It is amazing how the show can top itself week after week. Just when I thought that it would be difficult to top the last episode, This episode proved me wrong. From the beginning to the end of the episode everything was meticulously done, writing, editing and acting and honestly What a performance by Matthew McConaughey and the cinematography was just the icing on the cake. I love this show.To me it has the atmosphere of David Fincher's Se7en,The storytelling as good wire and acting as amazing as Breaking Bad. On one hand, It's unfortunate that the story is headed to its final episodes, on the other hand I can hope that the show ends the way it deserves.
13 Reviews
Seeds of Doubt Are Planted
deltaop17 February 2014
If you thought True Detective couldn't maintain the tense atmosphere so cleanly engineered in the last episode - you were wrong. TD has followed one pinnacle with another and this episode is all what the previous episode was, plus more.
That said, I can go on and on about what is good about this episode and this series as a whole. The writing is impeccable, the acting spotless, the music perfect and the cinematography pristine. The combination of these provide for an excellent hour of television in which you are transported through the screen and into the drama.
Like the previous episode, you can cut the tension with a knife here. Especially, in the initial and final portions. Additionally, there have been some excellent juxtapositions in this episode. I really liked the shooting-board one - where Rust and Marty present there version of the events, intercut with footage of what really happened.
Again, a lot of new territory is covered. There have been subtle 'Rust: The Killer' references throughout this series, and this episode brushes away the dust and follows up on this storyline. Suddenly, all that has been done up till this episode has come to naught. True Detective starts again, delving deeper into dark, unchartered waters.
Desperately waiting for more.
P.S: This episode had a nice little concept of quantum physics, effortlessly assimilated in the dialogues. I daresay, it was enjoyable.
That said, I can go on and on about what is good about this episode and this series as a whole. The writing is impeccable, the acting spotless, the music perfect and the cinematography pristine. The combination of these provide for an excellent hour of television in which you are transported through the screen and into the drama.
Like the previous episode, you can cut the tension with a knife here. Especially, in the initial and final portions. Additionally, there have been some excellent juxtapositions in this episode. I really liked the shooting-board one - where Rust and Marty present there version of the events, intercut with footage of what really happened.
Again, a lot of new territory is covered. There have been subtle 'Rust: The Killer' references throughout this series, and this episode brushes away the dust and follows up on this storyline. Suddenly, all that has been done up till this episode has come to naught. True Detective starts again, delving deeper into dark, unchartered waters.
Desperately waiting for more.
P.S: This episode had a nice little concept of quantum physics, effortlessly assimilated in the dialogues. I daresay, it was enjoyable.
Things are not always what they seem!
and_mikkelsen1 July 2023
After the previous episode my expectations for a great episode, was raised.. yet this episode manages to be amazing as well, just in a different manor! Here the writing really prevails as well as how information is given to us!
Since the first episode we have been going back and forth between the interogation in 2012 and the case in the past! We never knew why it took place but this episode starts to give us hints and answers! This was the first time the 2012 stuff had me on edge!
Cohle really shines in this episode and we are forced to look at him differently! All the things they been through.. it changes a man! They have seen and experienced darkness! That.. affects who you are as a person!
Great and shocking moments! It felt like a finale.. but also felt like a new beginning for the final part!
Since the first episode we have been going back and forth between the interogation in 2012 and the case in the past! We never knew why it took place but this episode starts to give us hints and answers! This was the first time the 2012 stuff had me on edge!
Cohle really shines in this episode and we are forced to look at him differently! All the things they been through.. it changes a man! They have seen and experienced darkness! That.. affects who you are as a person!
Great and shocking moments! It felt like a finale.. but also felt like a new beginning for the final part!
When you can't remember your lives, you can't change your lives
sp10618 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
And so it took all but five episodes to reach what seems to be the apex of this fine series. Every chapter had been a slow burn up until the last two fast-paced entries. And what a roller coaster ride it's been thus far.
All along we know these two former partners are toying with their interrogators, leaving out important details that are only accurately portrayed in flashbacks. Their is a mutual respect between Cohle and Hart that is not apparent in their vis-a-vis interaction but even after the foreboding 'falling out' these two had, they are still looking out for one another, and I personally enjoy that odd couple camaraderie.
The love/hate of episode 5 has to be how much is learned in so little a time after the methodical way of revealing details in the previous entries. We learn about Cohle's only other successful relationship thus far, how Maggie takes back the straying Hart. How the encounter with Ledoux is all one big slap in the face which was disappointing after the conclusion of Episode 3. I thought for sure Rust would scold Marty for his 'impulse shooting,' but thems the breaks. "Good to see you commit to something." Seven years go by in a flash with the conclusion of the Dora Lange case until another mention of the infamous Yellow King. And here we go again. Rusty becomes unhinged, and of course we all missed that intensity...he gets kinda boring when he's not focused on something.
With three episodes left, I'm not completely mad that they have to start going at a faster pace. And just when you think you're starting to piece things together. All I know is I can't wait for the next one
All along we know these two former partners are toying with their interrogators, leaving out important details that are only accurately portrayed in flashbacks. Their is a mutual respect between Cohle and Hart that is not apparent in their vis-a-vis interaction but even after the foreboding 'falling out' these two had, they are still looking out for one another, and I personally enjoy that odd couple camaraderie.
The love/hate of episode 5 has to be how much is learned in so little a time after the methodical way of revealing details in the previous entries. We learn about Cohle's only other successful relationship thus far, how Maggie takes back the straying Hart. How the encounter with Ledoux is all one big slap in the face which was disappointing after the conclusion of Episode 3. I thought for sure Rust would scold Marty for his 'impulse shooting,' but thems the breaks. "Good to see you commit to something." Seven years go by in a flash with the conclusion of the Dora Lange case until another mention of the infamous Yellow King. And here we go again. Rusty becomes unhinged, and of course we all missed that intensity...he gets kinda boring when he's not focused on something.
With three episodes left, I'm not completely mad that they have to start going at a faster pace. And just when you think you're starting to piece things together. All I know is I can't wait for the next one
One of the finest hours of television
keb-0909930 January 2021
One of the best Hours in TV-History
Thal2323 April 2021
Even better then Who goes There. Episode 4 was probably as good as ozymandias or the winds of winter, but The Secret Fate of All Life was just even better. If you haven't watched True detective, do it!
And wow, that music, acting and the dialogs. Just...Wow.
And wow, that music, acting and the dialogs. Just...Wow.
The Secret Fate of All Life
ahmxii29 November 2021
Like the previous episode, you can cut the tension with a knife here. Especially, in the initial and final portions. Additionally, there have been some excellent juxtapositions in this episode. I liked the shooting-board one - where Rust and Marty present their version of the events, intercut with footage of what happened.
Again, a lot of new territories are covered. There has been subtle 'Rust: The Killer' references throughout this series and this episode brushes away the dust and follows up on this storyline. Suddenly, all that has been done up till this episode has come to naught. True Detective starts again, delving deeper into dark, unchartered waters.
Again, a lot of new territories are covered. There has been subtle 'Rust: The Killer' references throughout this series and this episode brushes away the dust and follows up on this storyline. Suddenly, all that has been done up till this episode has come to naught. True Detective starts again, delving deeper into dark, unchartered waters.
Tango: When this is over, we have to pay Jabba the Hutt here a visit. Cash: I'll bring the chainsaw. Tango: I'll bring the beer.
bombersflyup23 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The Secret Fate of All Life is all quality and the pinnacle at this point in the series. Engagingly, the story moves leaps and bounds over much time. As it was told a "Tango & Cash" type scenario went down, but still heroic nevertheless. The two interviewing detective's position becomes known, they're just a sound board basically. Excellent writing, acting, etc..
Cohle? A killer?
AvionPrince166 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I was pretty shocked how things turned and how the suspicions are making Cohle maybe that he is a killer: we have the same surprise like Hart and that is pretty coherent anyway; but is it true? Is he a killer? Hart also have same problems with his wife but obtain forgiveness. We had also and interesting event when they made a false statement about what happened at the Bayou; they got promoted anyway because they found the boys missing. Is it really Cohle who made and planned the killings and what really happened during all these years? We dont really know and that made us oretty curious and wondering about if we get fooled too like Hart. But we clearly need to see more before making conclusions.
1x05
formotog2 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
An excellent 5th episode. It started off pretty much getting straight into things, with tension very expertly created by having the 2012 versions of Rust and Marty describe events (falsely) before they happened as we saw it. There's basically anxiety throughout the whole episode because it's treated like the case is over, when we know it definitely isn't. Reggie Ledoux was certainly an unsettling character for the few minutes of screen time he had, his partner as well. Ledoux's ramblings were creepy and fairly nonsensical, but he did bring up Carcosa and I think he and Rust probably aren't too philosophically dissimilar. There's a lot that pins Rust on the same side as these terrible men. The flash forward to 2002 slowed things down and took a look into how much these characters have changed. 2002 Rust seems to be happier and there's a part of me that kinda didn't want to see that lmao. I've got it in my head that the happier he is, the more dictated by his "programming" he is, as depressing as that sounds. For someone who is self-aware in that sense, I definitely prefer 1995 Rust to the other two. He seemed to be the most "resistant" to his programming. Marty showed that he's the same short-tempered man he used to be, and it seems his 2012 self is by far the most mature. Speaking of that timeline, there were developments there too which was needed considering until now it has essentially been a narrative tool. The two younger detectives are suspicious of Rust, but during their accusations, his 2002 self comes across a bunch of the same stick figures like the ones in the 1995 case, in a really chilling reveal. That reveal was honestly stunningly done. This was yet another top tier episode
High 8
High 8
Liar, Liar: Hart and Cohle
lavatch9 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In program #5, it becomes apparent for the first time why the two detectives are being interviewed separately over a decade following their investigation of the Dora Lange satanic murder: they both lied to their superiors about their work on the case. By the end of the program, it is clear that Cohle is a suspect in the Satanic murders.
Cohle waxes philosophical during his interrogation, drawing on Nietzsche's idea of eternal recurrence, or in the words of Cohle: "time is a circle." But an important detail is that it was Reggie Ledoux, not Cohle, who first described that image before his execution by Hart. The two detectives may have done "true" detective work by killing Ledoux and his assistant, then covering up the truth before the board. But is there more that Cohle has been hiding after having a falling out with his partner and leaving the force in 2002?
One of the keys to the mystery may lie in Cohle's technique in extracting confessions. For Cohle, everyone has an inherent sense of guilt about something and wants to confess. Cohle extracts such a confession from the man who murdered two victims in a pharmacy. But before his death apparently by suicide, the man reveals to Cohle that the true killer of Dora Lange has not yet apprehended. The name of Billy Lee Tuttle may hold the key.
In describing the m-brane theory, Cohle tells his interrogators that while we live in a world of linear time, outside of the fourth dimension, time is circular or eternal. Is Cohle's thinking that of a brilliant detective-investigator? Or is it the thinking of a madman and murderer?
Cohle waxes philosophical during his interrogation, drawing on Nietzsche's idea of eternal recurrence, or in the words of Cohle: "time is a circle." But an important detail is that it was Reggie Ledoux, not Cohle, who first described that image before his execution by Hart. The two detectives may have done "true" detective work by killing Ledoux and his assistant, then covering up the truth before the board. But is there more that Cohle has been hiding after having a falling out with his partner and leaving the force in 2002?
One of the keys to the mystery may lie in Cohle's technique in extracting confessions. For Cohle, everyone has an inherent sense of guilt about something and wants to confess. Cohle extracts such a confession from the man who murdered two victims in a pharmacy. But before his death apparently by suicide, the man reveals to Cohle that the true killer of Dora Lange has not yet apprehended. The name of Billy Lee Tuttle may hold the key.
In describing the m-brane theory, Cohle tells his interrogators that while we live in a world of linear time, outside of the fourth dimension, time is circular or eternal. Is Cohle's thinking that of a brilliant detective-investigator? Or is it the thinking of a madman and murderer?
The plot thickens!
mm-3920 February 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The plot thickens! Hart and Cohle Characters develop more and the major plot twist takes the story into a new direction. The viewer discovers the capture of a serial killer is a sub-plot, a rouse to the major story. Hart is covered for by Cohle. There are limits of what Hart can say or do because of his debt to his partner. Cohle is an ice cold personality. Suspicions turn towards Cohle as the killer. The script, directing, and acting blend into a smooth, riveting, series making the viewer wanting to watch more. H B O has raised the bar for television quality. I give "The Secret Fate of All Life" a 10 out of 10. Let us see if the suspect's prophecy of everything in life goes full circle goes to fruition. A must see episode.
Great acting, great story, great show!!!
morrow-orchidrose115 February 2014
I love this show. I totally agree with some of the reviewers that say this is a good as The Wire.
Great script, great directing and great acting are all it takes to make a great, solid show. And this show is it.
I'm glad HBO puts out great quality shows like this one. You couldn't ask for more.
Thanks for giving me something to look forward to on Sunday nights. I normally don't watch television because reality shows don't do it for me, but this show has all three elements I look for - great acting, great script and great directing makes for a great quality show. THANKS!
Great script, great directing and great acting are all it takes to make a great, solid show. And this show is it.
I'm glad HBO puts out great quality shows like this one. You couldn't ask for more.
Thanks for giving me something to look forward to on Sunday nights. I normally don't watch television because reality shows don't do it for me, but this show has all three elements I look for - great acting, great script and great directing makes for a great quality show. THANKS!
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