by Ribbons on Wed Jul 10, 2019 11:52 pm
I just finished watching season 3 as well, and I kind of liked it. I wasn't wild about the idea to straight-up copy season 1 in most respects (except for the black people) -- to the extent where they had to stop and mention how eerily similar both were on the show itself -- but the ending was much stronger. In all three seasons of the show, Pizzolato seems particularly interested in the disparity between detective "narratives" and true life, and I think this story conveyed that in the most thoughtful and profound way, with an aging, retired cop who never got the closure that he sought and who now struggles to remember the clues even when they're standing right in front of him. The performances were strong across the board... a real departure from season 2, where everyone was almost uniformly awful. I would say Scoot McNairy was the standout, whose grief and frustration was palpable and heartbreaking. Mahershala Ali was good too, in a more reserved role, though I had a hard time understanding his Old Man Voice. He and Stephen Dorff had good chemistry. Overall it was a nice turnaround for a series that appeared to be dead after a disastrous sophomore effort, though I hope they don't just do another redneck sex cult thing next time around.