Television Review: Haunted Houses (True Detective, S1X06, 2014)

Haunted Houses (S1x06)

Airdate: 23 February 2014

Written by: Nic Pizzolatto
Directed by: Cary Jo Fukunaga

Running Time: 58 minutes

The sixth episode of True Detective represents the most conventional—or rather, the "most ordinary"—instalment of the entire series. Those unfortunate enough to begin watching the programme from this particular episode would likely form the impression that this is a routine example of the police procedural genre, and consequently question why anyone considered this the television event of the year. On the other hand, it would be difficult to argue that series creator Nic Pizzolato and director Cary Joji Fukunaga left their regular audience entirely unprepared for such a possibility. A complicated structure and intriguing mystery can only sustain themselves for a limited duration; beyond that point, even the most brilliant series are known to descend into chaos and dilute themselves into soap opera.

This episode finally delivers that long-awaited transition from the detectives' shared past into their present circumstances, providing the crucial answer as to how such a successful team of lawmen met with such an ignoble end. Pizzolato endeavours to address several plot points in an "elegant" manner—why Rust Cohle abandoned his position and became a burnt-out loser, why Marty Hart ultimately lost his family, and what precisely was the legendary row that left colleagues and friends estranged for a full decade. Pizzolato offers a rather simple answer to all these questions—best summarised by the French phrase cherchez la femme—which may not satisfy viewers hoping for something rather more complex, but which consequently feels far more convincing.

Some will, naturally, perceive unnecessary "soapification" and cliché in all of this, yet the production team and cast must be credited with executing their task in an exceptionally high-quality fashion. And in a manner, of course, that includes everything for which premium cable channels charge subscription fees—far more explicit depictions of violence and sex. As a sort of appetiser before the main course, the writers serve us a scene in which Marty, utilising certain privileges that accompany his status as a policeman, delivers to two young men everything that many fathers would wish to do to the scoundrels who lay hands on their adolescent daughters. The scene is simultaneously darkly humorous and terrifying, with Harrelson once again demonstrating what a superb actor he is. Michelle Monaghan also receives her opportunity to shine, having previously been somewhat neglected in her role as Marty's wife, and the writers honour her by making her the third person to give testimony to the contemporary investigators in 2012—and, naturally, the third person to tell barefaced lies in the process. Male viewers, meanwhile, will find the greatest impression made by Lili Simmons, the model and actress who embodies the perfect "jailbait" and who once again demonstrates her willingness for steamy bedroom scenes, as she did in her role as Rebecca Bowman in Banshee.

The series is also to be commended for its effort to anchor the period setting firmly through small but interesting details. One of these is the mobile phone design—which, incidentally, plays an exceptionally important role in the episode's plot development—which clearly indicates technology from a decade prior. Such details will, judging by all indications, be seen no more, as the narrative finally settles in 2012. The remaining two episodes may prove even more conventional, yet this in itself need not be cause for concern. This "conventional" episode demonstrates that sometimes the simplest line is the best possible path between two points.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

(Note: The text in the original Croatian version is available here.)

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