The Western Book of the Dead (S2x01)
Airdate: 21 June 2015
Written by: Nic Pizzolatto
Directed by: Justin Lin
Running Time: 54 minutes
The Western Book of the Dead arrived in the middle of what we now call the Golden Age of Television—a time when American television drama has so thoroughly outclassed mainstream cinema that even what passes for "disappointing" today would have obliterated 99.99% of television production from decades past. Yet this very abundance of quality has created a peculiar phenomenon among viewers, particularly among the "hipster" segments of the audience: expectations have inflated to almost comically unrealistic levels. Perhaps no show exemplifies this better than True Detective, whose first season underwent one of the most dramatic swings in critical reception in recent memory—hailed as a masterpiece after its opening episodes, only to be declared a "complete disappointment" by some before the finale, simply because creator Nic Pizzolato refused to deploy the "cool" narrative tricks necessary to make the ending as intriguing as the beginning.
This brings us to Season 2, which HBO has wisely positioned not as a continuation but as an anthology entry—a separate story functioning like an episode in a television anthology or a segment in an omnibus film. This structural choice partially deflects the potentially fatal comparisons to Season 1 while granting Pizzolato significantly more creative freedom.
Only Pizzolato remains from the original team, sharing executive producer credits with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson (the leads from Season 1). The setting has shifted dramatically from the dark, swampy, stagnant rural Louisiana to sunny, progressive, ostensibly "cool" California. The narrative structure has also transformed: gone is the dual-protagonist setup delivered through one of television's longest and most effective flashback frameworks. In its place, we have four main characters whose perspectives we follow—characters who, at least initially, have little connection to one another and in some cases occupy opposite sides of the law.
Director Cary Joji Fukunaga has been replaced by Justin Lin, best known for the Fast & Furious franchise. This change is noticeable: alongside the different location and atmosphere comes a different visual style, but unfortunately, also less talent for presenting complex events and characters rich with internal problems in a way the average viewer can easily digest.
Regarding the cast, the new True Detective immediately feels inferior to its predecessor. A year ago, the series launched with two exceptionally well-written, thoughtfully constructed characters portrayed by superb actors whose relationship provided a solid foundation for an otherwise not particularly original or well-constructed plot. The first episode of Season 2 suggests a completely different approach—viewers only indirectly understand who these characters are, what troubles them, and what motivates them. It must be said that Colin Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams, and especially Taylor Kitsch (who comes across as terribly unlikable in an almost parodic role of a traffic cop "on the edge") simply aren't in the same league as McConaughey and Harrelson.
That said, the final scene suggests that the investigation into this bizarre crime will reveal more intriguing motives and interesting subplots than those in Season 1. For a series/season that by its nature cannot immediately fulfill the high expectations established by its predecessor, this is more than enough.
Verdict: A competent premiere that trades the gothic dread of Louisiana for California noir, but struggles to establish characters worthy of the True Detective name. The pieces are on the board; whether they can match the chemistry of Rust Cohle and Marty Hart remains the season's central question.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
(Note: The text in the original Croatian version is available here.)
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