"It’s never too late to start all over”. These are the words of officer Bezzerides, directed at a newly de-mustachioed Ray Velcoro. I support Bezzerides optimism, but I’m skeptical of the logic behind that statement. Episode five of an eight episode season seems like a bad place to start over, especially when it doesn’t really feel like the investigation, or this season of True Detective, has even really begun.
This line is delivered in a scene which was set up at the behest of the State Attorney. Prompted by some shady political timing surrounding the election of the next governor of California and the Vinci massacre (last week’s shootout), the State Attorney has reopened a confidential investigation into the murder of Ben Caspere. She enlists Bezzerides, Woodrugh and Velcoro. Velcoro seems reluctant at first, but is quickly convinced once he is promised help winning custody of his child. In other words, the team is back together! I have to admit, this seems downright lazy, and a little too unbelievable to be taken seriously. I spoke in detail about character motivations earlier in the show, but to have these three detectives join a new investigation is very deus ex machina. In other words, the motivations they may have had as real believable people are pretty much non-existent at this point in the show. My guess is that we're supposed to assume that since they endured the trauma of the shootout together, they feel a bond. This just isn't conveyed, and thus doesn't stand on its own as a reason for anything. They are simply vehicles to push a plot along that, frankly, has become more convoluted and spread out than I could’ve imagined. Who’s that guy running for governor? Why should I care? Oh that missing person Bezzerides totally forgot about for four episodes is suddenly an important lead in the case? That’s all pretty convenient. If I’m being honest, I couldn’t contain a laugh when Bezzerides uttered the fateful line to Velcoro. The tail has officially begun to wag the dog. Take me back to the locked room.
Speaking of honesty, I need to be upfront with you and say that this episode was not an enjoyable experience for me. [pauses]. Ok let me be more direct and “share”, like Bezzerides: I found this episode lacking in both the length and girth department. It failed to deliver when the plot (and season) needed a dynamic episode most. I was able to forgive last week’s episode for its shortcomings because it seemed that a we had finally achieved some momentum, in the form of a shoot out. Instead, this week, characters fell onto predictable tracks (the lone possible exception being Velcoro), MAJOR leads and case breaks appeared out of thin air (plot lagging? Ok, let’s bring the missing girl back!), characters changed their whole psyches on a dime, the worst dialogue of the season was uttered, and, again, the “team” is reassembled under dubious circumstances. We’re back at the beginning and the only thing that’s changed is the facial hair on one of our characters. There's no nice way to say this, but the episode was flat. When Rust Cohle mentioned that time was a flat circle in season one, I doubt he meant that five episodes into season two, we would circle right back to where we started.
In Pizzolatto’s defense, he did have a similar “interlude” of sorts in season one. But there are major differences here. True that the interlude in season one was also caused by the case’s premature “closing”, but that’s essentially where the similarities end. The interlude in season one sent Rust Cohle searching for more answers, and Hart searching for meaning in his crumbling marriage and life. The two characters broke apart, and then gradually came back together over several years, under increasingly strange yet believable circumstances. None of those intricacies are present this season. Instead we get an interlude (this episode jumps slightly forward in time after the shootout) and no real reason for everyone coming back together. Am I finally starting to get worn down by all the negative reviews of season two? Or is this a case of a story which is trying to prop itself up on the same formula that worked before, only to buckle under the weight of too many plot holes and too many characters? Sadly, I think it’s the latter. But I’m optimistic (somehow)! Season two still has three episodes left! [Note: I also mentioned that we need subheadings for seasons of True Detective. Until further notice, I’m going to personally refer to season two as “True Detective: The Broody Bunch"].
Looking for things to look forward to? Glad you asked! The conversation where Bezzerides speaks her line to Velcoro seems like a step in the right direction. I suspect that the two major plot points that will drive the remainder of the season’s action came out during this scene. The first being the State Attorney’s special investigation. The second is much more disconcerting news for Velcoro: the State Attorney reveals to Velcoro that a few weeks ago his wife’s rapist was caught and convicted. This leads to the best moment of the episode.
Now as far as I can remember I’ve never personally witnessed someone’s entire life - the sins that burdened them, the small victories that sustained them and the decisions that ruined them - melt away in a matter of seconds, but Colin Farrell’s manic mix of nodding, crying, and smirking was simply breathtaking (I mean that literally, I held my breath as the truth sunk in on Velcoro’s face). Flattened by the realization that years ago he murdered an innocent man due to information delivered by Frank Semyon, I doubt it’s a coincidence that the very next shot is a speeding train. Ruining your marriage because you killed a man is one thing, but killing the wrong man? How could you go on living? For all of the flaws in season two, and there have been many, Colin Farrell’s portrayal of Velcoro has been consistently captivating television (I would also argue that Vaughn has been better than many critics have given him credit for, but we've covered that). I also don’t think it’s a coincidence that Velcoro immediately goes to take out his frustrations and beat the botox out of poor Dr. Pitlor. I don’t blame him, I would do the same thing. Even if that means that in the short term less “8’s” will be turned into “10’s”.
Yes, Doctor Pitlor has returned. I should probably do a quick run down of the plot and where the case stands at this point, but I’m going to enjoy it about as much as Woodrugh enjoys letting his mother-in-law sleep on the couch. Forgive me if this comes across as banal, but honestly I kept shrugging (¯\_(ツ)_/¯) as I typed the following paragraph.
Velcoro, currently employed by Frank Semyon as a security guard, needs to solve the Caspere case to get the support of the State Attorney in his child custody hearing. The State Attorney wants the special investigation because she’s convinced that Caspere’s death is somehow connected to the next governor election. She’s likely right, as there’s a high possibility that Franky Semyon’s hard earned mob money somehow wound up funding the campaign. Semyon tries to strong arm an executive at the Catalyst group for some reason (remember them? They owned a bunch of light rail land plots, as well as Caspere’s sex house). Semyon is told by the Catalyst executive that if he finds the hard drive containing the sex tapes Caspere used to blackmail politicians, Semyon can have his plots of land back. Things are going well with Semyon who worked things out with his wife (adoption!)...except Mexican gang members are probably going to kill him, if Velcoro doesn’t get to him first (because of the whole “you ruined my life and made me murder someone” thing). Woodrugh is bored, and his mom stole all of his money from Iraq, so he joins the investigation (The “Warrior God” is back!). Bezzerides is bored too, relegated to evidence handling following her sexual harassment case (the most boring and unnecessary subplot of the season thus far). So she decides to find out more about the case and uncovers some connection to the missing girl, her sister, sex clubs, and blue diamonds which have mysteriously vanished. Oh, also Teague (R.I.P.), when he wasn’t being flatulent and drinking bourbon, was apparently looking for more information on the blue diamonds. This lends some credibility to the suspicion that Teague AND Mayor Chessani knew the meth house was a set up. Diamonds, sex tapes, plots of land, and (possibly) snuff films. Ok, we're caught up (and essentially right where we were after episode 3).
Velcoro’s motivation at this point is still the most interesting, and the simplest of all the characters: win custody of his child from his surprisingly dense wife. Seriously, how could she not put two and two together and realize that Velcoro DID murder someone, just not the RIGHT someone? If I were Velcoro I’d simply point out this lack of intelligence in the next custody hearing...except for the whole murder thing. Ok scratch that, back to the custody drawing board. But first, he needs to find out whether or not Semyon willingly gave him bad intel on the identity of the man who raped his wife in order to keep him in his pocket.
So where does that leave us? The politics of the case bore me, Bezzerides tries her best but not even ditching her e-cig for the real deal due to PTSD is going to make me interested in her as a character (although I have a feeling someone is meeting the pointy end of her mother’s knife next episode), and I love Riggins more than Velcoro seems to love Woodrugh, but wake me up after they finally reveal the atrocities Woodrugh committed overseas. We know it’s coming, and I’m not interested in the details. I’m a Semyon apologist, even though he is just an overly-verbose “gangster” (sorry Franky) in too deep. Characters and plot aside, the one thing that could’ve really kept my interest is the one thing that Pizzolatto seems hell-bent (or should I say, R’lyeh-bent) on keeping out of the season: our good friend H.P. Lovecraft! In other words, some mysterious, unexplained phenomena! Oh well, we still have three episodes left, right?
I, for one, think Pizzolatto is a great writer, and the direction on the show thus far has been nothing short of superb (save some strange editing in the scene with Frank and his wife in this episode). I have faith Pizzolatto and company will at least make the events leading up to the finale interesting, which is essentially all I’m holding onto at this point. Although I must admit I am slightly terrified that something like "one of the detectives is the killer!" or "Velcoro has been dead the whole time!" may happen. In which case, I reserve the right to delete this entire blog.
Aside from my slim blind hope, at this point it's safe to say Velcoro is the main reason I’m optimistic about the three remaining episodes. Not only is he the most enjoyable character to watch week-to-week, but he also had a premonition of his death in episode three. Seeing Velcoro’s last hurrah in a shootout in the woods is ammunition enough for me to continue watching. It may never be too late to start all over, but I think it’s finally safe to say it’s certainly too late for this season to be as good as the first one.