On Death and Kindness : Thoughts and reflections on viewing "True Detective", Season 1.

Every so often, a series comes along on TV that restores my faith in human intelligence. The creation "True Detective", written by Nic Pizzolatto is nothing short of genius in its intellectual depth and emotional scope. The acting by Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as two fiercely dedicated and determined detectives digging into a series of macabre serial murders in Louisiana is sheer brilliance. As detectives Rustin Cohle and Martin Hart their 17 year odyssey to resolve the seemingly bottomless pit of deception and illusion surrounding the baffling case, they go also on a journey of deep introspection, loss and self discovery. I was drawn in from the first second. The eight episodes kept me spell bound, and triggered many a deep emotion  surrounding family and the scars, demons and profound existential dilemmas it can cause. One of Rustin Cohle ( Matthew McConaughey) 's many profound insights concerning human existence and its frailty when it comes to happiness is the observation that "... as with most dreams, there is a monster at the end of it..." talking to a fellow investigator in the thorny case involving brutally murdered young children, who would never sleep the sleep of innocence again. The series also connects very beautifully the personal demons in Rustin and Martin, who goes by Marty, 's own lives, not the least one of which is the death of Rustin's young daughter in a freak accident, and Marty's struggles with alcohol and infidelity. Through it all, they persist and a deep bond develops between two men who initially brushed with animosity and suspicion in their professional and personal relationship. Their desire to get justice for the dozens of women and children who were slaughtered in some twisted pagan sacrifices supersedes their own needs and even costs Marty his marriage, and in the end the head monster of the slayings and kidnappings is finally killed in a chilling final showdown that puts a strong emphasis on evil in all its ugliness. Matthew McConaughey 's character left a profound impression on me, as he struggles to embrace the emptiness of his personal existence after the loss of his wife and daughter, with great courage and stoicism, and ultimately, acceptance. Woody Harrelson too, comes full circle, realizing that he cannot really recover from losing his marriage and his relationship with his two teenage daughters, and he too, sobers up and comes to a point of peace and self acceptance. What the two men are left with is their friendship, and they decide it is enough. The acceptance is what stayed with me. These two men are isolated in the loneliness of their destinies, but they are not broken by it. I can relate to that. I too have come to a point where I realize that the loss of my family which made being an outcast with them official, isolated me to a degree where it will be very hard to recover from it completely. But I am at peace with it, and that is one of the reasons I felt such a strong connection with the characters Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson portray so convincingly. Acceptance sets the heart free and opens it to kindness, the ultimate wisdom. Rustin and Marty risk their own lives to give redemption to the slain women and children, connecting them to a purpose beyond the limitations and bitterness of their own existence steeped in loss, weakness and doubt. There is such strength in the writing, such integrity in the acting, such cohesion in the story line, this is a series not to miss, if you have ever dealt with loss and its wounds. I sure wish season 2 still had the same actors and the same strong soul.