I'd ignored it for the entire first season and a bit because it was based on a Stephen King story, and I'm really not a King fan.
And see, I am a King fan, but that book drove me round the bend, so when I vaguely heard something was coming out based on it, I didn't follow up. The characters and the setting of the book were enjoyable, but the plot and its ham-handed, lectur-y meta implications bugged the crap out of me. Basically, it presents an intriguing premise, upon which are piled twist after twist, and it gets so mysterious and impossible that you wonder where the hell it could be going--and then it turns out it isn't going anywhere, and you shouldn't expect anything to add up, be resolved, or otherwise make sense, apparently that's not a storyteller's job so shut up about it, the end. And I was like...STEPHEN KING, JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE WAY BETTER AT BEGINNINGS AND MIDDLES THAN ENDINGS, DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET A FREE PASS TO TORMENT ME AND SCOFF AT MY DESIRE FOR A UNIFIED STORY.
*cough* ANYway, I felt burned by that, and more, I think it's an unfortunate sinkhole that some TV shows end up falling into--the Eternal Middle, where new beginnings/mysteries keep piling on because those are cool and interesting and attention-getting, but the old conglomeration of mysteries are never resolved or woven together. Like Lost or The X-Files, for just two instances, but it unfortunately happens all the time. So I was afraid that a show "based on" that particular book would subscribe to that particular mindset, and no thanks.
However! Once I listened to you peoples and actually watched it, I felt much better. I'd say it's "inspired by" Colorado Kid rather than "based on"--it has the setting, the mood, and modified versions of the characters, which were the things I actually liked about the book. But it doesn't seem to be subscribing to the Eternal Middle where new mysteries are constantly introduced but old ones are never resolved. Like, in Haven, some questions are indeed answered, not just covered up with new questions. And the old questions-and-answers are part of everyone's memory, part of the history of the story being told, they don't just disappear because the writers wrote themselves into a hole. And characters die sometimes, or leave, or change and grow (in good ways or even in bad).
the hints we get dropped throughout that they may be antagonistic, but they've been pretty close parts of each other's lives for a pretty long time
In rewatching and whatnot, I was reminded that as recently as "a couple of years ago," Nathan would still go out fishing with Duke (and Duke would want him to!). But then it turned out that Duke was using him as cover for a smuggling op, so that Nathan could flash his badge in case they got stopped. Nathan took exception to this, and they fist-fought for an hour--which is when Nathan's Trouble returned.
I find that interesting, partly for how recently they still hung out together (without needing an Audrey to smack their heads and make them), partly for how sudden and violent the (most recent) break was...and partly for the idea that Nathan's Trouble came back precisely while he was fighting with Duke, and the way that that must have made the fight and the break so much worse. Doesn't Nathan finish that story with something like "And he didn't even care"? (e.g. about Nathan's Trouble returning while fighting Duke--which an angry/frightened Nathan might have even subconsciously *blamed* on Duke.)
I also think that in order to feel deeply betrayed by someone, you had to have deeply trusted them in the first place. And in order to feel deeply upset that someone didn't care, you had to have expected they would've cared. So there are all kinds of backstory implications in there for sure.
And really, the town and the show are full of fascinating backstory hints in general. Like you say, Dave--and Vince, too!--started out seeming so cuddly and avuncular, but since then we've seen them both be actively frightening (remember when Vince ran into Max Hanson? Brrrr!), as well as willingly hiding dark secrets and biding their time. And I find it interesting, too, the way that we're shown how in public they're the genial Teagues Brothers, but in private they're often practically at each others' throats, over troubling things we don't always know the half of.
I look forward to seeing more of it. Especially if this season Nathan would kindly take his shirt off plz thx. :D (Why should Duke have all the exhibitionism fun?)
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And see, I am a King fan, but that book drove me round the bend, so when I vaguely heard something was coming out based on it, I didn't follow up. The characters and the setting of the book were enjoyable, but the plot and its ham-handed, lectur-y meta implications bugged the crap out of me. Basically, it presents an intriguing premise, upon which are piled twist after twist, and it gets so mysterious and impossible that you wonder where the hell it could be going--and then it turns out it isn't going anywhere, and you shouldn't expect anything to add up, be resolved, or otherwise make sense, apparently that's not a storyteller's job so shut up about it, the end. And I was like...STEPHEN KING, JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE WAY BETTER AT BEGINNINGS AND MIDDLES THAN ENDINGS, DOESN'T MEAN YOU GET A FREE PASS TO TORMENT ME AND SCOFF AT MY DESIRE FOR A UNIFIED STORY.
*cough* ANYway, I felt burned by that, and more, I think it's an unfortunate sinkhole that some TV shows end up falling into--the Eternal Middle, where new beginnings/mysteries keep piling on because those are cool and interesting and attention-getting, but the old conglomeration of mysteries are never resolved or woven together. Like Lost or The X-Files, for just two instances, but it unfortunately happens all the time. So I was afraid that a show "based on" that particular book would subscribe to that particular mindset, and no thanks.
However! Once I listened to you peoples and actually watched it, I felt much better. I'd say it's "inspired by" Colorado Kid rather than "based on"--it has the setting, the mood, and modified versions of the characters, which were the things I actually liked about the book. But it doesn't seem to be subscribing to the Eternal Middle where new mysteries are constantly introduced but old ones are never resolved. Like, in Haven, some questions are indeed answered, not just covered up with new questions. And the old questions-and-answers are part of everyone's memory, part of the history of the story being told, they don't just disappear because the writers wrote themselves into a hole. And characters die sometimes, or leave, or change and grow (in good ways or even in bad).
the hints we get dropped throughout that they may be antagonistic, but they've been pretty close parts of each other's lives for a pretty long time
In rewatching and whatnot, I was reminded that as recently as "a couple of years ago," Nathan would still go out fishing with Duke (and Duke would want him to!). But then it turned out that Duke was using him as cover for a smuggling op, so that Nathan could flash his badge in case they got stopped. Nathan took exception to this, and they fist-fought for an hour--which is when Nathan's Trouble returned.
I find that interesting, partly for how recently they still hung out together (without needing an Audrey to smack their heads and make them), partly for how sudden and violent the (most recent) break was...and partly for the idea that Nathan's Trouble came back precisely while he was fighting with Duke, and the way that that must have made the fight and the break so much worse. Doesn't Nathan finish that story with something like "And he didn't even care"? (e.g. about Nathan's Trouble returning while fighting Duke--which an angry/frightened Nathan might have even subconsciously *blamed* on Duke.)
I also think that in order to feel deeply betrayed by someone, you had to have deeply trusted them in the first place. And in order to feel deeply upset that someone didn't care, you had to have expected they would've cared. So there are all kinds of backstory implications in there for sure.
And really, the town and the show are full of fascinating backstory hints in general. Like you say, Dave--and Vince, too!--started out seeming so cuddly and avuncular, but since then we've seen them both be actively frightening (remember when Vince ran into Max Hanson? Brrrr!), as well as willingly hiding dark secrets and biding their time. And I find it interesting, too, the way that we're shown how in public they're the genial Teagues Brothers, but in private they're often practically at each others' throats, over troubling things we don't always know the half of.
I look forward to seeing more of it. Especially if this season Nathan would kindly take his shirt off plz thx. :D (Why should Duke have all the
exhibitionismfun?)