True Detective S2 E5
Other Lives – Recap by Nikole Gunn
A week may be a long time in politics. It’s even longer in the world of True Detective. Two months has passed since the bloody shoot out with “The Mexicans” and a lot has happened.
In a nutshell: Ray has shaved off his impressive moustache, quit the police force and taken up a job offer from Frank to work a security detail. He’s also cleaned up his act. He’s now 60 days sober.
Ani has been relegated to the evidence room and undergoing ‘counselling’ for sexual harassment of her ex-lover/colleague, while Woodrugh is now in a suit, investigating insurance fraud, being investigated for fraud AND pushing ahead with his marriage to Emily.
The powers that be have decided the murder of Ben Caspere has been ‘solved’, pinning the blame conveniently on the now dead Mexican gang. It’s case closed and those promises of promotion and glory are now forgotten. Life has moved on and the taskforce of Velcoro, Bezzerides and Woodrugh no longer serve a purpose.
While they languish in their new ‘other lives’, Frank continues to rebuild his underworld empire. He’s back running girls and drugs in his club. But the return to the dark-side does not make for domestic harmony and has increased his paranoia.
With Ray now on the books, he’s asked to keep tabs on Frank’s right-hand man, Blake. Frank is another who doesn’t buy the “Mexican” theory in the death of Ben Caspere. And he’s not alone in that suspicion.
The state prosecutor launches a ‘covert’ investigation. Bezzerides and Woodrugh are as keen as mustard, while Ray needs a bit more convincing.
In return for his involvement, the Prosecutor promises to help Ray in his child custody battle and reveals that the man who raped Ray’s ex-wife has been captured. He’s not the man Frank names and who Ray supposedly killed.
Meantime, the new investigation takes Ani back in time to the missing person case from episode one. It seems she may be involved in the sex-parties that Caspere enjoyed.
The missing girl’s sister hands over a set of photos, seemingly taken at one of these get togethers, and one picture is of a State Senator. The plot has thickened.
A new lead takes Ani and Paul north to a house where the missing girl last made a call. It just so happens Caspere’s GPS shows he’d been in the area. Carrion birds are flying in the sky and they come across a shed, where a torture has taken place.
While they begin the search for a body, Ray in his new role as special ‘off the books’ investigator visits Dr Pitlor (Rick Springfield). He beats him up for answers. The doctor revealing the Mayor’s son Tony organised ‘parties’ with Caspere, where they also gathered blackmail material to use against their guests.
Another motive for the killing of the corrupt city manager. The sex trade and blackmail reaching far up the food chain may have been the death of Ben Caspere.
Something has happened with True Detective and it’s good. Where the first three episodes were heavy and slow, there’s now a certain ‘lightness’ in the story telling and we’re seeing hints of what made season one so intriguing.
Is it because creator Nic Pizzolatto is more hands on as the writer? Or have they spent enough time building a complex ‘who dunnit’ that the story is now being allowed to flow freely?
With just three episodes to reach a resolution, we can only hope we see more of the light touch than the heavy-handed story telling.
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Season 3 of True Detective will follow the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods.