As I was watching the show last night, I was trying to figure out any "ending" that really was going to blow me away -- and I came to the conclusion, that the writers were going to be hard pressed to fulfill my expectations.
The reality, is I sort of wanted some "choose-your-own-adventure" style ending with various DVD extras to pick any of the many ways this could have gone down. What we got was pretty straightforward and generic IMHO, but I suspect I would have found some issues with pretty much any ending they chose.
If I had my way, I would have at least done the following:
1. Explored the Lawnmower man some more - is he an oaf or some "Hanibal" style criminal mastermind/psycho? I wish they would have expanded on that some more.
2. While I thought the Carcosa "fight" scene was pretty exciting, it would have been interesting to see them capture dude in the context of his "next victim" - - he was obviously scouting victims in the schoolyard
3. Somewhat surprised that both of our "heroes" made it out alive. Didn't think that was really needed, and the overall hospital scenes were pretty meh (i.e. just wrapping up loose ends to a degree)
All in all, I am very happy with this inaugural season and glad I watched it. As mentioned ad naseum, because of the build-up, there was a lot of weight on this last episode, and it was probably always going to be some sort of let down.
As I was watching the show last night, I was trying to figure out any "ending" that really was going to blow me away -- and I came to the conclusion, that the writers were going to be hard pressed to fulfill my expectations.
The reality, is I sort of wanted some "choose-your-own-adventure" style ending with various DVD extras to pick any of the many ways this could have gone down. What we got was pretty straightforward and generic IMHO, but I suspect I would have found some issues with pretty much any ending they chose.
If I had my way, I would have at least done the following:
1. Explored the Lawnmower man some more - is he an oaf or some "Hanibal" style criminal mastermind/psycho? I wish they would have expanded on that some more.
2. While I thought the Carcosa "fight" scene was pretty exciting, it would have been interesting to see them capture dude in the context of his "next victim" - - he was obviously scouting victims in the schoolyard
3. Somewhat surprised that both of our "heroes" made it out alive. Didn't think that was really needed, and the overall hospital scenes were pretty meh (i.e. just wrapping up loose ends to a degree)
All in all, I am very happy with this inaugural season and glad I watched it. As mentioned ad naseum, because of the build-up, there was a lot of weight on this last episode, and it was probably always going to be some sort of let down.
You are aware that lawnmower guy is the dude they kill at the end right?
Tuttles, Childresses, satanic cults, abuse at schools, were the new detectives part of a cover-up, who she remarried, isnÔÇÖt that the hospital where RustÔÇÖs former girlfriend is on staff, etc. just evaporated.
(....)
If I had my way, I would have at least done the following:
1. Explored the Lawnmower man some more - is he an oaf or some "Hanibal" style criminal mastermind/psycho? I wish they would have expanded on that some more.
2. While I thought the Carcosa "fight" scene was pretty exciting, it would have been interesting to see them capture dude in the context of his "next victim" - - he was obviously scouting victims in the schoolyard
3. Somewhat surprised that both of our "heroes" made it out alive. Didn't think that was really needed, and the overall hospital scenes were pretty meh (i.e. just wrapping up loose ends to a degree)
All in all, I am very happy with this inaugural season and glad I watched it. As mentioned ad naseum, because of the build-up, there was a lot of weight on this last episode, and it was probably always going to be some sort of let down.
You are aware that lawnmower guy is the dude they kill at the end right?
Ha! Yeah, I think I caught that part....
Sorry, if my observations/comments were not clear or compelling. But for me, I learned of a whole new "lawnmower man" in the first 10 mins of the episode -(e.g. Talking "intelligently", having "relations" with a family member and keeping "dead" corpse of his father, not to mention his desire to go after a new victim). Yet, none of that really got expanded on -- instead he became primarily the "big strong dude who fought the heroes" in the episode.
Again, it was cool enough - just wished that his character would have been expanded upon given that he was hardly just some "killer", but instead a pretty damn complex psycho.
1. who was the man tied up in the bed? his father? if so why torture his father?
2. what was the deal with the "green ears" and how was it connected to the home that had been painted green by killer?
3. was "make flowers" a reference to sex between brother and sister? was he getting turned on by hearing how his sister was raped by the father?
4. who were "the others"? were tuttle and his clan actual participants in the ritual murders or was tuttle simply trying to cover it up? is the suggestion that there were other killers as well or was it spearheaded by the "sun king"?
1. who was the man tied up in the bed? his father? if so why torture his father?
2. what was the deal with the "green ears" and how was it connected to the home that had been painted green by killer?
3. was "make flowers" a reference to sex between brother and sister? was he getting turned on by hearing how his sister was raped by the father?
4. who were "the others"? were tuttle and his clan actual participants in the ritual murders or was tuttle simply trying to cover it up? is the suggestion that there were other killers as well or was it spearheaded by the "sun king"?
1.it was his father. because he was a psycho nut job
2. Apparently the idea was that he was painting the house green while wearing his hat. When he removed the hat his green ears remained. I found the whole green house idea to be a stretch in various ways and this was one of them
3. yes, it was a reference to sex. Although they didn;t make it totally clear it was his sister, it might have been his aunt. Or both. It was definitely icky
4. There obviously had been other killers int he past - the people in the video, Reggie Ledoux, etc. Whether there are still other killers is the question that wasn't really addressed
1. who was the man tied up in the bed? his father? if so why torture his father?
2. what was the deal with the "green ears" and how was it connected to the home that had been painted green by killer?
3. was "make flowers" a reference to sex between brother and sister? was he getting turned on by hearing how his sister was raped by the father?
4. who were "the others"? were tuttle and his clan actual participants in the ritual murders or was tuttle simply trying to cover it up? is the suggestion that there were other killers as well or was it spearheaded by the "sun king"?
1.it was his father. because he was a psycho nut job
2. Apparently the idea was that he was painting the house green while wearing his hat. When he removed the hat his green ears remained. I found the whole green house idea to be a stretch in various ways and this was one of them
3. yes, it was a reference to sex. Although they didn;t make it totally clear it was his sister, it might have been his aunt. Or both. It was definitely icky
4. There obviously had been other killers int he past - the people in the video, Reggie Ledoux, etc. Whether there are still other killers is the question that wasn't really addressed
3. They said the woman was his half-sister
4. They implied that they didn't get the whole ring of people that were seen in the video and that they discovered through their investigations but they got the Yellow King/lawnmower man hence "we got OUR man" comment at the end
Like most everyone else I was let down by this final episode. Not because it didn't tie up all the plot points - it was clear that wasn't possible or even planned.
But because it just ignored all the larger conspiracy implications that had been building for several episodes. Catching one bad guy (albeit a really bad one) seemed too much like catching Reggie Ledoux in episode 5 - a false victory. I guess I was hoping for more of a total descent into paranoia and madness as the hugeness of the evil unfurled everywhere in the detectives' lives.
And I get that the show was really about the two detectives, and the final episode showed that they had grown and changed because of the case. But how were they supposed to be even remotely satisfied, knowing all the other evil shit that had been perpetrated by people other than the lawnmower man they killed?
4. They implied that they didn't get the whole ring of people that were seen in the video and that they discovered through their investigations but they got the Yellow King/lawnmower man hence "we got OUR man" comment at the end
The younger black detective said "The woman was at least a half sister, the DNA comparison..." and then Marty cut him off and said he didn't want to hear anymore
2. Apparently the idea was that he was painting the house green while wearing his hat. When he removed the hat his green ears remained. I found the whole green house idea to be a stretch in various ways and this was one of them
Elderly lady: "Now that you mention it! Yes a man with faint facial scarring DID paint my house 20 yrs ago, and not only do I remember the exact color of the paint and appearance of the dude who painted it but also the exact price I paid!!! Wow I'm sleepy; nap time kaythxbai."
after fully digesting and re-watching the finale i have come to the conclusion that i would have rather been left with a cliffhanger than the resolution we got.
full on mcconnaghey opening a door slowly, tight shot of mac's face experiencing a yellow glow with bewilderment, roll credits.
or something of that nature.
would have at least solidified the series as a legendary mystery.
Really enjoyed the last episode and liked that in the end it became more about the two heroes than the case. I don't really care that not everything was explained.
I loved that Cohle was changed by the final battle and seemingly now has a more positive outlook on the world.
after fully digesting and re-watching the finale i have come to the conclusion that i would have rather been left with a cliffhanger than the resolution we got.
full on mcconnaghey opening a door slowly, tight shot of mac's face experiencing a yellow glow with bewilderment, roll credits.
or something of that nature.
would have at least solidified the series as a legendary mystery.
same. 1/10 loose ends wrapped up was kinda worse than 0/10 in this case I think.
To be fair, the discovery of Carcosa probably put a damper in the collective abuse. That was like abuse central, so now dudes are scared and have no ritual space. Not the same as catching them, but an overall good.
I hated how Lawnmower man's voice carried through the space like he was whispering into a mic and all of Carcosa was wired with surround sound. Like the dude was Oz.
If they were going to go this route it would have been better to just make it known that dude did it, profile him in depth as the season progressed, and have us watch as Hart and Cohle work their way to him.
My takeaway was that Rust got much less interesting as it progressed. Even his look kind of annoyed me. Like "Surfer Dude" Matt played that guy. Woody was pretty awesome all the way. That nasty mouth and tiny teeth of his.
Super trash puppy dogs and ice cream ending....sorry my doods, the only way to end this inline with the show's aesthetic/writing/vibe would have been rust and marty get killed and the killing continues involving high-level people and tie-ins. It would be very dark but very real and true to the plot/writing. The whole show had a tragic run up that you just knew was going to end badly, but then delivered a Snuggie.... Is that how shit goes down in real life, my Gz? All wrapped up with a Tiffany's box between friends? Nah, my doods. Sorry for teh rant.
I hated how Lawnmower man's voice carried through the space like he was whispering into a mic and all of Carcosa was wired with surround sound. Like the dude was Oz.
I said the same thing but my lady said "It's in his head, silly! There's no surround sound in that cave!" and I was like "Hmmm..." thinking she could be right.
Also, when I complained about the lack of explanation with girls playing with the dolls she said she was under the impression that the girls were just reenacting what they heard on the news (cops/men finding the dead girl) and not a "torture/sacrifice" scene.
Super trash puppy dogs and ice cream ending....sorry my doods, the only way to end this inline with the show's aesthetic/writing/vibe would have been rust and marty get killed and the killing continues involving high-level people and tie-ins. It would be very dark but very real and true to the plot/writing. The whole show had a tragic run up that you just knew was going to end badly, but then delivered a Snuggie.... Is that how shit goes down in real life, my Gz? All wrapped up with a Tiffany's box between friends? Nah, my doods. Sorry for teh rant.
It wasn't a perfect ending to me. The family that had been carrying out these ritualistic murders, etc. were left untouched and got their names cleared in the press. While lawnmower man was the ring leader, ie. the Yellow King, his followers were still free. That was real life to me. The poor white trash guy gets blamed and killed while the rich and powerful get away with it.
I hated how Lawnmower man's voice carried through the space like he was whispering into a mic and all of Carcosa was wired with surround sound. Like the dude was Oz.
I said the same thing but my lady said "It's in his head, silly! There's no surround sound in that cave!" and I was like "Hmmm..." thinking she could be right.
Also, when I complained about the lack of explanation with girls playing with the dolls she said she was under the impression that the girls were just reenacting what they heard on the news (cops/men finding the dead girl) and not a "torture/sacrifice" scene.
Re-watching the last episode I think that's a good interpretation of the voices he was hearing. The blue vortex in the ceiling was also probably his drug flashes that he suffered form as well.
I hated how Lawnmower man's voice carried through the space like he was whispering into a mic and all of Carcosa was wired with surround sound. Like the dude was Oz.
I think Fukunaga was trying to do a little bit of a Terrance Malick thing, a dark to Malick's Tree of Life light, with a rambling voiceover set to atmospheric camerawork. I only watched the episode the one time, so I wasn't sure if the voiceover was directed at Cohle or just something the audience was supposed to hear. That choice, and the frequent dissolves alternating between the landscape and the hospital, I really enjoyed, just from a basic looking-at perspective. Like visual type of thing.
In any event, I agree with most of you about the unanswered questions being a, uh, cop out. Still, I'm not that mad at the way it ended. Seemed that they were setting us up for Rust to die and him surviving, and having a life-changing moment, was OK, even if it was a bit cliche. I walk away wishing there was more to the series but that speaks to its success that we held it to such high standards.
well, i have given it a bit of thought and i have to say the ending was disappointing on a few levels and that the show did not live up to its initial promise. in particular, the last 15 or so minutes were sort of rambling and unnecessary. i think this was a wasted opportunity. anyhow, can;t wait for the next one...
so what else is good on the tube these days? looking for a new series, any recommendations?
managed to bear with the whole show. episodes 5, 6 and 7 were my favs. finale straight meh. balls to the single take and the whole vietnam ghetto wu tang shit. yeah it was dark and well done technically but it was some really ott stereotypical ghetto horror bs, and set to an old wu tang tune? corny ass white boy geeking. the bayou evil incest trope, there must be a comittee against that somewhere, no? All these movies and shows with the ultimate darkness satanist cp shit are prolly inspiring more of that kind of shit irl. enough already. the world really doesnt need any more of that in the name of some kinda clever grandstanding. back to fx's 'the americans' history channels' vikings, also cinemax's banshee is kind of fun if almost as cliche ridden as true detective, and has anal tmobile chick showing her ass in damn near every episode. out
Of course it was a disappointment! Good job Woody's got a wooden sternum to lodge that axe into.
I got a supernatural chill suddenly imagining the satanic rave parties they'd had in that old fort. With sacrifices and all. And the helicopter scenic shots near the end before the hospital bit, linking the earth with the murderation.. that was a bit scary too.
Kinda liked Rust's trippin' out in the cave.
But yeah. Ok!
given what we know about Rust and the fact that the head dude was cleared despite Rust having found the video tape in his house, are we really to believe that Rust wouldn't continue this crusade after he's recovered?
Comments
The reality, is I sort of wanted some "choose-your-own-adventure" style ending with various DVD extras to pick any of the many ways this could have gone down. What we got was pretty straightforward and generic IMHO, but I suspect I would have found some issues with pretty much any ending they chose.
If I had my way, I would have at least done the following:
1. Explored the Lawnmower man some more - is he an oaf or some "Hanibal" style criminal mastermind/psycho? I wish they would have expanded on that some more.
2. While I thought the Carcosa "fight" scene was pretty exciting, it would have been interesting to see them capture dude in the context of his "next victim" - - he was obviously scouting victims in the schoolyard
3. Somewhat surprised that both of our "heroes" made it out alive. Didn't think that was really needed, and the overall hospital scenes were pretty meh (i.e. just wrapping up loose ends to a degree)
All in all, I am very happy with this inaugural season and glad I watched it. As mentioned ad naseum, because of the build-up, there was a lot of weight on this last episode, and it was probably always going to be some sort of let down.
"i dont want to hear about it"
"we didn't get the guys, but we got OUR guy"
You are aware that lawnmower guy is the dude they kill at the end right?
Basic SVU ending.
Ha! Yeah, I think I caught that part....
Sorry, if my observations/comments were not clear or compelling. But for me, I learned of a whole new "lawnmower man" in the first 10 mins of the episode -(e.g. Talking "intelligently", having "relations" with a family member and keeping "dead" corpse of his father, not to mention his desire to go after a new victim). Yet, none of that really got expanded on -- instead he became primarily the "big strong dude who fought the heroes" in the episode.
Again, it was cool enough - just wished that his character would have been expanded upon given that he was hardly just some "killer", but instead a pretty damn complex psycho.
1. who was the man tied up in the bed? his father? if so why torture his father?
2. what was the deal with the "green ears" and how was it connected to the home that had been painted green by killer?
3. was "make flowers" a reference to sex between brother and sister? was he getting turned on by hearing how his sister was raped by the father?
4. who were "the others"? were tuttle and his clan actual participants in the ritual murders or was tuttle simply trying to cover it up? is the suggestion that there were other killers as well or was it spearheaded by the "sun king"?
1.it was his father. because he was a psycho nut job
2. Apparently the idea was that he was painting the house green while wearing his hat. When he removed the hat his green ears remained. I found the whole green house idea to be a stretch in various ways and this was one of them
3. yes, it was a reference to sex. Although they didn;t make it totally clear it was his sister, it might have been his aunt. Or both. It was definitely icky
4. There obviously had been other killers int he past - the people in the video, Reggie Ledoux, etc. Whether there are still other killers is the question that wasn't really addressed
3. They said the woman was his half-sister
4. They implied that they didn't get the whole ring of people that were seen in the video and that they discovered through their investigations but they got the Yellow King/lawnmower man hence "we got OUR man" comment at the end
But because it just ignored all the larger conspiracy implications that had been building for several episodes. Catching one bad guy (albeit a really bad one) seemed too much like catching Reggie Ledoux in episode 5 - a false victory. I guess I was hoping for more of a total descent into paranoia and madness as the hugeness of the evil unfurled everywhere in the detectives' lives.
And I get that the show was really about the two detectives, and the final episode showed that they had grown and changed because of the case. But how were they supposed to be even remotely satisfied, knowing all the other evil shit that had been perpetrated by people other than the lawnmower man they killed?
The younger black detective said "The woman was at least a half sister, the DNA comparison..." and then Marty cut him off and said he didn't want to hear anymore
HOLY SHIA LEBOUEF THIS PIZICATTO GUY IS GOING DOWN!
Elderly lady: "Now that you mention it! Yes a man with faint facial scarring DID paint my house 20 yrs ago, and not only do I remember the exact color of the paint and appearance of the dude who painted it but also the exact price I paid!!! Wow I'm sleepy; nap time kaythxbai."
GTFOHWTBS.
full on mcconnaghey opening a door slowly, tight shot of mac's face experiencing a yellow glow with bewilderment, roll credits.
or something of that nature.
would have at least solidified the series as a legendary mystery.
I loved that Cohle was changed by the final battle and seemingly now has a more positive outlook on the world.
same. 1/10 loose ends wrapped up was kinda worse than 0/10 in this case I think.
I hated how Lawnmower man's voice carried through the space like he was whispering into a mic and all of Carcosa was wired with surround sound. Like the dude was Oz.
If they were going to go this route it would have been better to just make it known that dude did it, profile him in depth as the season progressed, and have us watch as Hart and Cohle work their way to him.
My takeaway was that Rust got much less interesting as it progressed. Even his look kind of annoyed me. Like "Surfer Dude" Matt played that guy. Woody was pretty awesome all the way. That nasty mouth and tiny teeth of his.
I said the same thing but my lady said "It's in his head, silly! There's no surround sound in that cave!" and I was like "Hmmm..." thinking she could be right.
Also, when I complained about the lack of explanation with girls playing with the dolls she said she was under the impression that the girls were just reenacting what they heard on the news (cops/men finding the dead girl) and not a "torture/sacrifice" scene.
It wasn't a perfect ending to me. The family that had been carrying out these ritualistic murders, etc. were left untouched and got their names cleared in the press. While lawnmower man was the ring leader, ie. the Yellow King, his followers were still free. That was real life to me. The poor white trash guy gets blamed and killed while the rich and powerful get away with it.
Re-watching the last episode I think that's a good interpretation of the voices he was hearing. The blue vortex in the ceiling was also probably his drug flashes that he suffered form as well.
I think Fukunaga was trying to do a little bit of a Terrance Malick thing, a dark to Malick's Tree of Life light, with a rambling voiceover set to atmospheric camerawork. I only watched the episode the one time, so I wasn't sure if the voiceover was directed at Cohle or just something the audience was supposed to hear. That choice, and the frequent dissolves alternating between the landscape and the hospital, I really enjoyed, just from a basic looking-at perspective. Like visual type of thing.
In any event, I agree with most of you about the unanswered questions being a, uh, cop out. Still, I'm not that mad at the way it ended. Seemed that they were setting us up for Rust to die and him surviving, and having a life-changing moment, was OK, even if it was a bit cliche. I walk away wishing there was more to the series but that speaks to its success that we held it to such high standards.
Also, how/where did they find that camouflaged series of tunnels?! I'd love to stumble across something like that.
so what else is good on the tube these days? looking for a new series, any recommendations?
I got a supernatural chill suddenly imagining the satanic rave parties they'd had in that old fort. With sacrifices and all. And the helicopter scenic shots near the end before the hospital bit, linking the earth with the murderation.. that was a bit scary too.
Kinda liked Rust's trippin' out in the cave.
But yeah. Ok!
http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ruins-fort-macomb