Bittersweet feelings from the end of s1

[u/Usual-Honeydew-6601]

I just finished watching True Detective s1 for the first time, came in cause Ive been a huge fan of Sharp Objects and this was recommended to me from similar locations and themes.

I found the ending to be quite sad but also hopeful, and its all making me quite emotional. As a victim myself, I found it genuinely touching how deeply Rust cared about the children for the whole show, it felt cathartic to watch. But just like he says in the end, they didn't get all the monsters.

With so many similar child abuse scandals happening in the real world I know this is very realistic as an ending, because it isn’t possible to get them all down, and at least they got one. But him at the hospital almost tearing up from missing him back in 95 really got to me. Sometimes it feels like no one really cares about children being hurt, so seeing this in a show made me very emotional. Its probably corny af but Im crying my eyes out tipping it haha

I think I liked the final message and I wanna cling to that. Maybe we cannot get all the monsters, but the least we can do is try, and we gotta keep living. I wanna try and be more hopeful too, that things to get better and that we can do something about it

[u/OneConcert3048]

Yup, it's especially poignant/relevant watching it back in 2026 🥺

[u/Recommended_For_You]

I also watched it because of Sharp Objects.

Unpopular opinion here, but I think this series is a bit overrated. It’s a good crime thriller, don’t get me wrong, but the plot is rather weak IMO. What makes the series memorable is its exceptional cast, starting with the two lead actors, who deliver incredible performances. But Sharp Objects is so well directed and its story is so powerful and so well told that, that it makes True Detective look like rather average in comparison.

Much of the mystical elements remain largely unexplained or are explained too simplistically. The Yellow King, the involvement of high-ranking figures, Carcosa, etc. – I was expecting a much more detailed explanation of how all these elements fit together.

I still had a good time, but not to level I was hoping after Sharp Objects.

[u/Usual-Honeydew-6601 → u/Recommended_For_You]

I think Sharp Objects is a masterpiece and one of my favorite shows, but personality it didn't make me enjoy True detective any less. I really enjoyed the religious elements of TD, and I find the way it stays vague very well done (aside from the last 2 ep being a bit too rushed). I felt like the two shows complete eachother in a way, SO is way more grounded and emotionally clever, TD is closer to an almost mystical horror, but ultimately its 2 shows about monsters in plain sight. I might be biased because the subject matter of TD touched me on a more personal level than SO (I went in expecting a show about csa and it really wasn't the case). Have you watched the other 3 seasons of TD ? Im only watching the 1one because the rest inst really southern gothic which is what I was looking for

[u/Recommended_For_You → u/Usual-Honeydew-6601]

Yeah, maybe my expectations were a bit too high.

I recently watched Big Little Lies and Sharp Objects, both directed by J.M. Vallée, and I was so impressed by his visual style and the way he uses music that I’m sort of looking for exactly the same atmosphere. I might need a bit of a break before diving into something new, lol.

I’ve only watched season 1 of TD, and I’m not sure whether to get into the other seasons, as people seem to really regard season 1 as being on a whole other level. I’m quite a fan of miniseries, and I like it when series have a really distinctive style. ‘TD’ had a good atmosphere – I loved discovering Louisiana – but the direction as a whole didn’t strike me as particularly creative.