[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXwCoNwBSkQ”]
HBO’s newest miniseries True Detective, starring Matthew McConaughey (Rusty) and Woody Harrelson (Marty), has already spawned a substantial cult following, receiving universal acclaim, and it’s only just reached the halfway point at episode number four.
If you’re not watching it, you should be. True Detective is being hailed as the “rise of the miniseries” (following on the heels of the mini-series sweep at the 2014 Golden Globes), a continuation of the TV excellence that has, and will continue to drastically reshape our visual storytelling experience (that’s a big claim, but one to bet on in the coming years).
At the forefront of the True Detective conversation is its subversion of the overdone police procedural (finally) and its meshing of gritty realism and drug-fueled surrealism, creating narrative that is both poignant and disturbing. Its scenes blend sharp, cynical dialogue with the ever-changing landscape of rural Louisiana.
The cinematography is fantastic; episode four, “Who Goes There” features a visceral, though down to earth, six-minute, one shot, gun fight (meaning one take through several houses, a few backyards, and one chain link fence). The scene overwhelms when contrasted with the highly edited, over-wrought action scenes we are spoon-fed at every Hollywood blockbuster and police drama. In fact, the scene orchestrated by Cary Fukunaga is so impressive, many are calling it the best scene of the TV season.
The soundtrack is throbbing, underplaying the simple actions of a police investigation and turning it into an event of greater significance: This is isn’t just a race to stop a serial killer, it’s a metaphor for the battle of good and evil, punctuated by Nic Pizzolatto’s intricate character studies of Rusty in his obsessive nihilism and Marty’s downward spiral.
Yet, for a show that is steeped within the masculinity of a 1996 rural Louisiana police station, and the personal crises of its two male leads, how are the women of True Detective faring? Its women are murdered and raped, wives and prostitutes, stenographers and secretaries. In short, the gritty brush with which Pizzolatto has painted Rusty and Marty has been used on the female cast as well.
However, some of True Detective’s women are all the more compelling because of their flawed station in life, and not just because it’s sadly accurate. In 1991, less than 9 percent of the US police force was female, so the fact that these women operate within in a different capacity doesn’t make the show any less forceful.
In fact, the ways that these women, varied, and often pitiful, demonstrate an adaptability and survival for their incredibly hostile environment, takes a prominent role in the mini series; since True Detective shows so much of Louisiana during their search, it similarly shows much of its women (especially within the confines of poverty).
As the show progresses, one character in particular shines (if you want to call it that) in his interactions with women: Marty. The easy possession that “family man” Marty exerts over the women in his life, beginning to show a penchant for violence in his need to continue that dominion towards his wife Maggie (Michelle Monaghan) and girlfriend Lisa (Alexandra Daddario), is the key factor in showing Marty’s breakdown.
Yet, for all of the effort to steep his characters in realism, some would argue that True Detective still relies on sexist cliché to communicate it’s character failings; Sean Collins of Rolling Stone points out:
“But the idea of a mistress not understanding that’s all she’s supposed to be good for, besides being sexist points back to the show’s reliance on stock characters.”
And Collins might have a point there; so far, the show has featured a lot of women as victims. Though in episode two, “Seeing Things,” the dame of a whorehouse (a sort-of victim) offers an either brilliant, or crazy, provocative reason for prostitution.
Dame: “What do you know about where that girl’s been? Where she come from?…It’s a woman’s body ain’t it? A woman’s choice”
Marty: “She doesn’t look like a woman to me. At that age she’s not equipped to make those choices, but what do you care as long as you get your money?”
Dame: “Girls walk this earth all the time screwing for free, why is it you add business to the mix and boys like you can’t stand the thought. I’ll tell you why, its cause suddenly you don’t own it the way you thought you did.”
Which is an interesting foreshadowing to Marty’s violence when he later discovers that the woman he is having an affair with is also seeing someone else. The line itself, “you don’t own it the way you thought you did,” is particularly meaningful when aimed at the wandering possessiveness of Marty; however, outside of the episode, it enters the heated discussion on female sexuality, shame, and the commercialization of the female body.
This comes around to the tagline for the show, “Heart of Darkness,” an obvious play on words from Joseph Conrad’s classic novella about the African jungle, Heart of Darkness, (fitting since Pizzolatto spent several years teaching literature and writing in academia). For True Detective, the audience is left wondering, is the “Heart of Darkness” the Louisiana landscape? A metaphor for the state of humanity? Or a more literal casting of the two heros’ state of being?
Effective, especially considering that HBO’s website pops up as “Touch the Darkness” (and “Darkness Becomes You”), inviting the audience to experience the demons without, and the demons within.
I am shocked at this review on this website. True Detective is one of the most misogynistic pieces of garbage I’ve ever seen.
Let’s start with women’s disembodied body parts or ‘T& A’ shot by director without faces (umm..girlfriend whose head gets cut off by the camera as soon as she reveals her, now, highly googled, breasts). And an extreme amount of examples starting with the opening credits.
Make a list of the female characters – those with and without faces. Sexualized, naked, dead, leg spreading drug dealer with bruises all over her, woman drinking a 40 ounce, Tess Harper – broken down and pathetic, strippers, hookers – I’m sorry – I didn’t realize hookers had been elevated in our society. Do parents speak to their daughters about career choices they say: “Accountant, doctor, lawyer, hooker or madam?” The so called madam in this show is nothing to be impressed by – hello?? She is RE-VICTIMIZING the girl they are discussing. Also – her entire purpose is sexual – her entire VALUE is her vagina. Or, how about the supposed conversations between two men who work together and don’t even like each other – discussing pussy juice? ‘My wife’s pussy’, etc. You couldn’t degrade women more. I could go on and on and on. The old adage ‘write what you know’. I wonder how many hookers, strippers, and victims Nic Pizzolatto knows or Cary F.??
Not only do we get to see female characters in the most awful conditions but the 2 female actors are similarly exploited and treated like shit. They have NOTHING to work with because the characterization is so thin, undeveloped and pathetic – but of course they both have to get naked, while both male actors get to transform tremendously – a great acting challenge and will likely be up for awards. Michelle Monagan and Alex Daddario might get the chance down the road for Seth MacFarlane to include them in his “We saw your boobs” song at the Oscars as he did last year to Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, Halle Berry and a host of power female actors. How empowering.
JJ,
I agree, the women portrayed in True Detective are overwhelming sex workers and are treated terribly by the men who surround them. But I don’t think that means that the show itself is misogynistic, rather that it’s trying to portray misogyny and the damage that it does.
I think it’s especially important considering the setting for the show, deep south, mid-nineties, uber-masculine/aggressive world of a police force. In my mind, True Detectives is displaying a fairly horrible truth about how many women are seen.
However, the show is not perfect (neither is it over, so I’m excited to see where the rest of the season leads) and for me, while I love to see strong, independent, ambitious female characters, there is another side to the female experience and it needs to be shown too.
I know that there will be a second season of True Detectives, but this time with an entirely different cast and storyline, and to be honest, I am anxious that next season have a different female (and male) perspective to offer.
It’s interesting though, to contrast True Detective Season 1 with Top of the Lake miniseries (I know we have a great review of it), another powerful and dark crime drama, but from a different female perspective. Though I think both shows are worthwhile in the differences they’re portraying.
Rachel – thank you for responding. The problem is that the writer uses murder and exploitation of women as his backdrop, he can’t write women at all but features an over-abundance of females who are spreading their legs, bending over nude, selling ‘it’, young & attractive hookers, referred to as ‘pussy’ by the main characters, and /or are ridiculously marginalized and pathetic. The character of ‘wife’ is a flat, one-dimensional plot device who also gets nude. This show is an embarrassing display of a writer can’t separate male power from misogyny. He can’t help himself. Either that or he is so full of himself that he can’t take a moment to demonstrate an ounce of compassion towards the victimization he freely writes about. Sexuality paired with victimization – it’s like an arousing rape scene. Tell me there is any counterbalance to the degradation with a decent female character.
I just came upon this website and read a critical review of Walking Dead and it’s treatment of female characters. At least some of the female characters in Walking Dead add value to the show. I don’t get the point of view that the Walking Dead is criticized but True Detective gets a free pass? Is it really that mesmerizing that we can’t see this stuff?? or don’t want to deal with it?? I thought the point was to review media through a female perspective.
I agree that it was enjoyable and brilliantly made, but so misogynistic. It was also full of a lot of philosophical quotes that got almost funny so the prostitution thing is one of those token lines you hand to a side character to balance things, when everywhere else you see plenty of ownership, wives, daughters, children, depending on how cheap they come. What the quote ought to reflect more is Marty’s possessive saviour complex which we’re bombarded with time again. They’re flawed because of the way they treat the women and children in their lives, so they’re anti-heroes, the women and children are the tools in the story that make them interesting. It’s all about them.
This quote about men hating prostitution because now women own it has been going around and it cracks me up, because ask any man and we would rather pay $100-300 ($300 for the hottest caliber of women most men cant even get in real life) for sex than go around trying to get new women every week or month. Most men I know would LOVE for full open prostitution in the US, because rates would be even lower. You should see the looks on the faces of women tourists in Patong Thailand when they realize that what they offer is available there from decent looking women for $50-75 all night.