S01.E08: Form and Void

[nymusix]

Hart and Cohle finding a new lead in their 17-year-old case thanks to a detail that was overlooked.

[TravisNelson76]

YELLOW KING SPAGHETTI DUDE: [terrifying nonsense in a ridiculous accent]

ANN DOWD: [something about flowers I don't want to think about any more]

ME: "Sure, that house is disgusting.  But is there too much visible floor to make it Hoarders-level disgusting?"

[Monty]

I liked how he had several different ridiculous accents, in case we got bored with one.

[David T. Cole]

I liked how everyone thought it was going to be some redic Lostesque ending and it wasn't. Thank you.

[Tara Ariano]

I liked that the point of it was that Rust and Marty loved each other. Marriage isn't easy, but they finally made it work.

Here's what Sarah wrote about it.

[John Ramos]

My favorite part was also Rust and Marty entering into a non-carnal husband relationship, but I also really loved Rust's turnaround from last episode, where he hoped that there was nothing beyond death. Now, even if he couldn't stay with his daughter, he knows that that's waiting for him when this life is over.

Also, many years from now, I picture Marty and Rust dying simultaneously, with their last act a mutual bird-flip.

Edited March 10, 2014 by John Ramos

[mad_typist]

I was pleasantly surprised at how hopeful the finale was. It was a lovely ending to the series, though I had hoped the Yellow King would have had a more impressive lair. After the gorgeous staging of the first murder scene, I was hoping for more beautifully macabre scenes like that. The lair was creepy, but I was hoping for slightly better interior decorating.

Another poster compared the final confrontation with the Yellow King to the Silence of the Lambs, which feels about right. I was yelling "Hurry up, Marty!" when he had Rust lifted up on his knife. Really tense stuff there.

Also, many years from now, I picture Marty and Rust dying simultaneously, with their last act a mutual bird-flip.

I imagine their tombstones will be carved in the shape of a hand flipping the bird. Probably facing each other.

[Lisin]

I was just so pleased with this! I was afraid it was going to go all wacky because of all the speculation online but no, turns out I was correct all along, it was a great detective story and was just wonderfully acted by some amazing talents. No need for the yellow king to turn out to be Cthulhu to turn the whole show into some crazy Lovecraftien parallel universe story. 

[mad_typist]

For anyone who's interested, here's Rust's final speech: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/03/09/true_detective_on_hbo_rust_s_final_speech_about_how_the_light_s_winning.html

[Kim]

Like Sarah, I had Buffy's "I think I was in heaaaa-veeenn" going through my head while Rust was talking outside the hospital.

I thought everything about the King's house and lair was intensely creepy. I kept talking to the TV: "No, don't go in there! Don't go further in there! What are you doing? He could jump out of the ivy! He might be hiding behind that creepy mummified whatever-the-fuck that is! STOP WALKING YOU DUMMY!"

So that's what was going on in my house. Very satisfied with non-supernatural resolution.

[Eucrid]

I too was happy with the fairly straightforward ending. I however was less impressed with the closing ramblings of Cohle. I didn't really need him to find hope. Great episode though, Carcosa was creepy as hell and spagetti face guy was seriously weird and surpisingly strong.

[DanMSchro]

From that opening scene, and the familial connection with the senator, I couldn't help seeing this as the Southern Grey Gardens.

[mad_typist]

I was happy with the non-supernatural resolution for this particular story for sure, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want Nic Pizzolatto to write a True Cthlulu spin off.

[radishcake]

I just saw the final episode & damn that was creepy. Also thank god for sternums. Those things are awesome at stopping a hatchet.

[TooMuchCoffee]

 I'm going to give it a couple of months and then spend a rainy weekend rewatching the series. I want the dialogue to fade from my memory a bit so I can love it all over again.

[heatherchandler]

I remember enjoying season 1 but I just have it a rewatch and… it wasn’t great.  Trying to remember why I loved it before.

[CigarDoug]

So I expected the "Yellow King" to be a big reveal, and be a reference to "The King in Yellow" from Lovecraft.

Turns out neither really happened. Why the Yellow King? Was Errol Childress the leader of the mask-wearing, child-raping cult? Obviously his dad being the Sheriff was how the investigation was stalled, but what part did the Governor's brother play, other than being one of the cult? Who are the other cult members? Seemed a lot of threads left unresolved. I get that, but I wanted a little more closure.

[CigarDoug]

5 minutes ago, CigarDoug said:

So I expected the "Yellow King" to be a big reveal, and be a reference to "The King in Yellow" from Lovecraft.

After posting this, I Googled to see if there was a connection, and apparently there is, but it's not apparent from the show, in my opinion. I don't recall any dialog making it clear that Childress is either (a) the King in Yellow or (b) worships the King in Yellow. I guess it was meant to be left to our imagination to connect the dots.

https://nerdist.com/article/true-detective-yellow-king-carcosa-first-season-lovecraft