True Detective inspired a mass of complex fan theories.
Matthew talks us through some popular interpretations…
This feature contains spoilers forTrue Detectiveseason one.
HBOs recently concludedTrue Detectiveinspired an almost unprecedented amount of fan speculation on the Internet.
Was there narrative justification for the many well thought-out fan theories about its true meaning?
Were the Internets devoted writings about the show completely off-base?
Were fans simply putting things together that were not there?
Ad content continues below
Why didTrue Detectivebecome such a magnet for theoretical interpretation?
Arguably, its down to its mythological themes.
One of the places such cults have supposedly developed is none other thanTrue Detectives Louisiana.
Sales of Chambers collection are anecdotally reported to have risen ten-fold sinceTrue Detectivebegan airing.
This underground cultural mythos has now been put out there to be disseminated by the masses.
What isTrue Detectiveif not a story within a story?
This theme in particular makesTrue Detectiveworthy of being examined by the most ardent fans of psychological horror.
The idea of dressing up in masks and connections to secret masked societies once again connects toTrue Detective.
SomeTrue Detectiveviewers have also examined the philosophical concept of Nihilism presented in the face of an unrelenting evil.
Its a pessimistic and extremely bleak view of the world, endorsed wholeheartedly by Rust Cohle.
In that moment he was able to throw off his nihilistic shackles and change his entire perspective on life.
Essentially he was overwhelmed to learn that in the end, light is greater than darkness.
The conclusion was a captivating one that allowed for a variety of theoretical interpretations, as weve seen.
Clearly none of these interpretations would be possible without the genius behind the show.
Nicely done Messrs Pizzolatto and Fukunaga, nicely done.
Read our spoiler-filled episode reviews of True Detective,here.
Keep up with True Detective Season 3 news and reviews here.
