Slow Opener: ‘True Detective’ Season 2 Avoids The Rush

Slow opener is a controversial feature of many series these days, and one cannot estimate it unambiguously. On one hand, if one can create particular kind of suspense and tension within the plot, a slow opener can do no harm. On the other hand, there is a risk that the audience will simply get bored.

For example, True Detective Season 2 seemed very promising, especially considering the expansion of the cast, according to the Inquisitr.

“Not only does Season 2 of True Detective star Vaughn and Farrell, Rachel McAdams and Taylor Kitsch are in the mix as well. Of course, folks know Rachel McAdams from movies such as Aloha, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Wedding Crashers, The Notebook, and Mean Girls. Taylor Kitsch is probably most recognized for his connection to Friday Night Lights, though he’s done a lot of other projects since then, as well.”

However, first episodes of the second season did not quite impress the audience. According to Cleveland, the characters and the way of how the plot is revealed are disappointedly… slow.

“Maybe it’s the clunky exposition and surprisingly comic-bookish dialogue. Maybe it’s the gradual and ultimately daunting realization that the main detective characters are nowhere near as intriguing, nuanced and compelling as those in the brilliant first season of writer-executive producer Nic Pizzolatto’s crime drama. Or maybe we’re just missing the dynamic first-season duo of Matthew McConaughey’s Rust Cohle and Woody Harrelson’s Marty Hart.”

“Whatever the reason, or the combination of reasons, the second season of “True Detective” drags disappointingly along as wearisome second-tier stuff.”

On the other hand, the fact that the speed of the plot changed might actually work out for the best. According to Glide Magazine, such a slow start could only mean that in the end everything will fall into place and make the viewers excited by how creative and interesting was the scheme of the plot.

“As an introduction to this season, ‘The Western Book of the Dead’ is a bit of a slow burn, sucking you in gradually rather than all at once. Pizzolatto is clearly playing the long-game with this one; he refuses to reveal his cards, keeping secrets at bay while planting seeds of intrigue in the seemingly benign. While this approach may be off-putting to some, the slowest burns tend to have the highest payoffs when all is said and done. Though it doesn’t immediately achieve the heights of its predecessor, the table has been set for what appears to be a delicious outing.”

Anyways, if one thinks that the first episodes of the True Detective Season 2 are a slow opener, one should compare it to Hannibal Season 3.

[Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]