True Detective Season 2 Episode 3, Maybe Tomorrow

Paging David Lynch!  The episode opens with an Elvis-like impersonator in aquamarine suit singing Conway Twitty’s version of “The Rose” under a single spotlight.  Ray watches from his usual booth at the seedy bar.  Across from him sits an old man in police uniform who notes, “You got your father’s hands.”  The old man continues with a non-sequitor about a dream he had of running though the trees being chased by men who kill Ray.  Ray asks his father, “Where is this?”  His dad sighs,  “I don’t know, you’re here first.”

Returning to the crime scene, Ray lies on the floor motionless, “The Rose” plays in the background.  Suddenly, he gasps.  He’s alive!  (I had a feeling they weren’t going to really kill off a major character after two episodes.)  The crime scene is swarming with activity and we learn Ray is alive because the shots were rubber pellets used by police to break up crowds.  Ray’s scratched up, but okay.  Ani reads Ray the riot act for going to the scene alone.  A special Vinci task force shows up to the crime scene. (Even though the house was in Hollywood.)  Ani surveys the scene and notes the soundproof walls.

Frank looks pained as his wife gives him oral attention at the doctor’s office.  Jordon is angry he’s not able to perform and he’s not taking her desire for a child seriously. Frank explodes, “My whole life right now is life and death importance! It’s unnatural!”  He adds his sperm were deemed normal and the problem is hers, not his.  His wife is understandably upset as he storms out.

Paul and Ani are partnered due to Ray’s injury.  Paul notes Caspere and the Catalast Corporation are linked. Ani asks Paul about the actress’s allegations against him. Paul is very defensive and threatens to get out of the vehicle. (And walk along the LA freeway? Right!)  Ani explains she’s just concerned if the exposure from the case will hamper the investigation.  Paul calms down and makes a snarky comment about Ani’s vaping habit.  It may be the most interesting thing about her.

Frank and Ray meet at the dingy bar.  Ray asks, “Who else knew about the location?” Ray is livid and thinks Frank walked him into a trap.  Ray demands to know what other business he and Caspere had.  They toss around the word “apoplectic” which is an old fashioned term for stroke.  This vocabulary extravagance seems to add another layer of the artifice of this show.  I don’t personally know many burned out cops and gangsters, but I doubt they banter using 19^th century words.  Ray is drinking water because he “Wants to feel his anger.” (Which the alcohol would numb.)  Ray notes there was a video recording of his shooting and undoubtedly other crimes.  Ray leaves in disgust. The scarred waitress asks what’s wrong with Ray, and Frank deadpans, “Someone murdered him.”

Ani and Paul arrive at the mayor of Vinci’s Bel Aire mansion.  Ani identifies herself as “State Police.” (Still confusing, Paul is highway patrol and Ani is Sheriff, I understand this is a special investigation, but they still would have to be truthful in stating which department they are from.) A haggard looking blonde in a gold gown and Russian accent answers the door.  She looks disinterested as Paul brings up the phone records indicating numerous calls to the residence. She huffs a mysterious gas from a plastic container, “Medicine, for my eyes!” she explains.  The house looks like it’s in the throws of a hangover.  The woman says she’s been married to the mayor for about a year and they met at “a party.”  A woman jumps off a balcony into the pool below followed by the yelling of a man upstairs.  Ani ventures upstairs and meets a scantly clad man.  The man is the mayor’s son, an “event organizer” and orders Ani and Paul out.

Ray gets a check up from a doctor.  His liver is failing and his habits are wreaking havoc on his body, but his most recent injury is minor.  He’s cleared to go back to work.  The doctor asks him pointedly, “Do you want to live?”

Frank visits a construction site to intimidate the boss.  Frank notes their history of “quid pro quo” deals and offers veiled threats if the man doesn’t keep paying him. Frank is broke and a little desperate.

Ani and Paul go to empty Caspere’s security deposit box.  It contains several documents regarding LLC’s and some blue diamonds.  It’s mentioned, again, Caspere was deeply involved in the Catalast Corporation.

Ani and Ray split up to visit and debrief their respective bosses.  Ani meets with the D.A. Davis who is eager to expose Velcoro as a dirty cop.  Ray meets with the irate mayor who refers to Ani by crude word for female anatomy.  The mayor wants the Caspere case closed, and preferably using the “hooker/pimp” angle.  Davis tells Ani if she can “get” Velcoro, she’ll get a bonus.  Exasperated, Ray tells the mayor, “I’m not Colombo!”  To which the mayor responds, “Do you believe this guy?”

Ani goes back to the Sheriff’s office where she encounters the man she was sleeping with in the first episode.  She abruptly breaks up with him, displaying her aversion to men.  The deputy notes, “You got problems!” Ani retorts, “And I’m whittling them down.” (By dumping him.) Her partner Elvis is there to give Ani moral support.

Prompted by his near death experience, Ray visits his father.  He helps his father drink whiskey and delivers some herbal medicine.  Ray tells him he had a “dream” about him.  He fishes his father’s old badge, which has been encapsulated in plastic, out of the trash.  It seems the old man routinely throw it away.  His father waxes nostalgic about the “good old days” under the infamous L.A. police chief Darryl Gates, back when “real police work” could be done.  His father notes he retired with “Half a pension.”  He must have been dirty too.  His dad adds, “This ain’t no country for white men!”

Osip meets with Frank at the casino.  He tells Frank he’s heading to Las Vegas to explore other business options.  Frank wishes him a sarcastic “Bon Voyage!” and calls him some racial and ethnic epitaphs behind his back.  Frank speaks to his cronies, wondering if Osip possibly had something to do with Caspere’s murder.

Paul and a friend watch some monster truck show.  They were in the war together and the friend asks why Paul doesn’t attend support group meetings anymore. (For PTSD?) Paul responds he’s just trying to forget.  The friend states he’s working on becoming an electrician but he misses the excitement of combat.  Paul gets upset, were these too a little more then friends in the desert?

Back at the Quonset hut, Paul reports they have CCT of the Cadillac used to transport Caspere’s body.  The car was stolen from a film being shot in Vinci.  Ray and Ani visit the film set to ask if anybody recognizes Caspere.  They learn from a set photographer he liked to attend parties with “industry” types.  Caspere’s office manager meets them on the set to bring them tax documents.

Frank is fuming in his office, wondering where his associate Stan is.  Another lackey informs him, Stan is dead.  Frank views Stan’s body, which is in a box in a large warehouse facility.  Frank yells at the his assembled crew, “Who is after me?”  Frank orders a meeting be set up with rival organizations.

Paul speaks to the street prostitutes, showing them a picture of Caspere. (I’m not an expert on prostitutes but it seems the wealthier client would not go to the street to look for entertainment, but would use the Internet as to be less visible.) Paul stands in front of a billboard for “American Sniper.”  A song plays about killers, as Paul watches a male “angel” give oral services behind fence nearby.  Paul finally finds a male hustler who’s seen Caspere and says he frequented a nearby club.  He states Paul, with his “angsty cop vibe,” probably wouldn’t get into the club.  Paul has a hard time making eye contact with the man.

Ani is at Ray’s house.  Ray’s ex-wife is at the door.  She speaks to him outside, imploring him to take ten thousand dollars in cash and leave town because internal affairs is close to making their case against him.  Ray is disgusted she thought he would relinquish his custody rights for money.  He seems unconcerned about his own fate.  The ex and her husband leave in the Volvo.  Ray returns inside to Ani and they get back to work on the case.

Paul and the hustler are in Frank’s former club.  Paul speaks to another male prostitute about Caspere.  The man states Caspere liked to go to parties and watch rather then participate.

Frank meets with rival gangs.  He asks them about Stan and who wants to “Fuck with him!” The various leaders plead ignorance. The “Fuck You” grill man challenges Frank, calling him a weak has-been.  Frank prepares to fight him, telling the man, “You can leave your rings on!”  They engage in a fistfight, which Frank surprisingly wins.  At the end of the fight, Frank asks for some pliers to remove the man’s gold grill, saying, “I hate those things, what a way to greet the world!”  Ouch and yuck!

Ani and Ray go to visit the man who quit the movie set prior to the Cadillac’s theft. The man claims he quit to take care of his mother and denies stealing the car.  An explosion booms behind them, and Ray investigates to see their car is burning.  A masked man in a hoodie is across the street and Ray and Ani take off after him.  It appears the suspect wants to be seen and chased.  The race through a homeless camp and across a freeway ends with the suspect escaping through the bushes.  Ray saves Ani from being hit by a semi, by rolling her to the ground out of its path.

Jordon waits for Frank in a silky bathrobe by the fire.  She wants to make up after their fight at the doctor’s office.  Frank ignores her and pours some whiskey.  His face is distorted like he’s smelling rotten eggs, and I suppose that’s Vince Vaughn’s attempt at acting conflicted.  He tells Jordon, “Maybe tomorrow.”

What did we learn this week?  No main detectives are dead or are likely to be killed off before the finale.  Catalast and Caspere were in a lot of financial dealings together.  The mayor and the D.A. want different things to happen as a result of this investigation.  And please, leave the Twin Peak type sequences out of this show, because it’s not as clever as the David Lynch series it wants to be.  It’s all feeling a bit heady and clichéd.  Who killed the scum Caspere, I’m not sure I care.  I miss McConaughey and Carcuza…

The Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins

Looking for a quick summer read?  The Girl on a Train is a thrilling page turner which will keep you guessing until the end.  Utilizing alternate points of view, the style recalls Gillian Flynn’s 2012 hit Gone Girl.  The author uses our natural voyeuristic tendencies and the mundane action of commuting to make the main character and storyline relatable.

Set in South London, Rachel, the girl on the train, looks longingly at her previous neighbors who seem to have a perfect relationship. Now divorced and struggling with binge drinking, Rachel imagines the couple she sees from her commute as having the life she wanted.

Suddenly, the woman goes missing and Rachel feels as if she may have something to do with her disappearance.  Rachel begins to insert herself into the investigation but is hampered by her personal struggles and the complicated relationship with her ex-husband and his new wife and child.

It’s a suspenseful and twisted ride to discover the truth behind the woman’s disappearance.  The characters are each uniquely flawed which renders them more believable.  The Girl on a Train is fascinating thriller I highly recommend.

True Detective Season 2 Episode 2 Night Finds You

After last week’s lukewarm start, I’m hoping this series begins moving at a brisker pace.  The characters and the main crime are in place and now it’s all about the tangled process to discover the truth.

The episode opens with Frank staring at ceiling musing over a water stain.  Frank confesses he never knew how to spend his money as he contemplates his legacy. Jordon doesn’t seem to share his worry stating she being rich is better then the alternative.  He begins to tell a story about his childhood.  His father was an alcoholic who would lock up six-year-old Frank in the basement when he went on a bender. (Presumably for his own safety.)  On one occasion, his father didn’t come back for days because he was arrested.  Young Frank had to survive in the basement, devoid of food and water and eventually plagued by rats.  He tells his wife how on the fifth day he was so angry he smashed a rat using his bare hands.  As revealing as this story appears to be, I sense a note of artifice.  Did this really happen or is Frank trying to justify the man he has become?  Jordon wonders about the other traumas in his past he hasn’t revealed.  Frank ponders what would have happened if his father had never returned, stating, “It’s all paper mache.”

The water stains on the ceiling meld into the burned eyes of Ben Caspere.  The medical examiner reviews the findings of the autopsy to the detectives Ani and Paul.  The man was bound upside down; hydrochloric acid was applied to his eyes via and eyedropper then he was shot in the genitals at point blank range with a 12-gauge shotgun.  The toxicology report showed Xanax and alcohol in his bloodstream.  He died between 4am and 9am and was placed in an upright position post-mortem. (As we observed in last week’s episode when the victim was riding in the black Cadillac.)

There is a territorial dispute over the case involving Chips, the LA Sheriff and the City of Vinci.  Each department has their motives for wanting the case.  The Sheriff wants to expose the corrupt cop from Vinci. (Velcoro) The City wants Velcoro to help keep hidden their numerous criminal activities.  Ray meets with Frank to give him the autopsy report.  Frank is frustrated stating, “Deals are being done!”  Paul visits his mom in her mobile home.  He tells her he has a special assignment.

Ani and Ray are uncomfortably paired and drive to Caspere’s house.  An appointment book shows the deceased was seeing a psychiatrist. (This dude must be old to have kept a non-digital calendar.)  Ani vaps, and Ray sneers that it this activity is “Like sucking a robot’s dick.”  

Frank meets with a Catalast Corporation executive to discuss the land deals he had in progress with the deceased.  The plan was to buy the land near the high-speed railway and sell it back to the federal government for a large profit.  The deal had not been finalized and Frank’s five million dollar investment is gone.  The executive states if he wants the deal it is now seven million dollars.  Frank leaves the meeting upset, all his capital was in the hands of Caspere.

Ani interviews the Mayor Chessani about Caspere. He appears intoxicated and continues to drink throughout the meeting.  She hopes to discover the identity of his date at a party where he was last seen alive.  Paul works the case in a Quonset hut set up for this joint investigation.  A jaded detective in a suit listens to his progress at “following the money.” (Paul displays his homophobia in a rant about being “hit on” by the bank manager. Boo!)  Ani and Ray join the discussion.  Paul has discovered a four thousand dollar cash withdrawal made each month near the same date.  They also discover he used a car leased by the Catalast Corporation.  Using the GPS from the car, they discover the victim was in Northern California during the days around these cash withdrawals. (North, where the land deals was supposedly in progress.)

Ray and his ex-wife fight in front of a school.  She is disturbed by the reports of the fight with the bully’s dad, which Ray denies.  “You’re bad, Ray!” she shouts.  She has decided to sue him for sole custody of her son and even threatens to force a DNA test.  (Which will likely reveal he is the biological son of the rapist.)  Ray begs her not to go through with it, stating “It’s all I have in my shitty life!”  His ex states he wasn’t  “Strong enough to stay decent.”

A man is rear ended in a silver Mercedes.  As he gets out of the car to confront the other party, he is sprayed in the eyes with pepper spray.  Frank approaches the man and asks, “What did you do to piss off serious people?”  The “accident” is obviously Frank’s doing to put pressure on this man.

Ani and Ray visit the posh office and hospital where Caspere’s psychiatrist works. (An amazingly tan and plastic looking Rick Springfield!)  The doctor is reluctant to share about his deceased patient.  He states Caspere was being treated for anxiety, trauma and guilt stemming from his sexual obsession with young women.  He had treated him for three years and felt his impulses were lessening.  The doctor refuses to say more.  As they leave, he asks Ani is the daughter of Elliot Bezzerides. Ani’s animosity towards her father is evident as she says she has cut ties with her him.  She says of the five kids who grew up in the “Good People” commune; two are in jail, two others committed suicide and one became a detective. (Herself.)

Attorney general Geldof (C.S. Lee from Dexter) announces his formal investigation of the City of Vinci.  Meanwhile, Frank talks to the mayor about his “favors” he’s done for the City over the years.  The mayor is unmoved.  Frank threatens to expose the dirty deals unless the mayor gives him the funds to renew his land deals.  Chessani is upset at the blackmail and makes no promises to Frank.

Ani and Ray discuss the case as they continue to carpool.  They theorize the murder may have been the work of a pimp-prostitute arrangement that soured.  Ray suggests Ani may be able to help check out the escort world by going undercover. Ani asks about Ray’s history.  Ray is vague and states he went to Vinci for better pay. He knows she’s probably heard the rumors about his past; he killed his wife’s attacker, he has been accused of being dirty.  Ani speaks about her own struggles being a petite female officer.  She vows if any man lays a hand on her would bleed out in under a minute.  Ray asks he about her father.  Ani reveals she grew up in a commune near Guerneville. (Near the Russian River in Northern California, however she doesn’t pronounce the town name like the natives, Guuurrr-Nee-Ville, is how I’ve always heard the locals say it.)  Ray muses, "We get the world we deserve" referring to the himself and the choices he's made.  Finally, Ray is frank with Ani, stating this joint investigation is “not supposed to work.”  Ani responds, “How comprised are you?” Ray doesn’t answer.

Paul’s girlfriend is upset about learning of his legal problems with the actress through the tabloids.  Paul is elusive.  She is also upset to learn he worked for “Black Mountain.”  Paul replies stoically, “I don’t talk about the desert.”  Fed up with his stonewalling, she decides to end their relationship.  Paul states he’s on a special assignment in L. A.  She tells him not to return.

Frank visits a strip club.  He speaks to the overweight Asian proprietor.  Frank used to run the club.  He’s trying to find information about women Caspere may have used from his club.  There is a young woman with a Russian accent who remembers, “dating” him.  She describes him as “Kind of weak and passive.”  The Asian man smiles, revealing a golden grill that states “Fuck You."

Ani is searching Internet escort sites for possible leads.  Her partner Elvis calls to update her on the missing person’s case.  He tells her Vera was last in Guerneville. Ani doesn’t seem to realize the connection with her dad’s old commune.  Ani stares at the screen as we are treated to super close-up of a mole under her left eyebrow! Is trolling websites of thousands of escorts really going to help with the investigation or is she just curious?

Paul looks down from his new place at partiers parading down the street.  Next he sees a young hustler get out of a blue car.  Is he secretly gay? Why is focused on this kid? He did seem rather indifferent to the break-up with his girlfriend.

Frank and Ray meet in their seedy bar as the depressed female singer drones on in the background.  Ray sips the strategically placed Modelo beer.  Frank has found the address where Caspere entertained his prostitutes.  Frank promises if this goes well, he could make him chief of police of Vinci.  Ray is completely dejected about the potential loss of custody.  He alludes to a wish to kill himself.  Frank orders Ray to buck up and check out the lead. “Don’t talk like that again.”  He orders Ray as he departs.  A woman with a large facial scar sits down with Ray.  She thinks he just a vacation. Ray replies fatalistically that he can’t live without his work and he’s too old to change careers.

There is a shoot of the L.A. freeways at night.  Ray arrives at the Caspere house.  He easily breaks into the place through a glass-paned door.  The kitchen sink is overflowing ominously.  Ray notices some dark liquid on the floor, possibly blood. Music plays in the background, “I Pity the Fool” sung by the late, great, Bobby Bland.  (Which just made me think of Mr. T!) Animal heads adorn a sound proof wall.  He opens another door to hear electronic ticking and possibly a camera capturing his movements.  A man with a raven mask approaches him with a 12-gauge shotgun.  He shoots Ray in the stomach and chest.  Has detective has become a victim?

The most interesting part of the episode was the last minute.  I confess to some difficulty in viewing Vince Vaughn as a dramatic actor.  The acting and dialogue lacks the intensity shared by last year’s stars McConaughey and Harrelson.  The two remain the executive producers of the show, but I’d rather see them on-screen.  So who is the raven killer?  Is he going to target the other detectives or politicians? Is True Detective simply taking a page from Game of Thrones and killing off the most sympathetic characters? If so, who among these damaged souls should we turn to solve this case? The plot definitely thickens…

True Detective Season 2, Episode 1, The Western Book of the Dead

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s show, thou art more complicated and less fun!” Stuart Smally (Al Franken) used to say “Compare and despair!”  But it’s hard not to compare the new season of True Detective to the brilliantly strange first season.  This season sports a brand new cast of big film stars such as Colin Farell, Rachel McAdams and actors from the small screen like Timothy Murphy from Sons of Anarchy and Taylor Kitsch from Friday Night Lights. Will the second season be able to create and explore this new group of true detectives?

The opening credits role with creepy music and murderous montage set in Southern California.  The camera focuses on white sticks in a field, each affixed with florecent pink tape.  Ray Velcoro (Collin Farrell) is sitting in a car in front of a school with an overweight red-haired boy.  He tries to impart fatherly advice to the kid on his first day of school.  We learn Ray is divorced from the boy’s mother.  The boy exits the car to the immediate taunts from other kids.

Ray meets with a lawyer to discuss expanded visitation rights of the boy.  They discuss the rape and battery of his wife many years before. (The red-haired boy is likely the rapist’s child.)  The lawyer brings up the fact Ray is not likely the biological father.  Ray responds, “My son is my son.”  The lawyer recounts Ray’s work history, first with the L.A. sheriff’s department and later with the fictional L.A. town of Vinci.  She asks him if she’ll find anything negative regarding his work. Ray hands her a stack of cash and tells her to do her job.

Flashback to a younger Ray in his L.A. Sheriff’s uniform as he enters a seedy bar to meet Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn).  Frank hands him a picture of a man and a handwritten note.  He explains the man was possibly the perpetrator of his wife’s attack.  He states the man was addicted to meth and bragged about the crime. (Assuming Frank served prison time with the suspect.)

Frank now lives in a fancy house with a beautiful wife. (Cue Talking Heads track!) The town of Vinci is revealed to have factories and a casino which Frank operates.  Frank and his business partners express concern over an investigative piece in the local paper which seeks to expose corruption in the town.  Frank is due to meet an important Russian mob boss arriving today.

A black Cadillac carries an old man in wrap-around sunglasses.  There is a stuffed raven in the back seat of the car next to him.  For now, this seems to be a David Lynch bit of bizarreness!

Ani (Rachel McAdams) wakes up after a night of casual sex and promptly kicks out the man because she has to go to work.  She is a member of the L.A. Sheriff’s department.  There is a raid on a rural location suspected of being a house of prostitution.  The male owner insists he’s running a legitimate Internet business featuring webcam pornography.  Ani pulls a tall green wigged woman aside.  As they argue, it’s revealed that she is Ani’s sister.  The sister has had trouble with addiction and the law.  Ani seems very angry and judgmental towards her.  The sheriff’s raid is aborted because the operation was legal.  Ani leaves disgusted.

Ray meets with the Vinci Chief of Police to discuss the newspaper’s investigative piece. The City Manager, Ben Caspere has gone missing.  The Chief tasks Ray in finding the man and preventing further negative publicity for the department.

A CHP officer (Taylor Kitsch from Friday Night Lights) stops a woman in a red convertible driving recklessly on the coastal highway.  The woman is very attractive but doesn’t have a driver’s license.  The officer notes she is wearing an ankle monitor. She offers him sexual favors if he’ll let her off. It’s not clear how the officer responded to this offer.

The officer has a meeting with his superiors over the incident which has triggered an internal affairs investigation.  The officer is placed on leave. He mentions being a veteran of “Black Mountain.” (Possibly a mercenary group like Black Water?)  He tells his commander when he was with Black Mountain they were “working for freedom.”

Frank and his wife Jordon ready themselves for a party.  Ray interviews a young office manager from the missing City Manager’s office.  She isn’t too helpful but mentions the manager is important since he holds the purse strings for most city projects.  Ray discovers his home address and leaves with his partner to investigate.

Caspere’s mansion appears to have been ransacked. The City Manager has a strange sexual art collection. After surveying the scene, Ray decides to classify the manager’s disappearance as a kidnapping. The manager’s computer is missing.

Frank Semyon meets with the Russian mob boss Osip. (Timothy Murphy from Sons of Anarchy.) The mysterious black Cadillac continues down the road with its elderly passenger.  Ani and her partner Elvis serve foreclosure papers to a young Hispanic family.  The woman complains to Ani that her sister Vera disappeared without a trace a few weeks ago.  Vera’s last known job was at a religious institute which Ani seems familiar.  Frank addresses the crowd about the new high-speed rail project which will provide a lot of revenue for the town of Vinci.

Ani and Elvis arrive at the Panticapaeu Institute.  An old hippy looking man is giving a lecture about philosophy while dropping Allen Ginsburg’s name.  Ani interviews the maids about Vera but she’s left the Institute and it’s not clear where she went.

Ray is drinking scotch in his car and surveying the neighborhood.  There are papers next to him indicating this is the home of the lead investigative journalist.  Ray dons a balaclava, sneaks past a woman smoking meth and proceeds to kick in the door of an apartment. The blinds move, but the beating takes place off camera.  Ray leaves with a stack of papers.

Ani speaks with the old hippy at the institute who is her father.  They discuss her sister Athena and how she’s earning a living.  Ani’s father isn’t upset by Athena’s choice of occupation.  He seems perturbed by Anitigone’s (what an amazing name!) anger and judgment of her sister and the world.  Ani leaves in a rage.

Ray meets his son at school to give him a sleeping bag for a camping trip. (Unfortunately, the trip was last week.) He inquires about the shoes he bought his son. The kid’s stepfather says there was an “incident” with the shoes.  Ray forcefully pushes his son to reveal some bullies cut up his new shoes.  Ray learns the main kid’s name was Aspen. “That’s a boy’s name?” (Perfect!)

Ray sits in the car after this interaction and speaks into a tape-recorder presumably to apologize to his son.  Would a twelve-year-old even know how to listen to a tape?

The CHiPs officer, Paul, enters his apartment to find his girlfriend eagerly awaiting his return.  He pleads for some time to shower.  Paul has scars on his right shoulder and needs to pop some pills before he can get romantic with his girlfriend.  Paul seems pretty tightly wound.

Frank and Osip discuss their future business partnership. The Russian implores Frank to respect the “old rules” of conducting business.

Ray drives to his son’s bully’s house.  Speaking to the father he asks to see Aspen, and then proceeds to don some brass knuckles and beat him in front of his son.  Ray states if he ever bullies his kid again he’ll “Butt fuck his father in front of his head-less mom’s corpse on the front lawn!”  I don’t think Aspen will be cutting up anyone’s Nike’s again.

The Cadillac stops.  The old man is dragged out of the car and placed on a bench, still wearing the wrap-around sunglasses.

Paul leaves his horny girlfriend to “do some side job.”  She is jealous believing he’s going to see another woman.  Paul assures her he’s not in a good place and is figuring some things out for himself.  Paul rides his motorcycle helmetless at great speeds.

Ray meets Frank at a seedy bar. A depressing woman is singing a depressing song to virtually no one.  Ray hands Frank the reporter’s notes and computer.  Ray slams down shots of Johnnie Walker Black, while Frank attempts to ask him about his kid. Frank reveals he and Jordon are trying IVF to conceive.  Frank’s handler urges him to leave, and tries to take the whiskey bottle with him.  Ray protects the whiskey.

Ani is at Frank’s casino, drinking and gambling.  Paul continues his helmetless ride at over a hundred miles per hour.  Paul stops at a picnic table by the road, only to find the man from the Cadillac.  It’s clear he’s dead and the wallet on his lap reveals he is the missing city manager Ben Caspere.  Paul calls 911.  The coroner reveals the man’s eyes were blinded, possibly by acid, and had sustained a severe pelvic fracture. Ani, Ray and Paul meet one another for the first time.  The camera zooms out on the flashing lights in the breaking dawn.

So ends the first installment of True Detective. Frankly, I’m a little disappointed in the pilot’s reliance on tired clichés.  The addition of a female detective doesn’t do much to change the narrative.  It’s the same story of cops with poor interpersonal skills, dysfunctional families, and anger at the criminals and the world in general. One of the strengths of the first season was its focus on two main characters.  Now, we have four main characters and the tension and focus is diluted. Hopefully, the spark of weirdness will catch and become a more interesting