercoaster. Audience Statement I think this review would be found somewhere like the Time magazine or a regularly read newspaper/news site for people with more of an appreciation for cinematic symbolism. It would target people who like having discussions and theories about their shows, and who would understand ambiguous literary references or philosophical ideas. True Detective is a series heavy on symbolism and allegory, with enough optional interpretation to keep a viewer busy for days. I think much of it would be lost on people who hadn’t gone out of their way to watch the show several times and weren’t curious about the ‘academic’ background.
HBO’s Psychological Soiree At first glance, HBO’s True Detective looks like it might be your archetypical buddy cop series, but after the first episode you can see the sullen, dark series take a different turn. Matthew McConaughey plays Rust Cole, a damaged and cynical alcoholic whose time undercover has taken its toll on him, physically and emotionally. His counterbalance is Marty Hart, a family-oriented, unimpressive detective played by Woody Harrelson, whose greatest vice is his infidelity. The show is set in post-Katrina, rural Louisiana, where McConaughey and Harrelson’s job is to track down a serial killer whose victim is found surrounded by multiple occult references and symbols. The story spans seventeen years, shown over two simultaneous timelines that flow easily over each other. Despite its stereotypical plot (new partners thrown onto a case the brass wants solved quickly) the show quickly unfolds into the character-driven story it’s meant to be. Although heavy, Cole’s nihilistic soliloquies and analytical dialogue help the show push that stereotype to the side. Much of my acclaim for the show is because of these soliloquies. McConaughey’s performance of the character is nothing short of incredible if only because of his ability to project a conversation on the hopelessness of life without it coming across as boring, self-loathing, or even worse: cliché. The symbolism and iconography has its basis in the hundred year old literary work The King in Yellow and this story along with several other Lovecraftian allusions form the basis for much of the plot. Those constant references and the ever-present philosophical questions raised by the main characters are what make this show unique in comparison to others in the genre. With True Detective not only do you get your entertainment at face-value, but thought-provoking dialogue that deals with the ethical and metaphysical. This combination, along with the remarkable acting of the main duo, gives you a show where the case isn’t necessarily the point.