True Detective Season 3: 8 Ways It's Saved The Show
3. Everything Is Connected
Similar to the idea of back to basics, even though the series spans three eras, it’s much more together and connected than the storylines in Season 2.
The characters in the second offering always felt far apart, even when they were sharing scenes, and the plotless, drifting charm that sustained the first few episodes felt turgid by the end.
Obviously, Hays is the consistent thread throughout the timeline, but more than that, we see how his friendship with Roland and his relationship with Amelia has changed over time. We know more about why his marriage crumbled, less about exactly what eroded his partnership with Roland, but that will surely be uncovered in the coming episodes.
For all the show does ask you to keep up a lot, it’s just asking you to keep up with one, central story; albeit one told from a variety of angles.
Season 2 was so desperate not to appear formulaic that it abandoned any formula for success. This time around, Pizzolatto seems to have a much clearer understanding as to what made the debut season so successful, and his paying homage to it in the perfect way while still creating something fresh.