Episode four officially opens up the second act of the three act first season with most likely one of the most astonishing pieces of television ever. Not only is the episode inexplicably well written and acted, shot and composed, but it is gripping and enthralling on the highest level imaginable. I try to keep these reviews absolutely spoiler free and that's for a reason. You will be at the edge of the seat and that should not be spoiled for anyone.
It's nice to see that Harrelson's and Monaghan's character get some real development in this episode. We see some great development between the two detectives, as usual we learn more about Mcconaughey's dark mysterious and brutal past, which catches up to him in this episode. It goes without saying that the acting is without a doubt superb, but even minor characters like Brad Carter's character or Alexandra Daddario's are portrayed beautifully with a lot of passion from the actors. You can see that there is a lot of love and dedication involved in making this show.
It closes with one of the best tracking shots in cinema history, that will without a doubt go down in history. It is absolutely jaw dropping and the complexity of the shot is incredible. Yet it's not confusing or misleading, at every single second of these six minutes everything is clear. The haunting soundtrack that slowly buzzes in the background, the helicopter sounds, distant gun shots and screaming, make this shot just unbelievable, it's just too good to be true. There is a complete immersion that this shot creates, for these six minutes you're not sitting in your chair watching a show, you're right there with Det. Cohle. And that is the definition of cinema, it is supposed to let you forget your life, to dream for a certain amount of time, just enjoy it.
I can not praise this show enough, if the other 4 episodes are only slightly as good as this one, then True Detectives first season will turn into a masterpiece. The six minute tracking shot definitely already is one.
11/10
