‘True Detective’ season 2, episode 2 review: Ray Velcoro’s desperation and despair
“True Detective” aired its season 2 premiere last week, and for the most part it was a nice assemblage of disconnected scenes. Were there great performances? Sure, but it felt throughout almost like we were spinning our wheels until we made it to the murder of Caspar at the end of the episode.
Tonight, the plot thickened, and it gave us more of a sense as to who these investigators are. To us, Colin Farrell really was the star of the hour as Ray Velcoro, whose actions last week with a bully’s father could end up with him losing the chance to spend time with his child. Given that this kid may not even technically be his, he does not have much in the way of leverage. While he was potentially losing his son, Paul (Taylor Kitsch) was losing his girlfriend over the secrets that he has kept. He is a guy desperately in denial over what he has caused, and refuses to let anyone in.
As for the investigation into what happened to Caspar, what we started to really understand here is that he was a man not entirely in the business of helping Frank out. Instead, he did more of a job making him as miserable as humanly possible.
Yet, almost all of this pales in comparison to the biggest move of the entire episode: Potentially killing off Ray in the second episode. Is Colin Farrell really done with this show already? That is a question that you are meant to wonder right now, and honestly, it feels like the show has to do away with him. Otherwise, it is pure bait-and-switch, and as much as we are compelled by his journey and his heartache (much of which is self-inflicted), the show is better than a stunt reserved for daytime drama. For now, we will say that this is a strong episode, but we are reserving a little bit of judgment. Grade: B+.
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Mark Urban
June 29, 2015 @ 12:36 pm
OK! I will be the first to mention it. Caspere and the birdman might have some connection to Bohemian Grove. In the last episode, the Russian River was mentioned – the Bohemian Grove meets at a private retreat on the Russian River every July. The most powerful people in the world begin their 2 week getaway with a ceremony called “The Burning of Dull Care” in front of a 40 foot tall stone owl.
As far as Colin Farrel is concerned, I doubt he is dead. Maybe he wore a vest; or maybe the shotgun was loaded with salt or some non lethal charge; otherwise two direct hits to the abdomen (one at point blank range) would surely put him out of his misery. Without Farrel’s brooding good looks, who else can maintain your morbid interest for one hour a week for 8 weeks? Rubbernecking a gruesome accident can only hold your attention for so long.
The entrenched characters in this drama are all reprehensible and terrible: the alcoholic mayor, The cult leader father, the head of the facility who recognized Antigone as the child of her cult leader father, the corrupt Vinci police officials and the older disheveled detective who partners with Velcoro and sits shotgun over the quonsett hut like facility that houses the slapped together task force investigating Caspere’s death.
I cannot get the music for this third tier of hell production. The last season had that haunting intro music. This season the music lacks the ability to drive the narrative. It hangs there like foul flatulence. The singer at the bar where Velcoro and Semyon meet looks and sounds like she needs her depression meds adjusted, and the scarred barmaid reminds me of those denizens of hell Tim Robbins meets in Jacobs Ladder.
I watch this show with utter fascination that Antigone can show us her porn website obsession and we actually get to see slightly blurred full on penetration.
Redemption in Vinci and greater California in general can only come at the hands of a 10 on the Richter scale quake that dumps California into the Fukushima irradiated Pacific ocean.