Do The Recurring Highway Shots From ‘True Detective’ Contain A Shocking Secret?

[MrScorpio]

One of the recurring elements in the second season of True Detective is aerial shots of the pretzel-like California highway system. Why are the shots there? What is the purpose of having so many of them? Are they telling us something? As part of the search for answers, Vulture caught up with creator Nic Pizzolatto, who provided this explanation: “With the freeways, you’re free to choose a direction, but not free to choose your choices. But if that’s all nonsense, and it might be, I think they’re just interesting transitional shots.”

Yes, okay. But I think there might be something more there. Something deeper. Something we have to search for. Follow me down the path.




Notice how the intersecting highways have been carved into the mountains, representing man’s dominance over nature and the world around him. What does this tell us about the murder of Caspere? Perhaps that his attempts to “dominate” the world around him via corruption and perversion resulted in his downfall. Our country’s infrastructure is crumbling, both literally and figuratively. Our downfall is coming, as well.




The ocean. A massive, immovable force. If the highway built into the mountains is our attempt to demand nature’s submission, the slow erosion caused by centuries upon centuries of rolling waves are nature reminding us of our insignificance. How little we matter. How impotent man is against the force of the universe. Even the strongest men.

An obvious reference to Frank’s inability to conceive.




The highways interweave, bulging out at the sides in a way that is clearly meant to invoke images of the female reproductive organs. Cars travel through them, carrying men to their destinations. Cars. Sperm. Asphalt. What does this tell us about Woodrugh’s sexuality?

Also, notice the black car. Where is it going? Who is taking it to its destination? Or is the black car taking its occupant somewhere? The first clue.

The rest: http://uproxx.com/tv/2015/07/true-detective-aerial-highway-callbackz-theoriez/5/

[Laffy Kat]

1. Pizzalatto did the same thing with the first season.

Except I find the back country and back roads of southern Louisiana more interesting. So far this season has been far too bland. I actually fell asleep during the last one. I'll keep watching, but--meh.

[Paladin]

2. No. (nt)

[lunatica]

3. Those shots are one of the things that I truly love about the visuals

in True Detective. The air shots are not just of the freeways either. It's very interesting that they show these long shots which are so different from the messy people in the story. the juxtaposition of man messed up and the roads with their winding and spiraling beauty.

It's a very different way of showing us that the detectives are driving from one place to another.

I would have never thought to think of freeways as being beautiful. But in this show they are.