5 Times True Detective Proved It’s One of the Best HBO Shows Ever

True Detective, a show that aired its first episode about 11 years ago, has 4 seasons and 30 episodes so far. The series is an anthology of stories of detectives and police officers across the US as they are pitted against mind-boggling mysteries and nearly insurmountable odds. As they investigate each case, they learn dark secrets about themselves and those around them. True Detective is thrilling, appropriately mysterious, often dark, and sometimes heartbreaking. Its first season is generally regarded to be its best and features some of the best moments from the entire series. Though the other seasons have proven popular enough to make sure the series keeps going, the first remains the most lauded, and these moments prove why it’s still the best.

1) Who Goes There?

If there is one scene that can be called a true masterpiece in the entirety of True Detective, it’s the raid in Episode 4, “Who Goes There?” In this episode, Rustin “Rust” Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) has gone rogue, investigating the case using less-than-savory methods. In this moment he realizes that all that he has built up to could be destroyed with just one gunshot. Rust immediately takes control of the situation, fluidly moving through the scene with near-inhuman accuracy. As the background score builds up to a crescendo, the camera follows a determined Rust getting rid of one moron after another. The iconic long shot captures the stark tension and energy of the situation, while showing once and for all why Marty calls Rust “unkillable” at the tail end of the finale.

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2) Tuttle’s Videotape

Imagination is a powerful tool, and the creators of True Detective make full use of it in the scene where Rust shows Tuttle’s videotape to his partner. The video apparently records the trauma and abuse the child Marie Fontenot went through in the name of religion. The detectives, trying to solve the murders of these children, resolve to watch the video in its entirety while the audience watches their reactions and imagines the horrors the tape must hold. From what we do see, it’s understandable why Marty is less than thrilled with the idea of watching the whole tape. His horror, so plain and impeccable, is in stark contrast to Rust’s determination to find a clue. The scene adds to the overall ominous vibe of the show and is definitely a highlight of Season 1. 

3) The Secret Fate Of All Life

Episode 5, “The Secret Fate of All Life,” could easily have been the finale, except it left behind a trail of unanswered questions and a lot of loose ends. After Rust and Marty finally discover the location of the two children, they rush to rescue them from Reggie Ledoux’s house. Except one of them has already died after being ritualistically abused by the cult for weeks. This is one of the rare times when we see the usually rational Marty truly lose his cool. Driven by righteous anger, he shoots Ledoux instead of taking him in. The entire scene is tense, and marks a threshold moment in the season.

4) Final showdown at Carcosa

It took 17 years to reach this point, and the build up across the series was worth it. The two detectives are past their prime yet determined to put this to bed once and for all as they finally track down the cult responsible for Dora Lange’s horrifying death. The Yellow King reveal still lingers to this day as Errol is brutal and petrifying as the show’s ultimate villain. The chase scene is also exquisite with a maze of trees and stone that twist and turn much like the plot of this season. 

2) The Light’s Winning

“The Light’s Winning” is where it all comes full circle, and the detectives finally put a case that has haunted them for nearly two decades to rest. Rust nearly dies during the process, while dreaming of reuniting with his daughter. Except he lives, driving Marty to call him “unkillable” during their final moment on screen. The scene beautifully portrays Rust’s pain and exhaustion, and we, as the audience, nearly wish that he hadn’t woken up. Despite that, the scene ends on a hopeful note. “The light’s winning,” Cohle says, referring to the apparent and ongoing battle between light and dark.