True Detective - Season 2 [DVD] [2016]

I cannot recommend this DVD - not referring to story line or acting, simple the DVD itself is very low quality.Some normal DVD functionality like resuming where you were last watching doesn't work, and the volume is weirdly very high - probably because audio quality is so good, but strange having to turn this down 25% relative to all other DVDs. You can work around these items but why should I have to? Also, one scene was very low definition all of a sudden, but recovered quality in next scene - weird.Upsides are that it was cheap, and the sound quality (not weird high volume) is quite good. Think 2 stars is fair.

expensive

There are thing to enjoy about this. Some of the performances are very good (Farrell is predictably excellent, and Vaughn is a revelation) and the whole thing looks great, is shot very well. But there are problems. They have taken series one's motif of detectives with screwed-up lives to a quite ludicrous extreme, and this gets daft and, frankly, a bit boring: Farrell is messed up, yeah, I got it first time round and didn't need to be continually hit over the head with it. Problematically, they focus on this to the detriment of plot. The makers don't care much about the plot and don't do basic things, like making clear its details, or ensuring the villains have enough screen time so you'll remember them. Plus there's a bit of furious detail-adding in the last episodes, because they haven't developed the story enough earlier on. I got to the end not knowing who did it - and, honestly, not really caring. And the last episode is self-indulgent nonsense, the director stretching everything out so he can linger of 'artistic' shots and supposedly interesting character scenes that had me grating my teeth. This had the makings of a good series but ended up a wasted opportunity

I didn't buy this years ago because the critical reception originally was very poor in comparison with the first series but if you accept that this is a completely different cast and story with only the title binding them together you are in for a treat as a story of massive corruption and double-crossing by corrupt police and corrupt politicians who find themselves being challenged by a gangster with a sense of honour and three very flawed police officers who suddenly find strength from one another to take on the vicious and corrupt.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. I agree that it is not as good as the first season, but it is a completely different kind of story. It is half thriller and half detective story with corruption in high places and all kinds of baddies out to get our four main protagonists, three of whom are haunted by their past, while Frank is tortured by the present.Excellent acting, interesting, if somewhat unlikeable characters (at least initially) and a plot, the details of which, I really couldn't quite pin down. My fault I suspect. But I got the big picture and that was enough to have a great time watching this season.

I watched season 2 in 2016 and found It disappointing in comparison to the McConaughey & Harrleson show of True Detective 1. The story went off in different directions, was hard to follow and didn't have the dark edge of season 1. However having watched season 2 again over Christmas 2019, I now feel I judged it too harshly. Three cops Farrell, Mc Adams & Tayler each with unhappy personal lives work together to investigate a murder relating to a corrupt land deal involving politics the police and a gangster (Vaughan). Season 2 being a cop three hander and a very different story compared to season1 requiring the viewer to pay close attention to each scene of each episode. There are plenty of clues along the way to help with the story including the scene on the blu ray that appears before the theme music starts. Reviewing this again I felt that Farrell, Mc Adams and Tayler where well cast. Vince Vaughan as the gangster is a lot better than you might think. Try to watch this as a stand alone series as I did as there is a lot to be enjoyed here.

Steered clear of this because of bad reviews,But by far the best season.Proper police story with a cast of damaged characters.Wish I'd seen it sooner.