A törvény nevében - Série 3

This attempt to achieve the broadest possible scope somewhat misses the mark. What was at first a welcome refresher in a format reminiscent of the Vietnam flashbacks fades away when Wayne starts talking about war with just about every male character, and likewise the storyline of a tested marriage never reaches a satisfying catharsis, only timidly brushing off most conflicts. Although I would classify this case from West Finger as better than its two predecessors, it wouldn't be by much. Ali and Dorff, with their stubborn expressions, are the ones effortlessly carrying the entire investigation (even though Nic Pizzolatto again relies on uncovering plot twists from slightly unfair directions), and for the third time, albeit just barely, allows the concept of a whodunit to play out – wandering, searching, examining, and only then perhaps finding or, god forbid, revealing something. My patience didn't desert me this time either, but I wouldn't try my luck on another one. 70% (2019.11.20)

The second season of the series, after it was discovered that a) Marty and Rust, as audience favorites, would not dominate the new case, and b) the atmosphere would be different, was met with reservations that quickly turned into categorical rejection. I consider it one of the greatest injustices of the television industry because, in my opinion, the sun-drenched and corruption-ridden California series was excellent and would have received a disproportionately warmer reception as a standalone project without being connected to the cult status of the first season. Nevertheless, it happened and Pizzolatto was faced with the demand to continue in the same style and atmosphere as the first season while also maintaining artistic uniqueness and not creating a mere copy. In terms of the screenplay, he can be satisfied. The emotional aspect works perfectly, and the typical characteristics of True Detective, focusing on the psychology of characters, an atmosphere of "uncertainty," darkness in human souls and actions, and the intertwining of timelines, have been preserved. The third season will appeal more to viewers who prefer a more intimate nature, rather than those who need it to be bloody and flashy. The series deviates from its gloomy and slow storytelling only in one brief segment; serial killers, diabolical psychopaths, and action scenes are nowhere to be found. What falls a bit short compared to previous seasons is the directing. After a promising start, it loses momentum and quickly falls into routine. The entire time, I had the feeling that this time I was watching a four-star series, but the cunning and manipulative Pizzolatto once again got me where he wanted me with the resolution. It may be subjectively weaker than the previous seasons, but considering the characters and their fate, I have to give the series an overall impression of 90%. (2019.08.08)

The third season of True Detective is definitely better than the season two, but it is not as dark as the first season. On the other hand, the course of investigation is more interesting in this one. The investigation takes place in three different timelines, which become bombastically intertwined. It gets most beautiful in moments when the different timelines mingle in the same scene. It’s simply a joy to see that. Nevertheless, the actors were interesting as well and they worked really well with the entire show. Stephen Dorff and Maharshala Ali make a good team. In both cases, I am still getting used to them as actors, but in the case of True Detective they could not have made a better advertisement for themselves. If HBO manages to keep up a similar pace, I will be satisfied. Still, they could make the next season a bit darker again… (2019.02.28)

The third season definitely confirms that the form of the unbeatable first series is not so much Pizzolatto himself, but mainly Cary Fukunaga, who directed the whole thing. This time the script itself tries to strum similar strings – the transformation of police work over time, the decline of rural America, the corrupt family clans in the background, or the inability to be a full-fledged human being and a full-fledged detective at the same time. However, it fails on perhaps every level this time around, and most of the blame lies with the bland, dull direction, which shoots the vast majority of its shots in mid shots, with two characters having a mostly static conversation with each other without interacting with their surroundings in any way. Almost everything the show wants us to know it has to tell us outright, refusing to work with images. As for the script itself, it is first-rate Pizzolatto trolling, following the detective work through three periods, with the central detective falling in love with a teacher in the first, dealing with a marital crisis together in the second, and suffering from senility in the third, now without a wife. If you're wondering if these aren't the worst situations a viewer can experience who's watched a crime investigation series since the dawn of detective stories, bingo. The relationship peripeteia is compounded by the characters' complete inability to talk to each other and get even slightly meaningful answers to their questions. Then the last episode is really the height of frustration, as we have to watch the hero's wife ask questions over and over again, and not once does he give her any meaningful response. It goes on forever, and the whole time we're just watching their focused faces. And as for the case? Actually, there isn't one as a result. Because, like I said, the script is just trolling. I imagine that with a more capable and sole director, Pizzolatto's vision might hit the right notes, but this way, unless someone can present it in some sort of visual context, it's just a bloated fucking bore. Plenty of critics praise the third season for finally making True Detective grow up, compared to the divisive and nihilistic first season. It's true, it has. And like everything that's labeled as adult by most, it's stodgy, boring, and uninspiring. (2019.04.08)

Another case branching into three time planes. Pizzolato already knows that just a little experimentation is needed and puts together a story more about partnership than about dead bodies, with lost kids, lies and money playing the lead roles. Ali is great as Hayes and the part is ingeniously written. A tough guy who wanted nothing and that nothing led him not to an obsession, but to a life that he is forgetting, slowly but surely. One of the most powerful moments of the series is when the time planes intersect (Viet Cong in the bedroom!). There’s a return to quality conversations in the car and partner quarrels that cut close to the bone. The ending is realistic, but quite pleasant this time round. True Detective still delivers quality that is worth waiting for. (2019.02.25)