‘Frankly, I’m apoplectic’
Spoilers everywhere from here on out….
It feels as if True Detective has finally tapped into some of the elements that made the first season such an incredible one to watch as a new director has brought a fresh aesthetic.
This being said, I’m starting to get the impression that Ben Caspere’s death might be something that not everyone wants solved. The three main characters are finally working together but it seems like Paul, Ani and Ray’s superiors will do anything to drive them apart.
The city of Vinci is becoming as polluted, murky and toxic as the smog that emanates from the factories but the most recent episode was a welcome attempt at swathing through it.
‘Maybe you lacked grit’
The big reveal, Ballykissangel’s most famous son lives on and I’m incredibly happy to see it. Farrell has been the best part of the season so far and I was delighted to learn that the extent of his injuries were just a few cracked ribs and some pissed jeans.
His survival though did act an instant catalyst to this episodes main narrative theme, is solving this case the top priority for most people? Ray’s first discussion with Ani planted the idea that treachery was afoot by saying that was shot with riot shells ‘the type that cops use’.
The very next scene saw Ray’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Kevin Burris, trying to takeover the crime scene and undermine Ani before she has even stepped foot in the building. Vinci P.D clearly doesn’t trust her but the feeling is mutual for Ani’s commanding officer, Katherine Davis towards Mr Velcoro.
They seem more interested in digging up dirt on Ray than solving the case. They even went so far as to ask Ani to jeopardize her integrity as a detective by giving Ray the impression that he can bed her. This being said, I can see a burgeoning chemistry between the scared Ani and the unstable Ray.
The same sneaky tactics are being used by the cartoonish Mayor of Vinci who loathes Ani with every inch of his booze drenched body. The scene in his house though was one of those small moments that harked back to some of this seasons cinematic references, mainly Chinatown and David Lynch’s abstract masterpiece Mullholand Drive.
That opening scene with Farrell and his father was vintage Twin Peaks.
The case has finally brought the three characters together but external pressures are also forcing them to form a dysfunctional team as they’re trying to support each other like ‘a cheerleader on an oil-rig’.
Conversations about e-cigarettes are just as important as Ray trowing Ani out of the way of an 18-wheeler.
It’s not just bureaucrats and suits that are helping to foster this siege mentality among our True Detective’s though. Ani’s clingy ex-boyfriend forced her into delivering this scathing comeback “you talk to me to me like that again, you’re going to need a doggy bag to carry your teeth home”, Ray’s estranged wife appeared again in an an effort to buy his silence while Paul’s repressed sexuality is clearly taking its toll on his state of mind.
There’s still some friction in this team but we finally got to see some actual detective work taking place.
This entire season so far reminds me of an iconic quote from arguably the greatest TV show of all-time, The Wire. “You follow drugs, you get drug addicts and drug dealers. But you start to follow the money, and you don’t know where the fuck it’s gonna take you”. The detectives are doing their work but there’s plenty more to do.
The mystery remains. What links a dead body, the shady Catalyst group, Hollywood suits, one gangster that has everything to lose and three damaged detectives that are finally starting to work together? The case goes on.
Case notes
- The way that the foot-chase at the end was shot and choreographed, reminded me of the scene in the first season when Marty and Rust stormed the projects. It wasn’t as good as that one but it’s a step in the right direction.
- It seems that a wounded Frank is acting in the only way that he knows how, by lashing out. Whether that involves squeezing some extra cash from his subordinates, picking verbal fights with his missus or engaging in absolutely brutal fights with his fellow gangsters, he’s a man on the warpath.
- Rachel McAdams’ character still needs ‘that moment’ in my opinion. I understand that she’s tough and headstrong but Ani feels like she’s still underdeveloped at this moment.
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