True Detective Season 2: Will it Have its Own Yellow King?
There are many reasons why the fist season of True Detective was so compelling, from the acting to the direction, and even the musical score. But another reason, and a fairly large one, was the presence of the Yellow King. A psychopathic murderer that strung the detective along for years, leaving cryptic hints and Lovecraftean symbolism. More than just taking inspiration from a story, the Yellow King represented an unknown type of horror with a supernatural bent.
It didn’t fit in with what Rust or Marty were expecting or were even relatively prepared for. What season two will need is not necessarily another literary allusion run amok, but a character or other element that embodies that same kind of cosmic terror. That, and to wrap it all up a little smoother. The problem with introducing an element like the Yellow King is that there needs to be something of worth in the end.
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The ending to True Detective’s first season was disappointing in this regard. The lives of Rust and Marty were wrapped up rather neatly, but mystery surrounding Errol Childress, the Yellow King himself, ending up going nowhere. But it was a valuable part of what came before, and with a few lessons learned there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be seeing something akin to it once again.
Even though comments over the summer about how season two will be less dark are a bit worrying, we’re hoping that True Detective’s distinct brand of terror will once again make an appearance in season two. True Detective is far more than a straightforward detective series, after all. That’s one of the major aspects of it that it has over other series in that genre.