TV Review: True Detective - Series Three Episode Eight *SEASON FINALE* "Now Am Found"

"I Wanted Privacy. My Hope Being That We Could Resolve This Situation. Just The Two Of Us..."

With the previous two episodes of True Detective successfully managing to bring the heat of the drama to almost unbelievably levels of white knuckle tension, one could be forgiven for heading into the hotly anticipated finale with a stubborn mindset that something majestic and groundbreaking was set to fall upon us. In the case of "Now Am Found" however, whilst Season Three's extra long conclusion did manage to squeeze in an enormous amount of plot and narrative resolutions, the real overarching tone at the heart of the episode was a delicate balance between melancholy and optimism as the chapter widely seen as a much needed return to form finally closed its' doors. With the penultimate episode leaving the audience with the sight of 1990's Hays reluctantly head into the back seat of a vehicle belonging to the mysterious Hoyt, the introduction of Michael Rooker looking more Michael Rooker then Rooker himself as we witness his character swing on a bottle of bourbon whilst accompanying Hays to the outskirts of nowhere, resulted in a delicious back and forth battle of dialogue heavy wills as Hoyt suggested both took the time to confide in each other by swapping their more hidden and secretive confessions. With Hoyt being moved swiftly off-screen with just enough screen time to make a worthy impact, the horror inflicted sensibility of the series warmed up nicely as we finally saw old man Hays and West discover the remains of the Hoyt estate, and with a ripe genre soundtrack on full thrusters in the background as the purpose of the "pink room" was established, such a set piece sought to remind in an uncanny fashion a very similar set piece during the first season's finale regarding the final confrontation with the Yellow King.  

Whilst Hoyt was the obvious candidate to be Mr. Exposition in regards to the central mystery, this role instead went to the now identified Julius, the one-eyed black man from the caravan park and disruptor at Amelia's book signing, who casually bloated out and finely tuned the cause of both the Purcell child's death and the reason behind Julie's long-standing disappearance. Whilst I'm all for plot resolutions, particularly when it comes to a series with so many questions, and I understand that not every show is going to be as damn confusing and mind-boggling as Twin Peaks, the five minute sequence in which every single element is rather nicely tied up did seem a tad flimsy, particularly when one of the strongest points of writing this season was the certain oppressive nature in which there always felt a underlying notion that not everything ever seemed particularly right. With other points clarified and others left seemingly abandoned, the finer narrative points of Series Three still left some questions remaining, but with a really well executed final set piece in which Hays' continual memory problems really came around to haunt him, "Now Am Found" effectively made an immediate lasting impression, carrying out both the standout acting and interesting writings which have made True Detective's latest series a real treat to digest, dissect and review, and whilst many thought the series had died a disappointing death thanks to the divisive nature of the show's second season, Pizzolatto has successfully managed to put the show back on its' rightful course with eight hours or so of excellent, intriguing and compelling small screen drama. 

Overall Episode Score: 9/10

Overall Season Score: 8.6/10

TV Review: True Detective - Series Three Episodes Six and Seven "Hunters in the Dark" and "The Final Country

"Hell Of A Day When A Gunfight Is The Second Most Exciting Thing To Happen To You..."

With the effects of the Woodard shootout still lingering in the forefront of the 1980's timeline this week, it very much seems that whilst the season's definitive action set piece seemed at the time to be no more than just a glorified, if well executed, gun fight, in reality, the death of Woodard and the discovery of particular elements pertaining to the Purcell case seems to have been the kickstarter for a much deeper and dark hearted conspiracy, one which became more evident throughout the two unbelievably addictive hours of television in this ever-improving chapter of a True Detective. With HBO's latest flagship show not only blossoming thanks to a much needed return to form, the decision to return to the almost psychological horror aspect of the show's debut season really makes the drama tick as we attempt to string together the wailing dots in order to come to some sort of amicable resolution come the final episode. With episode six coming to terms with the definitive notion of Julie still being well and truly alive, the tables all turned towards Tom as the lead candidate for her brother's murder, whilst the return of the now drug addicted Dan O'Brien and the first, more low-key interrogation of Officer James seemed to nod towards the opening of previously locked doors which pointed to a much ominous overarching explanation. With a full-on, nail biting sense of oppressiveness throughout, the tone of the episode felt comfortable in being able to resort back to the spine-tingling and wholly unnerving sensibility which the first season managed to get so spot on, and with creepy monologues from incidental characters both ambiguous and crucial to solving the many riddles at the heart of the central mystery, "Hunters in the Dark" also featured the discovery of the infamous "pink castle" and the creepiest conclusion to an episode this season by a considerable distance. 

With such a dramatic discovery, it wasn't exactly surprising to see that the first act of episode seven was to see the lengths certain power-hungry figures will go to in order to keep the now solidified conspiracy under wraps and as far away from both Hays and West as humanly possible, with the death of Tom and his convenient suicide note one of the less effective narrative twists so far due to an alarming sense of inevitability. As pointed out by Sarah Gadon's Elisa, the nature of the conspiracy almost uncannily becomes quiet after a sudden act of violence and the discovery of a dead man, and with the elder Hays clearly misdirecting and misremembering her particular line of questioning, the "bad thing" involving Hays and West is finally revealed, with the accidental death and subsequent attempt at removing every trace of Officer James the enormous elephant in the room and potentially a deciding factor in Hay's penchant for mental illness and memory confliction. Add into the mix the return of the one-eyed black man and joyous, if slightly off-hand, link to the Rust/Hart investigation from the first season, and the cards heading into the finale all begin to slightly stack up, concluding with a long-awaited meet-up with the ambiguous figure of Mr. Hoyt, whose telephone conversation could not hide the fact that the man on the other end of the line was Yondu himself, Michael Rooker. With the tension unbearable, the tone now full on Wicker Man style oppressive and questions still remaining, next week promises to be either an enormous and jaw-dropping hour of television or a complete cop-out. We shall see. 

Overall Episode Score: 9/10

TV Review: True Detective - Series Three Episode Five "If You Have Ghosts"

"Tell Him To Leave Me Alone. I Know What He Did. That Man Pretending To Be My Father..."

After commenting this time last week on a distinct lack of standout action set pieces within a series renowned for breaking the rules of what is allowed upon the small screen, this week's episode of True Detective was undoubtedly the most proactive and efficient hour of storytelling since the opening episode, blending together a narratively crucial and well executed resolution to last week's cliffhanger and playing its' hand in terms of answers to the widening array of key questions much quicker than before. Concluding tantalisingly with the prospect of a full blown massacre last week, the attack on the Woodard household not only ended in exactly that, resulting in the death of not only his attackers, but police officers too, but also put to bed the question of the original conviction regarding the Purcell case, with key evidence including burnt clothing and one of the missing children's backpack being conveniently found in the household of a now dead but understandably suspicious leading suspect. With the 80's timeline of the narrative strictly limited to the Woodard set piece, the majority of the action this time around once again lands deep in the 90's timeline, with the hunt for the missing Purcell girl well and truly afoot, resulting in the continuation of the clash of heads between Hays and West who seem to have their own individual notions of how most effectively to deal with the biggest puzzle piece so far. With Tom caught up to speed in the doings of his once presumed dead daughter, her potential involvement within a "family" of runaways and continued search for her missing brother results in a live witness appeal, a particularly interesting scene which brings to light the strong sense of bad blood from many regarding the original case, with the conviction of Woodard seeming considerably rushed and overly fraudulent. 

With discoveries of missing evidence, the complete lack of basic forensic awareness and the potential planting of key items at the original crime scene, 90's Hays too begins to wonder whether the death and subsequent conviction of Woodard felt perhaps too timely and ideal for the true murderer who potentially may have had all the time in the world to dispose of crucial evidence, and with a strange, oddball question regarding the disappearance of a local detective at the time of the second investigation, does the confliction raging inside Hays point towards something much more disturbing than one might originally believe? With his absolute refusal to speak about the case outside of the confines of work, an awkward dinner conversation seemed to hark back to the first date between Hays and Amelia by showing how far and how disillusioned the couple have become due to just one case, and whilst it has always seemed that Amelia's eagerness for the finer details regarding the Purcell investigation has always seemed to be her own way of dealing with the trauma, this week seemed to offer up a darker, seedier alternative regarding her true motives surround both Hays and the Purcell's. With this seed firmly planted, the heartwarming reunion of the now aged pairing of Hays and West was hampered by Hays' memory regarding the pair's last meeting, and with the death of Amelia as far as I'm aware not exactly being cleared up completely, this week's episode of True Detective thoroughly enjoyed being able to tease and play with an audience which was once again treated to a riveting and thoroughly entertaining hour of damn good television. 

Overall Episode Score: 9/10

TV Review: True Detective - Series Three Episode Four "The House and the Day"

"Justice Is Not Ours To Deliver. Justice Is Not In Our Power, It Is In His..."

With the fourth episode of True Detective's debut season reinventing how stylish and powerful particular levels of drama upon the small screen can ultimately become, with the famous and unbelievably tense one-shot biker gang escape laying the ground for familiar set pieces in the the likes of Game of Thrones and Daredevil, this week's episode of HBO's crime series understandably fails to feature anything as majestic or jaw-dropping, instead continuing to prolong a sense of quieting and growing desperation as the many strands of the central investigation continued to both confuse and intrigue. With most of the action switching between the 1980's and 90's this week, "The House and the Day" did manage to tick off a solid amount of unanswered questions presented in previous weeks, with the origin of the creepy, The Wicker Man inspired dolls being revealed alongside the background regarding the young Purcell's rather spooky hand gestures when his body was found back in the opening episodes. With religion seemingly the go-to answer behind such mystery, the visit to the local church and priest of course had to involve a overarching off-kilter vibe, with the leading notion behind the main suspect relying on their attendance to the local parish not exactly seeming to bother such parish's leader who felt more inclined to speak in riddles than genuine answers. Elsewhere, the visit to the local caravan park in order to identify the black male seen in the out-of-place sedan both reminded of the tension which True Detective is ultimately renowned for whilst bringing to the forefront more than ever before the notion of the underlying racial politics which Season Three has embraced, with both Hays and Roland understanding the nature of a society where cops are more likely to shoot a white man in a moment of tension rather than feel the heat of shooting their black brothers in arms in the same exact instance. 

With an episode which was determined to build as much character development as humanly possible, the moments away from the central investigation involved a sombre, heartwarming first date between Hays and Amelia, the beginning of an unbreakable bond between Tom Purcell and Roland, with the latter attempting to save the former from his trainwreck emotional and mental state, and even a chance for Lucy to partially redeem herself during a total emotional release in front of Amelia before resorting to her true, monstrous nature by coldly screaming racist slander after being convinced of Amelia's attempts to woo her into sharing secrets she is clearly unwilling to spill. With the beauty of the beginning steps of Hays and Amelia's relationship being contrasted with the complex manner of their family life in the 90's, Hay's return to the Purcell investigation results in a complete change of personality, proving that the angst and depressive state he was in was undoubtedly due to a feeling of uselessness and inadequacy, and even with the added emotional response to Amelia's focus on her book detailing the case which has transformed both his career and his life, the unbreakable bond between two people very much in love is one of the more upbeat notions of a series dripped in melancholy and regret. With old man Hays admitting that the Purcell case is the only thing keeping him fresh and alive, his attempts at locating both Roland and new facts about the case from Sarah Gadon's crime reporter seem to emphasise the fact that no matter how far down Hays digs, the truth may still never come to light, and with so many answers still floating around in the world Pizzolatto has built this time around, Season Three's conclusion may be the most compelling one yet. 

Overall Episode Score: 8/10