‘True Detective’ finale review: Did Martin Hart, Rust Cohle close the case alive?
After an eight-episode journey that was truly intense, “True Detective” finally came to a close on Sunday night with a story that was intense, personal, and probably not what you expected at all.
The first half of the episode was spent mostly giving you a sense of who the Errol character was, and then the manhunt and shootout to take this guy out. The reality here is that this show was never about trying to understand why or how this guy committed the crimes; police never get this luxury, either. Even after Rust Cohle shot this man in the head to ensure that he couldn’t kill Martin Hart, justice was still not completely served … and it probably never will be.
What we were most curious to see in the second half of this episode was whether or not Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson’s characters in the end could find some sort of solace in the fact that they did what they set out to do. The final ten minutes were slow-moving, and almost entirely based around these two characters. It’s hard to really grasp a feeling about it; the show went small rather than giving you any semblance that life was going to be okay. The only piece of heroism received was Martin getting a visit from Maggie and his children … and that was it.
In the end, we are left wondering questions of lightness and darkness, of pain and regret. How different life could have been for Rust had he caught on to Errol when he first saw him, and how it would have changed everything. Unfortunately, this is just the way that life goes sometimes. The true detective does not work for the glory, or for getting to go back to a normal life in the end. They do it because of their duty, and then deal with the emotional fallout. The conclusion of a case does not mean that the clouds break and the skies are suddenly blue. All that’s left are two men struggling to still pick up the pieces.
We almost wish that the show was not so subtle and small in the closing seconds (just so that we could get a sense as to where Rust and Martin were heading), but it’s hard to argue against one thing: This was an extraordinary tale to watch. The only other regret that we have was that there was maybe not five or so minutes more attached to the end, but maybe that’s part of the point to leave us wanting more. Grade: A-.
What did you think about the “True Detective” finale? Did it end in the way in which you were hoping? Sound off with your thoughts in the comment box below.
Photo: HBO
xisbum
March 10, 2014 @ 9:04 pm
Don’t think it failed at all. Maybe the answer is – there are no answers, just questions that we all seek to answer in the limited time we have on this planet. Again, I am drawn to my favorite T.S. Eliot line – “We shall not cease from expl…oration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
I was left with the idea that these two men – seriously flawed as they are – just completed a couple of baby steps toward that end, and that is all any of us can hope for before we leave this life and this planet, filled as it is with inexplicable evil and depravity. But that’s just me.
Erik_From_PA
March 10, 2014 @ 7:23 pm
The entire show was about the relationship between Cohle and Hart and how this case affected them, the director and writers have already stated this… The ending was not a letdown by any stretch of the imagination. Their story concluded when they got the guy they were after from the beginning (Dora Lange’s murderer).
As far as leaving things unanswered, Cohle and Hart have blown the case wide open… they know the people involved and have handed over their findings to the other investigators to track down Tuttle and his ilk… Cohle and Hart’s character arcs have run their course and their story is over.
Great show, definitely up there with the best.
CeletaQ
March 10, 2014 @ 3:14 am
Was disappointed with finale. Maybe . Did not bring together the character development. The buildup was fantastic. Major wholes left dangling. The tape? Five masked horsemen. Writers didn’t connect the series development to finale. Does this mean this case will return in Season 2?
R.I.P Ultimate Warrior
March 10, 2014 @ 3:10 am
In the end Russ finally believed in god.
Erik_From_PA
March 10, 2014 @ 7:40 pm
Absolutely not… Rust just became less of a pessimist, in no way did he every say anything about believing in a god. Rust had a lot of vitriol toward society because of the loss of his daughter and the breakup of his marriage as a result. As he laid dying, he came to an epiphany about his life and where his nihilism had gotten him (the brink of death). It’s at this point where he is able to finally come to terms with his past and let go of it.