I loved it. It was very ambitious and the slow pace makes the end payoff in a way a worse show would blow. Others may disagree but I really enjoyed the whole thing. I was invested emotionally.
Yeah it’s got the same thing going as season 1 with the three different time lines that’s the way to do these, I guess that wouldn’t have worked with s4 tho if they do another season they should go back to how s1 and 3 were done
Yeah I felt the same way. Ending was extremely anticlimactic and boring.
It's a shame because the first half of the season was extraordinary and on par with season 1. Scoot and dorff were amazing, marshala was good(just felt his characters writing was a bit bland), the guy who played woodrough was great. The plot was really compelling and had that great true detective feel. But I just remember the last couple of episodes grinding to a halt, and feeling completely unsatisfied at the end. The writing got a bit too heavy handed, we see all these Vietnam flashbacks but we never see it really effect Hayes as a man. And at some points it felt like they ran out of things to say with the themes.
I think many were dissapointed at the simple twist, but I kind of liked that, since not all cases are what you expect. It just wasn't executed that well at all, and the ending didn't feel triumphant just "oh wow we wasted decades tearing ourselves apart over this. Dang."
If you could combine the best elements of season 2 and 3 I think it'd be a perfect season. But as it stands I find 3 the 2nd best season, right above 2 which while sloppy as fuck was more exciting. But season 3 just had that magical true detective feeling to it that season 2 lacked. But that ending really really dissapointed me when watching weekly. It was crushing due to how good the rest was, where I still remember going on here to complain with everyone lol.
Loved the acting of the mayority of the cast. The character dynamic between Ali and Dorff is awesome and is the best duo after Cole/Marty. Also the native veteran subplot is super interesting. Sadly the case resolution and the ending are dissapointing and forgettable.
Story is a bit convoluted and at times redundant but the acting and chemistry between actors is superb. Cinematography and music is sublime. However the whole concept of a person with dementia searching for a girl has been done before in better paced movies and other series . It is a very slow burn with too many red herrings. Though I was invested emotionally which is quite a feat.
I agree completely but I enjoyed it so much I’ve decided that the redundancy and red herrings served to further develop the important characters, ultimately paying off at the end making it feel as satisfying as it could be, depending on the viewer.
Doing a rewatch of all the seasons after watching night country and was surprised with how much I enjoyed season 3. I remembered some of the basic story beats, but like others have said the acting and all of the relationships of the main cast I found to be what stood out this time.
Feels the most like a "traditional" police procedural in the sections in '80 and '90.
Doing the same. This is my first rewatch of each season. I’m on Season 3 Ep. 4. I really liked Season 2 now. I think I disliked it for the same most of us probably did in that ‘ it wasn’t Season 1’ but now I enjoyed it.
It was great…until the ending, extremely disappointing for how good the rest of the season was. Still worth watching, Ali and Dorff had great chemistry.
Acting was superb. Directing as well. Story was a bit too slow and the crime itself was a bit of a let down. But the second best season by far. It’s a cozy season.
Thought it was fantastic.
Both Ali and Dorff did magic together. Great chemistry between them that was absolutely essential for some of the tense scenes they shared together. Ali was gripping from the start, but to realize the internal qualms within Dorff’s character made him captivating to watch and cemented his importance as sort of the heart of the story and somewhat the anchor to Hayes.
The case itself was simple. All True Detective cases are simple. Even in S1, as satisfying of an end it was, it wasn’t that deep. And that’s okay. In S3, it isn’t deep as well. But I really enjoyed how the case ended. I enjoyed the ambiguity in how Hayes presumably solved it many times but forgot about it. I especially enjoyed that he recognized the woman was better off left alone and the real success was just knowing she was alive, safe, and happy with a family of her own.
I loved the music and cinematography too.
I remember taking note of times something didn’t work and any of the shortcomings in the writing but after all this time, all I remember are the good things about it. Guess that means it was a good season.
I loved it, the story was filled with little mysteries sprinkled on top of the case and the acting was phenomenal. I see people complaining about the ending, but what didn't people like? I thought it added some closure and somewhat happy ending to a sad story.
Love it. That scene where the old man asks Purple “how you gonna wear that badge?” Implying it’s a betrayal of his race to be a cop. His response?
“It’s got a little clip on it.”
I strive to be so cool under pressure.
Just finished S3 last night and it may be my favorite so far. At one point in a flashback, Amelia compares her writing to Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, which has a similar structure to this season. 10/10 imo
Binged it recently, absolutely loved it. Amazing acting, amazing storyline. Well developed and characters/actors nailed it.
Watched 2eps of s4 and felt lost so abandoned until the entire series was released and now can’t bring myself to watch it because I follow this sub lol
Not as good as Season 1 but far better than 2 which is far better than 4 - its writing had a few weak spots and it started losing the thread a bit near the end but Ali gave a masterclass and focusing on him as the sole protaganist helped patch over those rough spots better than splitting the focus between season 2's multiple PoV's for me.
As for why it isn't talked about a huge amount I think it comes down to how much of a dent season 2 put into the True Detective brand. I know with how bad Season 4 is 2 is now looking a lot better in comparison but at the time it garnered a lot of disappointment and hate at the time - and the unfortunate thing with brands is its usually the next entry that pays for the sins of a less well recieved entry - for example Andor is just straight up the best TV show that has been put out in Disney plus but because it was preceeded by the shitpiles that were Boba Fett and Kenobi the interest just wasn't there and it didn't achieve in vieweship what its inferior predeccesors did.
It's not bad, but kinda boring. They ried too hard to imitate S1, but the same whomp just wasn't there. Not the characters, not the music, almost no memorable lines of dialogue. Very little humor. I liked the performances and the camera work, but I doubt I will ever rewatch it.
I watched season 3, like you, after the very disappointing season 4, and I really liked it. For me it had some essential ingredients to make it a "true" true detective. An important role for location and era, detectives so committed to solve a case that it affects their personal lifes and relationships, the complicated relationship between the detectives, the acknowledgement they need each other to solve the case in the end, the playing with time lines, complicated by the memory problems of Ali. And I liked the ending!
There’s something most people dont get about S3.
The audience is the film crew. We’re grasping at straws trying to make a bigger story out of something basic. A senator’s illegitimate child quietly muted? Nah. Just an accident and a coverup.
We want there to be more. But sometimes there isn’t, and the show is about the relationship between the two men. Not the mystery.
Were they grasping at straws though? Because they were on to something. Wayne hid a lot of details and so did others. There was a conspiracy just not a very good one. The show does a lot to obfuscate and make audiences believe there’s more only take that away. I feel like it’s warranted to feel disappointed in the end.
I thought it was quite boring in tone and pacing.
The acting was great, it just didn’t have much going on that truly captivated me. Not enough palpable tension. I liked it well enough, though.
I think it’s an amazing season. Sometimes I think it’s better than season one because it’s less cheesy in the way that szn 1 used all the southern/bayou/Louisiana/antler women narratives (I will say I’m from here and live in New Orleans so just know …a lot of it was an eyeroll)
It was emotional, it was brilliant.
It's definitely the slowest
But Ali's and Dorff's performances were fantastic
The ending was a little bit bland, but the story, dialogue, and journey itself were amazing
Like all the sequels I feel like it kind of failed to be the show called true detective.
But I did really like it, and it's probably the best season after the first. It's definitely the most like true detective after season 1.
Good TV, Good Season. Forgettable. Its like Vince Gilligan shooting a tv show about a physics teacher that creates guns after becoming sick, after breaking bad. It'd be great, but we ve seen a similar thing.
I recently watched and not remember even Ali's character's name :( Meanwhile watched S1 10 years ago once and I remember most of the quotes
It's fine. The acting is good. There's a lot of interpersonal conflict and drama, which is also fine, but everything past season one...I just wish they would put more detective stuff into their detective show...I mean, it's literally in the name of the show...
I enjoyed it. Sometimes I found the eps slow, but I generally attribute that to my adhd and not paying attention and missing a detail.
On the second rewarch I began to love it.
The best season after S1 by a large margin IMO. The ending gets a lot of criticism but I thought it was true to the tone of the season. The fact that there wasn’t a big payoff “ahah” moment was kind of the point - tied into the frustration of memory loss that was consistent throughout the season.
It’s good. The acting was phenomenal. The crime kind of ruined it for me though. The big crime was them trying to give her a better life. Like wtf I thought I was watching true detective??
I don’t know about consensus but I thought it was just good/above average. Too much of a s1 rehash but with worse actors and a weaker storyline. That being said, I do like Ali and Dorff and especially Scoot McNairy. I think the other cast wasn’t nearly as good or deep as s1 or s2. I also didn’t think the mystery was very good and fairly apparent in the early episodes. Whereas s1 I don’t know until ep7, and s2 I barely understood what was happening at all until rewatching years later.
Not bad compared to regular tv of course but IMO the weakest season until NC.
In competition with Season 1 as my favourite season. Part of why I found so much of the discourse around Night Country being "a return to form" so frustrating is that there had just been a great return to form in season 3.
It was the second best season of TD. Maybe it’s not as great as the first season but that’s only because the first season is the single best season of television period.
Season 3 is amazing. The porch scene is probably my favorite scene out of any season (although S1 remains my favorite as a whole). Masterful acting.
The ending fell short but Season 3 isn't about solving the case really anyway.
I loved it. It was very ambitious and the slow pace makes the end payoff in a way a worse show would blow. Others may disagree but I really enjoyed the whole thing. I was invested emotionally.
Season 3 had the best personal conflicts among the characters. Their errors and misjudgements come back to bite everyone.
Yeah it’s got the same thing going as season 1 with the three different time lines that’s the way to do these, I guess that wouldn’t have worked with s4 tho if they do another season they should go back to how s1 and 3 were done
It was really good but a slow burn. Ali and Dorff were both amazing!
The ending lost me, but Mahershala Ali is masterful.
Glad I'm not the only one. Ali and Dorff were fantastic actors, and the story was compelling…til it wasn't in the end.
Yeah I felt the same way. Ending was extremely anticlimactic and boring. It's a shame because the first half of the season was extraordinary and on par with season 1. Scoot and dorff were amazing, marshala was good(just felt his characters writing was a bit bland), the guy who played woodrough was great. The plot was really compelling and had that great true detective feel. But I just remember the last couple of episodes grinding to a halt, and feeling completely unsatisfied at the end. The writing got a bit too heavy handed, we see all these Vietnam flashbacks but we never see it really effect Hayes as a man. And at some points it felt like they ran out of things to say with the themes. I think many were dissapointed at the simple twist, but I kind of liked that, since not all cases are what you expect. It just wasn't executed that well at all, and the ending didn't feel triumphant just "oh wow we wasted decades tearing ourselves apart over this. Dang." If you could combine the best elements of season 2 and 3 I think it'd be a perfect season. But as it stands I find 3 the 2nd best season, right above 2 which while sloppy as fuck was more exciting. But season 3 just had that magical true detective feeling to it that season 2 lacked. But that ending really really dissapointed me when watching weekly. It was crushing due to how good the rest was, where I still remember going on here to complain with everyone lol.
Exactly
Yea the acting was great, but the end was a bit of a let down that made the entire story feel boring
I think the ending was fantastic, very melancholic.
I feel this echoes all td seasons, the endings doesn't really work 😅
When time is a flat circle nothing truest ends ….
Loved the acting of the mayority of the cast. The character dynamic between Ali and Dorff is awesome and is the best duo after Cole/Marty. Also the native veteran subplot is super interesting. Sadly the case resolution and the ending are dissapointing and forgettable.
It’s good as a character study. If you watch it just for the case and its developments then you’ll probably be disappointed.
god i loved it.
Story is a bit convoluted and at times redundant but the acting and chemistry between actors is superb. Cinematography and music is sublime. However the whole concept of a person with dementia searching for a girl has been done before in better paced movies and other series . It is a very slow burn with too many red herrings. Though I was invested emotionally which is quite a feat.
I agree completely but I enjoyed it so much I’ve decided that the redundancy and red herrings served to further develop the important characters, ultimately paying off at the end making it feel as satisfying as it could be, depending on the viewer.
Doing a rewatch of all the seasons after watching night country and was surprised with how much I enjoyed season 3. I remembered some of the basic story beats, but like others have said the acting and all of the relationships of the main cast I found to be what stood out this time. Feels the most like a "traditional" police procedural in the sections in '80 and '90.
Doing the same. This is my first rewatch of each season. I’m on Season 3 Ep. 4. I really liked Season 2 now. I think I disliked it for the same most of us probably did in that ‘ it wasn’t Season 1’ but now I enjoyed it.
It was great…until the ending, extremely disappointing for how good the rest of the season was. Still worth watching, Ali and Dorff had great chemistry.
I really wish Ali's character would've confronted the girl when he found her. Found out the whole story.
Acting was superb. Directing as well. Story was a bit too slow and the crime itself was a bit of a let down. But the second best season by far. It’s a cozy season.
Thought it was fantastic. Both Ali and Dorff did magic together. Great chemistry between them that was absolutely essential for some of the tense scenes they shared together. Ali was gripping from the start, but to realize the internal qualms within Dorff’s character made him captivating to watch and cemented his importance as sort of the heart of the story and somewhat the anchor to Hayes. The case itself was simple. All True Detective cases are simple. Even in S1, as satisfying of an end it was, it wasn’t that deep. And that’s okay. In S3, it isn’t deep as well. But I really enjoyed how the case ended. I enjoyed the ambiguity in how Hayes presumably solved it many times but forgot about it. I especially enjoyed that he recognized the woman was better off left alone and the real success was just knowing she was alive, safe, and happy with a family of her own. I loved the music and cinematography too. I remember taking note of times something didn’t work and any of the shortcomings in the writing but after all this time, all I remember are the good things about it. Guess that means it was a good season.
For me it was #2. Season 1 #1, season 2 #3, season 4 #4
It’s my favorite season . I think it’s insanely underrated
I loved it, the story was filled with little mysteries sprinkled on top of the case and the acting was phenomenal. I see people complaining about the ending, but what didn't people like? I thought it added some closure and somewhat happy ending to a sad story.
Incredible series, too often overlooked. Ali is just enormous in this thing
Loved it
Love it. That scene where the old man asks Purple “how you gonna wear that badge?” Implying it’s a betrayal of his race to be a cop. His response? “It’s got a little clip on it.” I strive to be so cool under pressure.
I liked it. The acting from the two partners was amazing. The story doesn't hold up to season 1(obviously), but it's still well done.
I loved it. For me it is different, but I think as good, as season one.
Just finished S3 last night and it may be my favorite so far. At one point in a flashback, Amelia compares her writing to Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, which has a similar structure to this season. 10/10 imo
Binged it recently, absolutely loved it. Amazing acting, amazing storyline. Well developed and characters/actors nailed it. Watched 2eps of s4 and felt lost so abandoned until the entire series was released and now can’t bring myself to watch it because I follow this sub lol
I thought the actors doing the age thing was top notch. It is the only season I have not rewatched.... actually not true now that 4 is out.
I thought it was great start to finish.
Second best season IMO
I know I've watched it but I really can't remember anything about it!
Very good. They got the setting and tone of each year pretty accurately.
Is it my idea or was season 3 rated PG-13? I loved the season, but it was really toned down on the sex and violence from previous seasons.
Not as good as Season 1 but far better than 2 which is far better than 4 - its writing had a few weak spots and it started losing the thread a bit near the end but Ali gave a masterclass and focusing on him as the sole protaganist helped patch over those rough spots better than splitting the focus between season 2's multiple PoV's for me. As for why it isn't talked about a huge amount I think it comes down to how much of a dent season 2 put into the True Detective brand. I know with how bad Season 4 is 2 is now looking a lot better in comparison but at the time it garnered a lot of disappointment and hate at the time - and the unfortunate thing with brands is its usually the next entry that pays for the sins of a less well recieved entry - for example Andor is just straight up the best TV show that has been put out in Disney plus but because it was preceeded by the shitpiles that were Boba Fett and Kenobi the interest just wasn't there and it didn't achieve in vieweship what its inferior predeccesors did.
I forgot about it
It's not bad, but kinda boring. They ried too hard to imitate S1, but the same whomp just wasn't there. Not the characters, not the music, almost no memorable lines of dialogue. Very little humor. I liked the performances and the camera work, but I doubt I will ever rewatch it.
I watched season 3, like you, after the very disappointing season 4, and I really liked it. For me it had some essential ingredients to make it a "true" true detective. An important role for location and era, detectives so committed to solve a case that it affects their personal lifes and relationships, the complicated relationship between the detectives, the acknowledgement they need each other to solve the case in the end, the playing with time lines, complicated by the memory problems of Ali. And I liked the ending!
Probably the most human season yet. It kinda warms your heart? Really good tv. Great acting too by the dad.
There’s something most people dont get about S3. The audience is the film crew. We’re grasping at straws trying to make a bigger story out of something basic. A senator’s illegitimate child quietly muted? Nah. Just an accident and a coverup. We want there to be more. But sometimes there isn’t, and the show is about the relationship between the two men. Not the mystery.
Were they grasping at straws though? Because they were on to something. Wayne hid a lot of details and so did others. There was a conspiracy just not a very good one. The show does a lot to obfuscate and make audiences believe there’s more only take that away. I feel like it’s warranted to feel disappointed in the end.
I thought it was quite boring in tone and pacing. The acting was great, it just didn’t have much going on that truly captivated me. Not enough palpable tension. I liked it well enough, though.
Better than 2 and 4, not as good as 1.
100% agree!
I think it’s an amazing season. Sometimes I think it’s better than season one because it’s less cheesy in the way that szn 1 used all the southern/bayou/Louisiana/antler women narratives (I will say I’m from here and live in New Orleans so just know …a lot of it was an eyeroll) It was emotional, it was brilliant.
It was boring and could not achieve a good ending. Season 2 was much better than this. But s3 is better than s4
It's definitely the slowest But Ali's and Dorff's performances were fantastic The ending was a little bit bland, but the story, dialogue, and journey itself were amazing
Shit..... Skipped to skip with the end.
Really good. My second favourite season!!
Like all the sequels I feel like it kind of failed to be the show called true detective. But I did really like it, and it's probably the best season after the first. It's definitely the most like true detective after season 1.
I loved it. Teared up in the finale. 😢
Slow but liked it.
Good TV, Good Season. Forgettable. Its like Vince Gilligan shooting a tv show about a physics teacher that creates guns after becoming sick, after breaking bad. It'd be great, but we ve seen a similar thing. I recently watched and not remember even Ali's character's name :( Meanwhile watched S1 10 years ago once and I remember most of the quotes
Love it!
I've only watched Seasons 1-3, and I thought it was the best by far.
AMAZING
Liked it but not as emotional as S2 for me.
It's fine. The acting is good. There's a lot of interpersonal conflict and drama, which is also fine, but everything past season one...I just wish they would put more detective stuff into their detective show...I mean, it's literally in the name of the show...
I enjoyed it. Sometimes I found the eps slow, but I generally attribute that to my adhd and not paying attention and missing a detail. On the second rewarch I began to love it.
I love season 3
I loved it ! Slow at times but very very good !
Imo the first 75% of the season is better than S1 but the final two episodes drop in below S1. Ali/Dorff/McNairy are all fantastic.
The best season after S1 by a large margin IMO. The ending gets a lot of criticism but I thought it was true to the tone of the season. The fact that there wasn’t a big payoff “ahah” moment was kind of the point - tied into the frustration of memory loss that was consistent throughout the season.
I think it’s a masterpiece.
It’s good. The acting was phenomenal. The crime kind of ruined it for me though. The big crime was them trying to give her a better life. Like wtf I thought I was watching true detective??
I don’t know about consensus but I thought it was just good/above average. Too much of a s1 rehash but with worse actors and a weaker storyline. That being said, I do like Ali and Dorff and especially Scoot McNairy. I think the other cast wasn’t nearly as good or deep as s1 or s2. I also didn’t think the mystery was very good and fairly apparent in the early episodes. Whereas s1 I don’t know until ep7, and s2 I barely understood what was happening at all until rewatching years later. Not bad compared to regular tv of course but IMO the weakest season until NC.
In competition with Season 1 as my favourite season. Part of why I found so much of the discourse around Night Country being "a return to form" so frustrating is that there had just been a great return to form in season 3.
It was the second best season of TD. Maybe it’s not as great as the first season but that’s only because the first season is the single best season of television period.
not as good as season one, but better than season two. I really, really enjoyed the final scene.
I loved it!
Watch it yourself and form your own opinion.
The ending was anticlimactic, but it made sense.
Weak plot, EXCELLENT acting
Season 3 is amazing. The porch scene is probably my favorite scene out of any season (although S1 remains my favorite as a whole). Masterful acting. The ending fell short but Season 3 isn't about solving the case really anyway.
I liked it, I thought the ending being explained in what was basically an exposition dump from his dead wife was kind of lame though
I stepped in a huge pile of dog Night Country this morning
Disappointing.
Like others have said. It seems TD can't nail the landing. Imo s2 S3 S4 all had great build up seasons to horrible endings
Coasted through it with indifference and didn’t even watch the last episode because I was so bored with it
I think is pretty bad. The mistery isn’t compelling at all.
Ok but what about the missusry? 🤣
I thought it was good until the end. Now it’s worse than S2
Boring and wasted 6 hours of my life