That's it, I give up. Any delusions I had of a second half come back for this season of "True Detective" went down the drain last night, along with Ani's dinner. One thing "True Detective" has always had going for it is its distinct tone. This isn't your normal crime drama; it's a gothic noir with some heavy doses of nihilistic existentialism thrown in for good measure. That's something we never really saw on television before last year. You felt it in the swampy bayous of Louisiana last season and you felt it soaring high above the freeways of L.A. early this season.
But last night's episode "Church in Ruins" erased any hope I had for season two's redemption. Forget the fact that Colin Farrell is the only cast member pulling his weight, disregard the numerous stumbles and poor decisions made by Vince Vaughn's Frank and please be sure to blank when you try to recall that no one in this show has a fully developed character that we actually care about. Just focus on the undercover scene last night which was meant to be tense and layered but came across as a poor man's "This is your Brain on Drugs" PSA. Unintentional hilarity. Ridiculousness dressed up as prestige drama. I'd weep for how far "True Detective" has fallen if I wasn't laughing so hard.
If that is the best Pizzolatto can do this year than color me unimpressed.
The same goes for Frank's wannabe criminal mastermind. The show opens with his heated pow-wow with Ray who found out last week that he took retribution on the wrong man after the attack on his wife. "I sold my soul for nothing," Farrell cries. Frank promises him that it wasn't a setup, that he was acting on information he believed to be accurate. If true, how moronic can Frank be? You just accepted this as fact without any proof or double checking? I wasn't that lazy on homework assignments as a sugar-addled elementary student, yet Frank sure seems nonchalant about life and death matters. Way to run your organization, bro.
Frank is, however, a quick study of the human condition. "That choice was in you already," he tells Ray. This gets to the core of Ray's character. Is he a good or bad man? Did his wife's attack liberate something rotten that was already present inside of him? I don't think even Ray knows the honest answer to that question at this point.
The two end on a rickety alliance, "You might be one of the last friends I got," Frank tells him. "Wouldn't that be f***ed up?" Ray answers. Indeed it would.
Later, Frank and his wife go to visit Stan's wife and kid .What's that, you don't remember who Stan is? Stan was the dead guy who worked in Frank's crew who was literally never mentioned until he turned up dead. Effective storytelling right there.
"Sometimes a thing happen that splits your life. There's a before and an after," Frank says to Stan's grieving son. "Pain makes you a better man." Frank isn't completely wrong, it's true that tragedy breeds resiliency in many cases. But his world view is so skewed that it's hard to take him serious. It's like he's talking more about himself than the kid.
He'll need to heed his own advice if he's going to survive this season. In looking for Irena, who may be in possession of Caspere's black mail hard drive, Frank needs to enlist the help of the gang bangers he blew off in the club last week. Once again, he's dealing from a position of weakness. He offers them a sweet deal to help, only for them to slit the poor girl's throat because she was working with Teague Dixon. Now Frank's on the hook with virtually nothing to show for it. Yet another example of Frank's poor decision making. He's neither competent nor interesting at this point.
Ray, meanwhile, struggles through an awkward supervised visit with his son Chad. He makes an attempt at a heart to heart with him but it isn't exactly reciprocated. Afterwards, Ray immediately returns to his old vices. Booze, coke, etc. He's trying to numb himself. I guess the real world is just a bit too real for him. He trashes his apartment and calls his ex-wife. He promises to drop the custody battle and leave their lives forever if she promises not to tell Chad who his real father is. She agrees.
Ani and Paul are following up on other aspects of the case. Ani is running point on the bloody crime scene found in the woods last week. It seems to be the same bird-masked killer we've come to know absolutely nothing about. Can't say this villain is that exciting. Last year, "True Detective" did a great job of slowly but surely building up the Lawnmower Man and the "Yellow King" cult. We got a bit more of their story with each passing episode. This year, I know as much about our killer as I do quantum physics. Why should I be interested in solving this crime if the show doesn't seem too concerned with it?
Paul is tracking down the $2.5 million in stolen diamonds. I'd expand more on this but I'm not really sure I understand why it's important yet. We've already got a clear connection between Caspere, Mayor Chessani's son and Dr. Pitlor with the sex parties and what not. Why throw in stolen diamonds? My head hurts.
Ani is prepping for the party with some quick knife play. "I just don't understand why you work so hard to be alone," her sister says. Well, we're about to find out.
Paul and Ray follow undercover Ani to the party, which is essentially an upscale orgy. The girls are given "almost pure molly" upon arrival. In her drugged out haze, Ani has flashbacks to her childhood and it's revealed that she was sexually assaulted at a young age. Now we know why she works so hard to be alone. But I have a problem with this for a few reasons.
1. Why not tell us this earlier? This is a big reveal for her character and explains a lot about her belief system. Had it been delivered in, say, episode two or three I would have been much more sympathetic and understanding towards Ani. But it loses its impact coming in episode six, when I've already given up on finding something actually human in her.
2. Drug induced visions are not a new storytelling tactic for television. They can be used to stylistically and effectively reveal character truths, like the new series "Mr. Robot" does, or they can come off as forced and disingenuous. Which category do you think last night's scene fell into? Flashy colors and lens filters don't make you a visionary. Her whole "trip" felt cliché.
This was the worst undercover mission ever. Ani finds the missing girl she's been searching for since episode one, but she also (probably) kills a dude with a knife and makes a complete mess of the situation. You think this organization is going to stick its head out now? You have a better chance of catching Keyser Soze.
Bad characters, bad acting, an insufferably convoluted plot, inexplicable decisions, misplaced focus. All of these issues have plagued season two of "True Detective" in my opinion. I'll stick around for the final two episodes but I'm getting closer and closer to officially chalking this season up as an L.
