Philosopher Paul J. Ennis discusses HBO's 'True Detective' in new interview

Vulture writer Matt Patches got the chance to do what many fans of HBO's new hit series True Detective would like to do: Sit down with a philosopher and ask questions about the cerebral show. In this interview we hear from Paul J. Ennis, an author who holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from University College Dublin, and find out what he thinks of True Detective.

"Rust has a willingness to speak openly about ideas common to us all, but ones we are usually expected to suppress," Ennis says after being asked why the series is worth examining on a philosophical level. "There is a pressure to offer pockets of hope, redemption, or escape in our narratives, but True Detective seems intent on withholding that. However, grim television is not unknown, so I suspect what works here is just how nihilistic Rust's pronouncements are; you simply don't hear people arguing we should walk hand-and-hand into extinction on television very often. I've always been of the opinion that when you get down to it, everyone agrees, in their very bones, with Rust. Or, put another way, he is not saying [anything some of us haven't thought before]."

From there, the conversation opens up and features many references to philosophy and teachings. Most importantly, it sheds a great light on the incredible series and proves that fans of the series are in the right to examine the show a bit too far. There are levels to True Detective that we want to understand, and Ennis' evaluation helps.

Read the full interview right here!