• Home
  • Meetings
  • Events
  • Blog
  • E-Board
  • Around Boston
  • Join
Northeastern University's Film Enthusiasts Club
.

Neel Shah on True Detective: Other Lives

7/23/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Please note: this article contains SPOILERS. You have been warned.
This week’s episode, entitled “Other Lives” is arguably one of the best episodes this season, finally getting in touch with some of the magic that made season 1 so amazing. However, there is a sense of inadequacy, like even the successes of this episode are too little, too late to salvage the rest of this season.

This episodes takes place 66 days after the shootout at the end of the last episode. This time skip, a dramatic technique borrowed from last season, is actually rather effective, allowing the audience to skip what most likely was a lot of red-tape and report writing. In the aftermath of the firefight, the murder of Ben Caspere pinned on a Mexican pimp and gangster, who pawned possessions from Caspere’s house. In light of an impending state investigation, Velcoro quit the Vinci PD force to avoid criminal charges. Bezzerides receives a demotion and punishment duty after an IA probe, and Woodrugh gets a nice promotion and a cushy desk job as a state detective for valor in the firefight.

This episode really had some nice elements. Although objectively, Woodrugh makes out the best out of the three detectives in the aftermath of shootout, he is clearly unhappy with the humdrum routine of domestic life and desk duty. His bitterness, confusion and anger is fully released on his creepy mother, who has been exploiting him for years. His explosion of emotion is almost cathartic, and provides greater depth and context to his character.

However, what really makes this episode exceptional was how it reveals the “sprawl” of the conspiracy surrounding the death of Ben Caspere. Suddenly everything is connected, from the loss of Semyon’s money, to the Russian gangsters, to the outside interests on the railway corridor, to the disappearance of a young woman at a hooker party known to be frequented by powerful men. This is what makes True Detective great: conspiracies. For a shining 20 minutes, season 2 grasped some of the greatness of its predecessor. This growing conspiracy was revealed by some diligent detective work by our three main officers, which had been sorely lacking in the first four episodes.

All in all, this episode made me a little melancholy, because it showed me the greatness that this season could have achieved. The detective work was on point and the conspiracy was rich and engrossing. However, this episode made the first four feel like an utter waste of time, since so little was accomplished. If the last three episodes are like “Other Lives” maybe I can call season 2 mediocre instead of an utter failure.

Grade: A-
This article is part of an ongoing series. Click here for a review of last week's episode, and check back each week for a review of each new episode.
Click here to read Neel Shah's review of season one of True Detective.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    AJ Martin
    Andy Robinson
    Anime
    Anthony Formicola
    Anu Gulati
    Arjun Agarwal
    Arzu Martinez
    Ben Garbow
    Brandon Isaacson
    Brian Hamilton
    Carter Sigl
    Dan Simeone
    Discussion
    Elizabeth Johnson Wilson
    Eliza Rosenberry
    Emily Fisler
    Erick Sanchez
    Eric Tatar
    Essays
    Festivals
    Gabrielle Ulubay
    Haley Emerson
    Here's Some Movies
    Ian Wolff
    IFF Boston
    IFFBoston 2015
    Interviews
    Isaac Feldberg
    Kunal Asarsa
    Library
    Lists
    Marguerite Darcy
    Marissa Marchese
    Mary Tobin
    Meghan Murphy
    Mike Muse
    Mitch Macro
    Neel Shah
    Netflix Instant Watch
    Parth Parekh
    Patrick Roos
    Profiles
    Reviews
    Short Films
    Television
    This Week In Movies
    Tyler Rosini

    Want to Write for Us?

    Contact NUFEC President Ian Wolff at nufecblog@gmail.com if you're interested in writing for this blog!

    Archives

    April 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.