10 Reasons Why Season 2 Of True Detective Is Actually Awesome

Many decried the lack of actual plot during the first half of the season, but perhaps this was Pizzolato's intention, the purpose being to allow the audience to build a relationship with the characters - to get to know how they tick and see what their worlds were like - before they were forced together by tragedy and circumstance.

Having learnt about the characters in the opening four episodes, the audience is able to anticipate their next moves, to understand what drives them. The eternally hungover Velcoro wants to live for his son, to protect him and be a good father; Bezzerides is about to be investigated for sexual-misconduct; Woodrugh is full of shame, anger and self-loathing. This knowledge informs the rest of the season as the action and the murders begin to come thick and fast.

As the season reached its half-way point, an unexpectedly explosive shoot-out broke out between a group of Mexican gangsters and the police. This essentially hit the reset button on the whole season and brought our four protagonists even closer together. Had we not taken the time to get to know these characters at the beginning of the season, this mid-season cliffhanger would have had nowhere near the same amount of impact...

This technique was used again to even greater effect later in the series. Pizzolato earned the trust of his audience before delivering tense doses of pure action and adrenaline, rather than treating them like idiots. With True Detective, it paid to pay attention...