Since Brother Geraghty mentions it below, I figure this is as good a time as any to say that I think all of the negative buzz about the new season of True Detective is unfounded. The first season, which I enjoyed until it kind of petered out, was over-praised. This season, so far at least, is arguably just as under-praised (full disclosure: I’m friendly with Vince Vaughn).
I’m not sure why the reaction has been so negative, though I suspect some of it has to do with the fact that Vaughn said some pro-gun things right as the show was debuting. A bigger explanation, I think, is that the first season pandered to viewers’ intellectual vanity. I thought Matthew McConaughey’s nihilism shtick was interesting, but it was hardly as profound as some made it out to be. This season of True Detective is going for a noir not Nietzsche and I think some people feel betrayed. I don’t, I’m really enjoying it.