Matthew McConaughey famously made a 400+ page graph about the 17-year journey that Rustin Cohle undergoes prior to and during season one of True Detective. It's almost certain that Vince Vaughn didn't do anywhere near that amount of preparation. Then again, based on how the character of wannabe-philosopher Frank Semyon has turned out so far, he probably didn't need to It's nice that Nic Pizzolatto made somewhat of an effort to flesh out Semyon, but the problem is that the character is so incredibly grim and bleak that his monologues border on self-parody and lines like "Sometimes your worst self, is your best self" sound like something a hipster starting a philosophy degree would say. The second problem is that whilst Vaughn looks the part of a tough gangster, he simply isn't tailored for Pizzolatto's blend of philosophical musings and manic ramblings. Vaughn fits characters attuned to the lighter-side of life in which his easy-going charisma can shine. It's difficult to buy him as a constantly bitter and angry gangster who will rip the teeth out of a guy's mouth whilst sprouting lines like "Never do anything out of hunger. Not even eating". In Vaughn's defense, even the brilliant Matthew McConaughey would struggle to make a line like "Blue balls in your heart" sing.