Hart and Cohle's are two detectives and their personal backstories and often-strained relationship come into focus, all connected by one thing: their shared obsession to hunt down the killer.
So slow down to the speed of McConaughey's drawl. Take out a thick notebook like the one he carries through the show. Pay close attention, and remember everyone's name. It will pay off.
Everything about the fraught situation is deftly captured by the actors: the awkward silences, the flash flare-ups, the comic moments and inside jokes that happen over time in spite of friction, the solidarity in the face of a common problem.
The more I watched, the more I thought about how deeply Simon's vision, sensibility and style have affected the way crime stories are told at the high end of American and British TV these days.
In an effort that has the potential to be one of the best and boldest new TV dramas of the year, two film stars exhibit on the small screen the advantage of working in an extended serial.
