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 Three "The Big Never"

"Why Aren't You Out There Looking For Her? That's Where She Is, Out There. She's Alive..."

Teasing the oh-so loyal True Detective audience with a full-on two hour mystery headrush last week, Season Three of HBO's latest big talking topic returns to the much milder sixty minute dose of stylish drama this week, continuing the many dangling plot threads and cancelling already a high proportion of particular online theories which made for rather compelling, and at times hilarious, reading through the past seven days. With the three different timelines now clear, concise and most crucially, rather simple to follow, the layout of "The Big Never" shifted focus ever so slightly, moving further away from the central mystery somewhat with no real jaw-dropping findings, and more into the aftershocks and toll the investigation has taken on many of the key players at the heart of it. Transitioning the 1990's deposition timeline from Hay's viewpoint to that of Stephen Dorff's Roland West, the state detective turned Lieutenant, particular questions began to arise regarding elements of the original investigation, whether it be the sloppiness of the original search or the involvement of a newly sourced suspect in the form of a rather out-of-place luxury brown sedan. With the now family ridden 90's version of Hays coming off as a groggy, moody and rather annoying sod, the effects of the Purcell case result in both a strange jealous treatment of Carmen Ejogo's Amelia during the opening publishing stages of her non-fiction observations of the case in question, and onto his children too, with an over-the-top, knee-jerk reaction to the sudden wanderings of his daughter a real testament to the shivers which the case which has defined his life sends down his normally calculating and cool spine. 

Whilst at times the mumbling, overly thick area defined accent from Ali results in a quick swoop for the subtitle button, his performance in what is essentially a trio of different central roles, is still quite remarkable, aided by the choice of Pizzolatto to move away from a wide range of leading characters as used in the previous seasons to simply one standout performance, and whilst "The Big Never" attempted to bring depth and substance to the likes of West and Scoot McNairy's Tom, the real magic undoubtedly happens every time Ali appears back into the picture. With the dangling hints of the Purcell case occurring mostly in the 1980's timeline, it is here where of course the most dramatic sections of the story ultimately really come together, with particular nightmarish findings, including a picture book entry with a very familiar pose, and an overriding sense that not everyone seems to be telling the truth, resulting in the most atmospheric portions of the story, aided once again by the thunderous, Blade Runner esque musical store featuring echoing bellows and thunderous heart beats. Whilst the third episode of what continues to be a must-watch season of True Detective was always going to struggle to keep up the high levels of intrigue set up by the opening two chapters, "The Big Never" still managed to be an expertly crafted hour of drama television, a chapter low on action but one which felt comfortable in its' decision not to rush into anything and show its' hand too early, and with the show already at the halfway mark next week, things continue to look up for a show which delights in keeping the audience guessing away. 

Overall Score: 8/10