Week 8 – The Poetics of Complex Narrative

HBO’s extremely popular and highly successful television series True Detective is a prime example of a ‘quality TV’ show. It is not just another episodic cop television show; rather, it is a dark and twisted anthology which is less of a ‘whodunnit’, and more of a deeper exploration into the two main characters. Its first series aired in early 2014 and was a phenomenal success. According to over 193,000 IMDb users, the aggregate rating out of 10 for True Detective is 9.3: an overwhelmingly positive response (IMDb 2014).

So why is True Detective so popular? How is it receiving such positive reviews from audiences?

In essence, True Detective is a crime show that is unlike any other. In the 1950’s, television cop shows were straightforward and stuck to investigating the crime. In the 80’s these shows developed into incorporating the personal lives of the police. Several years later, different filming and aesthetic styles were introduced to help give the shows a more edgier and creative look. Now, the ‘criminal’ and ‘whodunnit’ aspects of cop shows are almost redundant: the focus is the multifaceted, long form narrative. Instead of presenting a crime, sorting through suspects and eventually finding the guilty party, True Detective encourages audiences to invest emotionally in the journeys of Detective Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Detective Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson). As details of the case unravel, so too do the personal lives of the two detectives over the complex 8 episode series.

As True Detective is categorized as a crime anthology, it can be said that it is like watching an extra long (and interesting) movie that plays out over 8 hour long episodes. The screenwriter has an immense creative driving force behind the action on screen, and there is a governing auteur presence from director Cary Fukunaga. Fukunaga directed all 8 episodes of Season 1 of True Detective, and was praised and “credited with its cinematic look” (Couch, 2014). Only 37 years old, Fukunaga is relatively new to the directing scene but is already taking it by storm, winning the 2014 Primetime Emmy award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (Couch, 2014).

The writer (Nic Pizzolatto) was aware that he had 8 episodes in which to allow all the major plot points, drama and character development to occur. Hence he maintained a tremendous amount of creative control. Pizzolatto did not have to concern himself with leaving leads or open ends for future seasons to continue with, nor did he have to write a cliffhanger at the end of the season (so as to bring viewers back for more next season). Instead, Pizzolatto could map out exactly what he wanted to happen and when, as he was aware of his timeline and hence sustained complete control over the narrative development. Pizzolatto was not writing a week-to-week narrative, but rather, he was writing with the knowledge that all narrative points had to be resolved by the season finale with no gaping plot holes left unattended. What happened in-between was up to him. A season finale cliffhanger was not required to ensure a returning audience – the quality and refinement of the content itself would bring the viewers back for the next (unrelated) season. In other television shows that work on a week-to-week narrative, other screenwriters and directors are employed at different times to come and write or direct an episode. What this produces is a scattered vision with a lack of strong narrative focus or direction.

Furthermore, the complex narrative of The Detective relates to its genre. True Detective is a hybrid genre – it is a television series which presents elements of crime, southern-gothic, neo-noir, pulp fiction, drama, mystery and thriller (which each effect the stylistic approach to the series). Presently, there is a crime show stereotype. Due to shows like NCIS, CSI and Law and Order, audiences are used to watching cops solving crimes. What True Detective does is take genre tropes as tools, and then subverts our expectations to create a new type of narrative.

In the season 1 pilot, time (and the detectives place in time) is misconstrued i.e. it is very easy to get confused as a viewer in relation to what is happening and when. There are a lot of period shifts from present time to 17 years prior, and this complex time frame doesn’t allow audiences to get comfortable with the show or narrative. Pizzolatto doesn’t spoon-feed the audience, but forces them into their ‘deep’ attention mode so they do not miss any information (Hayles 2007). True Detective is not one of those television shows in which ‘hyper’ attention will suffice. If audiences aren’t giving the show their full attention, they will miss vital plot points. Therefore, True Detective is not for the audience member who has a low tolerance for concentrating on a singular object for a lengthy period of time. True Detective demands a deeper concentration from its audience, and the beautiful visuals help draw in and maintain that focus.

The “key look” Aaron Couch talks about in his article about Fukunaga’s success at the Emmy’s, is the visual motif that is central to True Detective and the way in which audiences perceive it. True Detective is laced with  “sickly yellows and greens – a world that’s rotting and diseased, a world that’s dying in slow motion” (Donnelly 2014). Production companies Anonymous Content, Lee Caplin / Picture Entertainment and Passanger each have experience working on other television shows/films with a crime, thriller or drama genre (hence making these companies ideal for working on True Detective). One of the tropes of Quality Television is a higher budget. True Detective was provided the adequate money to: manipulate and build sets (to make them look like they were from the 90’s); cast actors with an amazing repertoire and background in cinema experience; and hire crew specifically tailored to their role (an example being Australian cinematographer Adam Arkapaw who worked on critically acclaimed crime dramas Animal Kingdom and The Snowtown Murders).

True Detective and HBO are a perfect fit for each other. The series fits well under HBO’s brand of ‘quality television’, and its complex narrative draws audiences into the story whilst they subconsciously emotionally invest in the main characters. True Detective takes the time to set up the characters psyches. It sets up the people in the town and the world itself. As an audience, we are not rushed through it, instead we are given the grand tour through each and every detail and layer which creates it. This show was never supposed to be shallow. The immersive story world is one that is easy to get lost in, and whilst the ‘whodunnit’ scenario has been done many times before, the crime anthology led by two A-list Hollywood actors is refreshing and intriguing for audiences which is why True Detective has been such an international success.

References:

Couch, A. (2014). Emmys: Cary Fukunaga Wins Outstanding Directing for ‘True Detective’. [online] The Hollywood Reporter. Available at: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/emmy-awards-2014-cary-fukunaga-727731 [Accessed 11 Oct. 2014].

Donnelly, E. (2014). ‘Petrochemical America’: Photos That Inspired ‘True Detective’. [online] Flavorwire. Available at: http://www.flavorwire.com/443778/petrochemical-america-the-richard-misrach-photos-that-inspired-true-detective [Accessed 18 Oct. 2014].

Hayles, N. (2007). Hyper and Deep Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes. Profession, p.187.

IMDb, (2014). True Detective (TV Series 2014– ). [online] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2356777/ [Accessed 11 Oct. 2014].