True Detective Season 3 Premiere Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs From Episodes 1 & 2

3. The More Hopeful Tone And Themes

True Detective isn't suddenly a happy show, but there is definitely a shift in these opening episodes that moves away from the nihilistic tendencies of Season 1 or the all-consuming darkness of the second season. This time around, it lets a few rays of hope shine through, and they make a lot of difference in allowing this season to stand as its own thing.

Part of this is that Julie Purcell is still alive, which gives the case itself hope for finding the missing girl - or woman, in the 1990s - alive and relatively well. But it's something more than that, and comes from within Ali's Hays, his relationship with Amelia and partnership with West. He feels like much less of a figure doomed from the start, even if his past does haunt him.

With a much greater emphasis on the theme (and importance) of family, it lets in a little more light and plays with some different dynamics, highlight some more emotional storytelling too, with the scenes in 2015 especially crucial in adding poignancy to the whole saga.