True Detective Season Finale Recap: Walk of Death
Damn.
The season finale of True Detective’s sophomore season was relatively competent. 2.0 was mostly shit, let’s be honest, but the last 2 episodes were particularly strong, shooting the show with some much needed momentum going into the finale, and the finale took that momentum and ran with it, until it decided to say “fuck it” and kill a character because of a suit.
What was a tense, solid finale quickly turned into shit. Frank Semyon was having quite a cracker of an episode, kicking ass and taking names, until he decided to draw the line at giving away his suit. You can take my money, but this suit you ain’t getting. It’s one of a kind! It’s irreplaceable. I got married in it. It was my father’s favourite suit. All possibly valid reasons for being attached to a piece of clothing, but Frank’s reason was: just because.
Frank’s wife was safely on a flight to Venezuela last he saw her; he exacted revenge on all his foes – shooting and killing Osip himself – and was on his way with his millions, until the Mexicans who keep popping up got him and drove him into the desert. Frank gave them a million dollars to make up for the profit they’ve been losing since he burned down his shit. When one of the Mexicans asks for his suit, he refuses, and hits the guy instead. Then he gets stabbed and is left to die. Poor Frank in the desert alone, walking to his death, meeting his mean dad, some black dudes, and his wife along the way. Yes, it was only his imagination in his dying moments. I guess Frank doesn’t have the same response to robbery than most people. Someone robs me, I give them my shit just to save my life, but I guess that’s just us normal people. What a shitty way for Frank to die. When he gave Ani a message for his wife a few scenes earlier, it was clear some shit will come over his life. But that was some terrible shit.
Ray Velcoro and Ani Bezzerides started the episode with their first and only fuck. They spill their secrets in a strong scene. More about her rape was revealed as Ani confesses to having felt proud because the man who raped her thought she was beautiful. Quite a sad revelation. After that, Ray and Ani find Laura, one of the revenge-seeking orphans, cuffed in a house. She reveals their whole story, and their revenge on Caspere. She was tied up because she tried to stop her brother. He was on his way to hand over the wiped clean hard drive/actually kill Holloway and co for what they did to their parents during the jewelry store robbery.
Ani takes Laura to the bus stop for a trip to Seattle as Ray finds her brother, Len, just before his meeting with Holloway. Of course, Burress accompanies Holloway. He persuades Len not do shit, but after he hears Caspere had an affair with his mother, who was pregnant at the time, after already having birthed Caspere’s kid – yup, Laura – he attacks him. A shootout ensues: Burress is shot but escapes, and Holloway stabs Len before he gets caught in the crossfire himself. Ani arrived to save Ray.
The revenge of the orphans would have been more effective had the audience been more actively involved in their story. The audience had no clue who they were until only very recently. Some focus on Laura and Len would have given their revenge plan a face – a face that was much needed. The viewers being out of the loop with most details this season was one of its failings. More time on their revenge plot would have added some more depth to this season.
Ani and Ray then join Frank and the scarred lady at the bar. This was actually Frank and Ani’s first meeting. There’s a boat to Venezuela that they need to get on after the shit is done. Ray then accompanies Frank to the second shootout of the episode, where Frank’s foes, including Osip, get their asses handed to them.
On his way back, Ray thinks it’s cool to pay a visit to the ginger Chad at school. Upon returning to his car, he sees a tracker has been placed on his car, and this is where he knows his fate has most likely been sealed. He calls Ani to tell her he’s going to be late, but it was actually just to make sure she gets on the boat. Ray abandons his car and goes into the woods where he ultimately gets shot to pieces, just before his last voice recording to his son fails to upload to his email address. After his death, we see Ray’s ex-wife opening up the paternity results – Chad is Ray’s son.
The finale at least succeeded in killing off one of its main characters in a rather satisfying and believable way. Ray had a tense episode, up until being followed to his eventual death. The sequence leading up to it was well done – the tension palpable and the tone sombre and devastating. Ray’s arc, in my opinion, had a solid ending.
Ani does get on that boat. She’s safe. She has a baby. Ray’s baby. One fuck and a baby pops out. Ray has very fertile sperm. His ex-wife should have known. The baby reveal was a rather unfortunate misstep – it was unwanted and unnecessary information that the viewers could have gone without. Bottom line: Ani, and Jordan, and Frank’s ally Nails, are safe in Venezuela.
Officer Paul Woodrough gets a highway memorial since, according to the story that was put out there, Paul died on duty. He died as a hero going after corrupt Ray. Tony Chessani managed to kill his father – Frank found him floating in their pool early in the episode – and is now the newly elected mayor of Vinci after successfully building the railway line that Frank was cut out of.
Ani has all the evidence – papers and diamonds – with her as she tells to story to a journalist in Venezuela.
The second season finale of True Detective seemingly decided to let evil win. The bad guys win. The main good guys die a terrible death. In a lot of ways, season 2 felt to me like Nic Pizzolatto was trying to capture his take on The Wire and failed. The focus on a small town’s corruption, corrupt business men and corrupt politicians, the slow gruelling police work that go into getting behind the corruption – all elements of a great season of The Wire. This season was no The Wire, that’s for sure.
