True Detective Season 3

After an excellent first season and a crap second one, my wife and I chose to keep our True Detective journey going. Season 3 manages to split the difference, being way worse than the first and significantly better than the second.

This season leaves the failed formula from the second season behind, recreating the approach used in Season 1. There is one case being investigated from multiple timelines. The case itself is fairly interesting, although the show slows down towards the end instead of picking up to an exciting conclusion. Overall, it is a fairly successful crime mystery.

The biggest problem with the season is the characters. Ali is stuck playing a bland and mostly unlikeable character across three timelines, one of which he has severe memory issues. His partner, Dorff, plays a more likeable but also entirely bland character who doesn’t even get his own personal life. Given how much time this show spends on these characters, it slows the show down to a crawl at times. The acting is solid, but not strong enough to make weak characters exciting to watch.

This season is fine, it gets a 5.