The Great War and Modern Memory (True Detective)
"The Great War and Modern Memory" is the first episode of the third season of the American anthology crime drama television series True Detective.
In 1980, partner detectives Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali) and Roland West (Stephen Dorff) investigate a macabre crime involving two missing children, Will and Julie Purcell.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 1.44 million household viewers and gained a 0.5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
In the fictional Ozarks city of West Finger, Arkansas, two kids named Will (Phoenix Elkin) and Julie Purcell (Lena McCarthy) ask their father, Tom (Scoot McNairy), to leave for a playground to meet with a friend, which he allows but tells them to return before the night.
Arkansas State Police Detectives Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali) and Roland West (Stephen Dorff) are called to the case.
While Woodard isn't home, they enter his house and find out that he is a Vietnam War veteran, just like Hays and West and they issue an all-points bulletin on him.
As Hays starts to leave, Jones informs him that a robbery at a Walgreens in Sallisaw, Oklahoma a few months ago identified Julie's fingerprints in the scene, indicating that she is still alive, surprising him.
The site's consensus states: "Briskly re-establishing the series' status quo, 'The Great War and Modern Memory' economically fleshes out a mystery and world that will be familiar to True Detective fans, with a triptych time structure adding an intriguing new dimension to proceedings.
"[11] Candice Frederick of IGN gave the episode an "amazing" 9 out of 10 and wrote in her verdict, "While many may have written off True Detective for good after the inconsistent season 2, fans will take comfort in the fact that one of the tautest thrillers has gotten back on course.
The visuals are austere and forbidding: broad aerial shots of the Ozarks as autumn leans into a long winter, the matter-of-fact grime of everyday work.
"[14] Lanre Bakare of The Guardian wrote, "Mahershala Ali investigates the case of two missing children in a tricksy, time-shifting third season of the crime drama.
"[15] Ben Travers of IndieWire gave the episode a "B+" grade and wrote, "If you felt the premiere was a little familiar (or just a little slow), Ali should be enough for even the most skeptical to hold on for another ride.
"[16] Derek Lawrence of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "After becoming a phenomenon and critical and commercial darling with the Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson-fronted first season, True Detective lost viewers and momentum with a disappointing follow-up.
"[19] Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The moving between timelines is seamless in its storytelling.
Hays' mind puts the pieces together like he's cutting film, between the holes in his memory and the sanctimonious prattle he and his son have to endure from the documentary interviewer.
