Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. True Detective‘s second season hasn’t quite hit its stride yet, but it’s definitely showing signs of improvement. “Night Finds You” had more narrative momentum than did last week’s premiere, plus it boasted a jaw-dropping surprise of an ending, one that quite literally sneaks up on you.
I think one of the difficulties Nic Pizzolatto is having with the show this time around is in its setting. He, along with season one director Cary Joji Fukunaga, had a great visual command of Louisiana and its labyrinth of bayous and deltas. California is a tougher nut to crack. No matter how many aerial shots of the highway True Detective uses (and it uses a lot), it still doesn’t feel at home on the West Coast yet. Part of that is geographic obfuscation: I have no idea where Vinci is supposed to be. People keep talking about central California, and Ventura County is clearly close by, but guys, Ventura County is not central California. Central California is, like, Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, those kinds of shitholes. And Frank spends a lot of time in Los Angeles this episode; if they’re supposed to be in central CA, that’s about a three-hour drive. But I digress.
“Night Finds You” finally put things into motion, which was fun to watch, but ultimately frustrating because the second half moves so much slower than the first. (Also, Paul disappears for the middle third of the episode. There’s a lot of math involved in my reviews.) Ray and Ani take lead on the investigation, with Ray unaware that both Ani and Paul are under orders to get dirt on him to help the State Attorney’s case against the city of Vinci. Ray and Ani talk to the usual assortment of corrupt city officials, while noirish trumpets croon on the soundtrack. It’s going well, and it looks like Pizzolatto is going to embrace this new formula, but then Ray and Ani have – or attempt to have – one of True Detective‘s signature car conversations. I hate to keep going back to season one comparisons, but this worked consistently well with Rust and Marty because they were both opinionated men who barely liked each other, and could also never shut up. Ray isn’t exactly a chatterbox, and Ani doesn’t say shit. She’s monosyllabic a lot of the time, but it does lead to this funny exchange:
Ray: You know that old saying about flies and honey?
Ani: The fuck do I want a bunch of flies for?
If anyone is coming into their role the most, it’s Vince Vaughn. He gets to start the episode with what is essentially a five-minute monologue, a horrifying story from Frank’s past. Vaughn does good work with it, his voice steady and unwavering, his eyes looking drawn. He looks haunted. Vaughn’s 6’5″ height helps sell the role too (along with the huge amount of weight he’s apparently lost). Frank got seriously screwed over by Caspere’s death, and stands to lose a lot of money. Now, this isn’t exactly new character motivation: career criminal trying to go straight finds himself pushed back into the underworld. We’ve seen it. But let’s not forget that at its core True Detective is a cop show with a literature degree, so I’ll save any criticism of Frank’s motivation until I see what it forces him to do.
So, let’s talk about the ending (I know my reviews of this show are a bit scattered, but I’m assuming you’ve read the show if your’e here, and do you really want me to rehash the whole plot?). Ray, acting on a tip orders from Frank, goes to check out Caspere’s apartment in Hollywood. For his troubles, he ends up on the wrong end of a shotgun wielded by the man with the bird mask from last week. Just to be safe, Bird Mask shoots Ray a second time. It’s a “holy shit” moment, the kind that I admit I’m a sucker for. Did this show just kill off a main character in its second episode? Colin Farrell is top billed. I remember seeing promotional material that had scenes with Farrell that we haven’t seen yet, but so what? That doesn’t mean anything until it means something.
“Night Finds You” was a better episode than the premiere, but it was far from perfect. The pacing was uneven between its two halves, and the show’s creator is still figuring out his setting. But the ending was enough to keep me coming back; it’s the kind of ending that says the show isn’t fucking around. Here’s hoping it isn’t.
A Few Thoughts
- Did you guys see that picture of the dirty judge shaking hands with George W. Bush? Subtle
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Speaking of subtle, Vinci is apparently the biggest air polluter in the state. CAUSE EVERYONE IS DIRTY
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Was it weird to anyone else to hear Paul call someone a faggot?
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Another difference between Pizzolatto’s command of Louisiana and California can be heard in the opening credits songs. Season one used “Far From Any Road” by the Handsome Family; it was lush, humid, thick like molasses. Season two uses “Nevermind” by Leonard Cohen; it’s dry and dark. Last year we drowned in the swamp, now we’re choking in the desert
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I’m already prepared to go down the True Detective rabbit hole. Goddamnit. Re reading my notes, I was apparently very interested in the amount of Mexican beer on display. “Ray: Modelo. Ani’s partner: Corona. Tecate sign in bar.” I can guarantee this means nothing
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Lastly, here are the most True Detective-y lines from “Night Finds You”:
“Like everything’s made of papier-mache”
“Am I diminished?”
“The young man here, he got a dynamite anecdote”
“I had a right, by any natural law”
“All kinds of secrets in the world. All kinds of truth”
“The world will turn, uncaring of our struggles”
“Who the fuck am I supposed to be?”
“Everybody’s got the one option, if you want it bad enough”
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