Like The Nietzsche Family Circus, we now have the pitch-perfect pessimistic witticisms from True Detective‘s Rust Cohle nicely depicted Family Circus-style. It’s called “Time is a Flat Circus.”
Via AV Club
It’s not super surprising that fans of True Detective, the brilliant new HBO series with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, might, just might, take a cue from Rust Cohle, the compellingly uncompromising protagonist of the series embodied by McConaughey. (Come to think of it, the series is really told from Cohle’s perspective, what with the brooding, slow pans, the careful pacing, the attention to detail.)
“We Keep the Other Bad Men from the Door,” a quotation from Episode 3 of the series, serves as the title for a stunningly realized tribute website by Chicago-based Nigel Evan Dennis. The most amazing aspect of Dennis’ site is that it seems as much an obsessed investigation into the murder of Dora Lange as that of Cohle and Martin Hart (Harrelson) themselves.
All of the characters are presented in a kind of lineup, with symbols denoting their current state of oxygenated blood flow to the brain (i.e., alive or dead) as well as if they’re “good” or “evil”—a designation that seems at odds with the show’s drenched and muted view of human culpability, although to be candid I’m not entirely sure how the symbology works. There’s a remarkable graphic re-creation of a pivotal scene in Episode 4; up-to-date viewers know exactly the scene I’m talking about (no spoilers), as well as a detailed map of Louisiana, and much more.
I adore the show, and I can’t wait for the finale of the Season 1 story this Sunday evening (Season 2 will have a completely different plot; it’s hard to imagine how they will top Season 1). To my mind, the strong script by Nic Pizzolatto has been elevated by the A+ talents of McConaughey and Harrelson and especially director Cary Joji Fukunaga. It’s difficult to imagine other actors in those roles, and the direction is among the best TV has ever seen. I have started Pizzolatto’s novel Galveston (the Kindle version is a mere $2.99, so if I were you, I’d pounce), and it’s an impressive piece of work (so far)—it’s got an unprepossessing veneer but the prose can startle you unexpectedly, quite a bit like True Detective.)
Note that you can purchase handsome prints from Dennis’ site, although a few of the best ones are sold out (I suspect they’ll get restocked, though); be sure to visit before the finale this Sunday, as that seems the most in keeping with the spirit of the undertaking.
On a lighter note, here are some True Detective credits someone concocted in the Law & Order style:
via Vulture/Thank you Carol Schumacher!
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
‘Hotel Room’: David Lynch’s oddball HBO mini-series, 1993
Literary Youth: Kim Gordon to publish two books, make cameo on HBO’s ‘Girls’