Is Nic Pizzolatto using his writing to depict a former collaborator in a negative light?
In episode one of Season Three of HBO’s True Detective, detective Wayne Hays is using his Vietnam War-learnt tracking abilities to find clues as to the disappearance of young siblings. As Hays looks down at a puddle, the light source reflected in the water fades out. We are then transported to the “present day”, where Hays is recounting his work to a reporter. It turns out that the light source was a studio lighting globe that had turned off. The reporter apologises to Hays for the disturbance.
I couldn’t help but think that this was showrunner Nic Pizzolatto making a subtle jab at his former collaborator in director Cary Joji Fukunaga, who had directed Pizzolatto’s incredible script for Season 1 but stepped away from doing so for Season Two of the series, possibly due to creative – or otherwise - differences with Pizzolatto. The production assistant whose apparent negligence led to the light going out looks a bit like Fukunaga – the bemusement portrayed by actress Sarah Gadon indicates that this wasn’t the first time her reporter character had dealt with her assistants’ malpractice.
This wouldn’t be the first time that people have speculated about Pizzolatto making subtle jabs at Fukunaga through his writing. Vulture.com alleged in 2015 that in Season 2 of True Detective, an alcoholic film director whose “sex party shenanigans that led to the death of a local politician” bore a “clear resemblance to Fukunaga”. Considering the allegations of sexual predation towards Fukunaga since, these depictions might strike close to home for those in the know.
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