True Detective Season 3: 8 Ways It's Saved The Show
5. Going Back To Basics
True Detective is not your basic crime drama, but this still rings true; it’s back to its own version of doing the basics right.
So far, only the tangible evidence has been examined as to why Season 3 has very likely saved the show from the cancellation that surely would have followed had it flopped like Season 2. Ali and the others have been brilliant, and episodes have ended on compelling cliffhangers.
The rest of this list, in fitting True Detective style, is more concerned with the abstract pieces of the puzzle. Season 1 was about Rust trying to solve a horrific murder, becoming obsessed with the case until his overbearing, inch by inch approach led to him unraveling and losing faith in the system.
Likewise, Season 3 is about Purple trying to solve the case (then reopening it), while older him has probably forgotten either a crucial piece of the mystery or some terrible thing he’s done. All the while, his marriage is frought with anger and resentment.
Season 2 was about a murder, maybe? Drugs were involved, but there were a few different stories that felt disjointed. And something about a paternity test? It all just felt messy.