TRUE DETECTIVE Still True

Article originally written for Seat42F.

HBO’s TRUE DETECTIVE wowed audiences in its inaugural season last year, so as season two premieres this week with a different cast and story, it has a lot to live up to, and will surely evoke comparisons (as happens in this article). In order to do the title proud, the new run doesn’t seek to copy its predecessor, but instead uses a different structure and approach, while keeping the same dark, gritty, authentic, complex types of characters. Even early in the premiere, “The Western Book of the Dead,” I feel that it is succeeding.

In “The Western Book of the Dead,” we are introduced to three officials in law enforcement. Detective Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell, Total Recall) went off the rails after the rape of his wife, and now is a dirty cop who gets violent to protect the son (Trevor Larcom, Fresh Off the Boat) he raised but may not have fathered, biologically speaking. Knife-wielding Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams, Midnight in Paris) is a cop who doesn’t agree with the lifestyle choices of her family, sister, Athena (Leven Rambin, Grey’s Anatomy), being a solo porn actor, and her father (Treme’s David Morse) being a free-spirited hippie lecturer. Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch, Friday Night Lights) loves riding his motorcycle with a death wish, and is unhappy to be suspended (with pay) after an improper behavior accusation is lobbied against him.

None of these are heroes, at least not yet. Like last year’s Rust, they are deeply flawed. Except, unlike last year’s Rust, there’s no Marty to balance them out. Sure, Ani has a partner, Elvis (Michael Irby, Almost Human), but the scenes we see of the trio in the premiere are focused on showing us their bad behavior and it doesn’t look like any of them have anyone in their lives to pull them back from the brinks they are all rocketing towards.

In fact, the most stable character in this year’s TRUE DETECTIVE is not a cop, but a criminal, Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn, The Internship), who, along with his wife, Jordan (Kelly Reilly, Black Box), join the three above in the main cast. Frank is trying to go legit, having found a scheme that will make him lots of money above-board. Unlike the other leads, Frank seems to behave logically, not emotionally, and is trying to better himself, not self-destruct. Ironic, no?

Of course, there is a story that brings all five of these people (Jordan to a lesser extent, but definitely the other four) together. This isn’t done at the start of the hour, as happened last year, but is the ending climax of “The Western Book of the Dead,” and will surely lead to a lot more interaction, of which there is barely any between the leads here, over the next seven weeks (this season being another eight-installment run).

I like this delayed beginning, though. Because there are more characters, it takes a little longer to get to know them. Without the partner dynamic, it’s not as easy for TRUE DETECTIVE to let viewers be introduced through a single relationship. Since the entire make up has more complexity, meaning more moving parts, taking time with each individually in “The Western Book of the Dead” does much to prepare us for the rest of the season.

I really enjoyed this premiere. Is it as good as season one? I think it’s too early to make that call, as season one was a twisty, slow burn that started great and continued to be so week after week. This first episode back seems to have the same qualities as its predecessor, and it is easy to be fully engaged in this new story with these new characters, which is a hopeful sign. The next couple of months will show us whether that can be maintained or not.

TRUE DETECTIVE airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

Open Up the BLACK BOX

Article first written for Seat42F.

ABC’s new drama, BLACK BOX, is an interesting concept. A successful professional with bi-polar disorder and a tendency to go off her meds deals with life, love, and work, all while trying to hide and control her secrets. There is a recent trend on television to build a series around an eccentric genius, but at least in the “Pilot” of this one, more time is given to examining the lead’s personality than in others in the vein. That makes it feel fresh.

Kelly Reilly (Sherlock Holmes) plays Dr. Catherine Black, the main character. Black isn’t necessarily likeable, but she is a complex, fleshed out character. She’s a bit like FOX’s House in her abrasiveness and unreliability, though in her case, the problem is staying on the drugs, not off them. She also hallucinates, like the lead in TNT’s Perception, but BLACK BOX is what Perception should be, making the story more about Catherine than some case. Too bad the play on her name in the title is lower brow than the rest of the package.

Much of the first hour is spent raising the question of if Catherine should be medicated. Catherine points to the work of brilliant minds in history who accomplished great things when allowed to be who they are, wondering if taking the pills is holding her back in her own work. But her head doc, Dr. Hartramph (Vanessa Redgrave, Lee Daniels’ The Butler), points out that those heroes of Catherine’s all died young and Catherine could accomplish more, if a little more slowly, if she takes measures to stay alive.

BLACK BOX has a point of view. The writers are clearly in favor of treating this disorder. But they do a good job of making the audience understand Catherine’s reasoning, and for a bit, maybe even believe it. Yes, Catherine au naturel is destructive, but if she can hang on for a little longer, she might accomplish something great. It’s a revealing view of mental disease.

The “Pilot” provides a convenient door into this world in Will (David Ajala, The Dark Knight). Boyfriend to Catherine for the past year, Will only finds out about her struggle in this first episode, after proposing. At first, he’s mad that she kept this from him and understandably freaked out. But then he finds a side of this that he likes, which is a little creepy, but also something sympathetic.

When one begins to think Catherine can handle herself, one need only look at the relationship between her and Will to see how broken she is. Catherine doesn’t want to get married. She doesn’t think she deserves love or that Will should have to put up with her. She doesn’t want kids because of the risk of passing on her condition. But she also doesn’t want to run Will off, and she’s attracted to the dangerous part of him that encourages her to be wild. It’s not a healthy situation.

In addition to Will, we meet Catherine’s supportive brother, Joshua (David Chisum, One Life to Live), his uptight wife, Regan (Laura Fraser, Breaking Bad), and their sweet daughter, Esme (Siobhan Williams, Hell on Wheels), with whom Catherine is close. They are a link to normalcy and people she can rely on when she needs help. Thank goodness Catherine has Will and Esme, especially, giving her a connection to pull her back when she blasts off into space. Plus, there’s a great twist involving the family late in the hour.

Catherine’s co-workers are a less helpful bunch, though that could be because they don’t know what’s wrong with Catherine. Her boss, Dr. Morely (Terry Kinney, Oz), trusts her unconventional methods, meaning he doesn’t try to reign her in. New surgeon Dr. Bickman (Ditch Davey, Spartacus: War of the Damned) is practically a sexual predator, not a good person to be around when one of Catherine’s symptoms is hypersexuality and she’s in a steady relationship. Dr. Lark (Ali Wong, Are You There, Chelsea?) might be her friend, though.

BLACK BOX does have a procedural element. Even in the “Pilot,” there’s a patient that Catherine helps, amid all of the chaos in her own life. But the fact that her own life is so messy, and that we get to see so much of it, will fool many viewers into thinking this is more character study than case-of-the-week. I hope that balance is maintained in future installments, and not just used in the set up.

As a whole, I like BLACK BOX. It’s interesting with a sort-of unique character, certainly smarter than most broadcast network dramas. It has some cool visuals, mainly when Catherine is tripping. It also raises some interesting questions that should make viewers think. Check it out.

BLACK BOX premieres Thursday at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.