While he may not always understand Rust's methods, he believes his partner to be a talented detective with a 'real mind' for police work and respects his commitment. Marty is more conservative than his partner Rustin Cohle and prefers to follow standard procedure when investigating crimes. He takes pride in being able to maintain a healthy work-life balance. In general, Marty is not an egotistical or ambitious man. Marty is usually tasked as the 'lead detective' by his superiors and is often responsible for taking care of the paper work, leading the briefing sessions or speaking to the media. He has earned the trust of his commanding officers and respect from his colleagues. The one thing Marty does manage well is the political aspects of work life. His commanding officer once called him a 'human tampon'. He experiences family turmoil and often comes to work hungover and disheveled from wild sex trysts the night before. Over the course of the first season, Marty is revealed to be almost none of these things. He drinks socially and feels confident he is able to avoid excess. He likes to tell jokes, go out on 'date nights' and fraternize with his co-workers. Marty feels his best work attributes are that he is 'steady', is able to 'manage authority' and 'knows how to talk to people'. Marty is attracted to younger women and struggles with marital infidelity. He longs for his glory days, fretting about losing his hair and turning 40, all of which leads to trouble at home. Marty seems to be experiencing a mid-life crisis during the 1990s and early 2000s. The two detectives reflect on the universal battle between light and dark. Rust received a new faith in life and managed to be optimistic about the future. After the two healed, they left, with Rust informing Martin of his near-death experiences and him feeling a connection to his dead daughter. While healing up at the hospital, Hart breaks down into tears when Maggie and their daughters visit him. Rust and Martin pursued Childress and were both wounded, but Rust managed to kill him with a shot to the head. The two make their way to Errol Childress, a vile and big part of the case. The two reconnected due to Rust's continuing pursuit of the Yellow King case. The two had a falling out and wouldn't speak again until 2012. The two worked various cases, mostly revolving around the Yellow King cases together until 2002, when Cohle had sex with Martin's wife. Marty was partnered with Rustin Cohle in 1995. Mart y is a gregarious and affable police detective who thinks of himself as a 'regular type dude.with a big-ass dick.' He was a sports star at USL and was married to Maggie Hart, presumably at a young age.

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