Yeah I always read Atlantic and those guys summed it up perfectly how I feel about it as well. Especially the last guy. Read that this morning.

Like I said before I know they need to throw in some false trails and red herrings but it seemed like 90% of the build up was for nothing. What about all the higher up's involved? It's like I wanted one more gear to nab some people beyond your token hill billy crazy hoarder type. Someone of significance, that we knew but did not expect. Maybe one of the other cops. Maybe at the cost of the life of Colhe or Hart.

I don't want to read this thread to avoid spoilers but would someone be kind enough to pm me and tell me if it's worth it? From what I've gathered, reviews were great at the beginning but then the finale was dismal...

It's worth completing the series. Don't let my scrutiny ruin it for you. Overall it wasn't the worst by any stretch, just wanted a little more.

I liked it.

And I think you guys are looking for hard nosed conclusions. What if they are more spiritual and not on the nail. I think all loose end will be answered as we analyze this over time.

Like the whole Cole as being Christ angle, and yellow king as the Devil.

As I sit and digest this show, the more I pull out of it.

Here's a Q and A with creator Nic Pizzolatto. He talks at length about the ending and there's a teaser in there about Season 2. http://bit.ly/1nbHL8X

I can see why people are disappointed, but i was more than happy. For me it was always about these two main characters.

In the end we may have felt that there were higher ups involved but truely how often are higher ups punished for their crimes. It is the common peasant that must suffer for deeds both done and undone. In that sense the ending had some truth to it. I would imagine that because of this Cohle will always feel incomplete about this job. It could be his lifes undoing.

I am glad Cohle went out with a good word though. I felt that his look at humanity was the same as mine except that it gives me joy to think everything is random and not divine while it seemed to leave him in that perpetual state of melancholy.

My own thoughts afterwards was to wonder if some local, ancient, and dark spirit had caught a hold of a few certain families minds and played itself off through their own sense of religious deities (ie devil and yellow king). But I often wonder about such.

I am sure next season will try to go in a wholly new direction without any spiritual type of spin. Looking forward to whatever they bring.

Ahh, one thing that did bother me is that Detective Thomas Papania called Cohle a sociopath. Cohle might have had serious antisocial problems but it seemed he was very morally resposible and that morality even in the face of his melancholy is what kept him driven.

I think everyone is being too kind.

I was hands down disappointed. One of the things I love about this show was the slow pace and that dialogue was key and essential.
7 episodes of buildup and 1 episode to solve all the issues. It rarely works.

Why throw in all that extra material or hints to the yellow king only to have that not be addressed? Too much red herring material. Yes we can look back at the lawnmower man however, there were a lot of things pointing to both characters being the yellow king.

There were several things that added multiple layers to each episode and things got a little weird in a good way, however the last episode seemed rushed. I would have been satisfied with more ambiguity.

^This.
I did not expect answers for everything but I still feel betrayed.
The green ear reveal felt forced and unrealistic . . . I liked the idea of it being ear protection much more.
Also, the whole thing about Marty's family - that was just a red herring? Seriously?!?
And the stereotype inbred hillbilly killer was a let down.

It was a great show. But acting, directing, character development, and world building, no matter how awesome, are not as important as a good story. At least to me.

I really liked it. The relationship between the two characters was what it was all about. The investigation was secondary.

Me too, I enjoyed the final episode mainly because I wasn't expecting that much more. The seventh episode pretty much nailed it for me and could've almost been the season finale.

Glad I avoided this thread and just binge watched all 8 episodes in one hit!

Awesome character development, cool fucked-up storyline, surreal location, killer cinematography . . . looking forward to seeing where season 2 goes!

Binge watching is the best. I've watched countless shows that way and you just absorb so much more rather than having to wait a week for the next episode.

So what do you think of the end? Given that the story is self contained into one season and next year will be a completely new story with new characters?

As others have said, it did feel a little 'rushed' and them not catching anyone further up the food-chain was a slight anti-climax . . . but it wrapped up their personal involvement nicely and took their relationship full circle so (IMO) was easily forgivable.

The lead characters seem like a dream role for any actor . . . 8 hours to cover and develop 20 years of narrative! Interested to see who might pick up the mantle next. They have a tough act to follow!

As an aside . . . fuckin' awesome opening credits.

Brad pitt is in te rumor zone for next season.

I also read a rumor that the director won't be on for next season, but got offered a deal to remake Stephen kings IT...

So I am late to this party, just finished watching the series on blu ray and it is without a doubt the best fucking television I have seen in years. Agree the ending was rushed, and bummed about Rust's whole "dark vs. light" summation. His character was so intelligent and complex, that just felt like a total cop out from the writers. But the ending lived up to my expectations in most other capacities.

The mythology woven into the series made this series so much better in my opinion. Chad previously mentioned "The King in Yellow" by Robert Chambers, the basis for the Yellow King mythos; it is definitely worth a read. Not my favorite but interesting nonetheless. Lovecraft and others were a fan of Chamber's work. It kind of feels like watered-down Edgar Allen Poe horror to me, but a few of the stories are sufficiently creepy. Some of the stories have the effect of making the everyday and mundane kind of supernatural and horrific, something that others like David Lynch have done successfully. That is true horror to me, something that sticks in your mind and disturbs you long after reading/watching, not necessarily because of the subject matter, but because it resonates on a subconscious level for whatever reason. Of course, the subject matter of True Detective was in and of itself horrific and disturbing as hell.

I think the ending being rushed was probably due to Matthew McConaughey' schedule. I think he was filming four different projects at the time. He clearly was still either recovering or losing weight for Dallas Buyers Club in TD... Not that this is an excuse, but could be the overall explanation why. Overall I loved the character development and the brooding overall darkness of the series. From start to finish it had this seedy, dark, uneasiness to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4uxGbhO4ag

About that time to resurrect this thread... super excited by this 2nd trailer. Looks like its going to be one hell of a ride!

Looks good

Watched the second trailer last night. I'm psyched the new season to start.

way better than the first trailer!

I actually liked the ending.

Any thoughts on the first episode of season 2? Looks good so far. At first I was like wow way too many characters/situations going on, but by the end I was into it.

Oh yes, they definitely bombarded us with a load of information that first episode. I was pretty confused while watching, still sort of am about things with motorcycle guy. (I'm clueless when it comes to actors, don't kill me.)

I'm really intrigued though. These characters all seem to be imperfect in their own way, and that's the way I like it. Perfect little Mary Sues bore the hell out of me.