True Detective: 5 Insane Changes That Could Have Improved The Finale

2. The King In Yellow

When the series started, the obvious theory was this was just another case of satanic ritual killings. The killer was a crazed Satan-worshipper believing he was serving his master, but a funny thing happened on the way; the show went in a different direction. Yes, the cult and ritual killings were still there, but it was hinted that something else was behind everything. Anyone highly knowledgeable in Lovecraftian and dark terrifying stories had their jaws dropped when hints of the King in Yellow and Carcosa came into play. It was that moment when True Detective separated itself from all other cop dramas out there. Instead of going the Satan route, Pizzolatto used an obscure book published in 1895 as the basis for the killings. Unfortunately, he used an entire mythology for the show, but elected to keep it as mysterious as possible. We received very little answers to the Yellow King and Carcosa, and perhaps the biggest mystery is; how did all of this begin? This may seem a little insane. In Carcosa, instead of Cohle coming across the skull/twig figure, he finds a very old, worn out book titled The King in Yellow. Yes, the play has always been real, and somehow it traveled to Louisiana where a young Sam Tuttle found it; he becomes a servant to the King in Yellow carrying out his wishes. It would explain how a family of backwoods hillbillies became powerful politicians and detectives. The reveal would also effectively why the cult and craziness started.