"True Detective" Recap: "Night Finds You"

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Wow. Just wow. That's really the only word that keeps coming out of my mouth when I reflect on last night's episode of True Detective because not only did it deliver dramatically last night with more of the compelling story that reeled me in last week, but that ending. I mean seriously, that ending.  But let's get to that in a bit, because last night's episode of this show was all about corruption. Of the soul and of the mind for a couple of the characters and of course the tiny city of Vinci as a task force comes together to discover who killed Ben and uncover what's going on with the money in this tax break laden town in "Night Finds You".

Yes, our dead and as it turns out, mutilated city manager has piqued the interest of the state. They appear to be fully aware of the corruption this tiny little berg is teeming with and Ani and Paul are plunged into it with the forming of an aforementioned task force to see what they can discover about this brutal murder. The move will absolve Paul of his indiscretions on the highway and of course it gives Ani a chance to do what she does best. Ray is of course part of this team as well but that seems to be a courtesy more than anything else.  

Of course we quickly learn that Ben was something of a sex fiend and liked buying escorts on a regular basis. We also learned that there is not one quality city official in Vinci since the mayor takes kickbacks from Frank and is well...pretty much drunk every hour of the day. It was a pathetic sight to see but that is Vinci, a town corrupt inside and out. As for the characters corrupted to their core mentally and philosophically, that honor came down for Ray and Frank. Frank delivered a terrifying monologue about death in the opening moments of the show, followed by his sheer panic that his entire fortune went into the beyond with Ben...bringing Frank's darker tendencies to the surface after a week of showcasing his moral center.

But Ray...oh man Ray. Well, it's time to talk about that ending. Ray went through quite the transformation last night and I now have to wonder if those who slightly redeem themselves or try and adjust their lifestyle on the show will be punished for it. If in some weird way Vinci is a town only made for the worst people out there. I say all that because Ray lost the one thing he thought was holding him together last night...his son. His ex wife cut him off after last week's outbursts and well, it changed Ray instantly. No more drinking, no more anxiety and terror, it woke him up and well...he died in incredible fashion in the last few moments of the show when he went to check out Ben's Hollywood apartment. 

It was a jaw dropper to say the least because hey, Colin Farrell is first billed when the credits for this show come up and man...he goes out like a chump too. Slowly finding his redemption and then this, gunned down by a nutjob in a bird mask. Not to mention, his death now opens up a wealth of issues. Mainly...why the hell was there a person in a bird suit waiting outside of Ben's place and well, what's really going on in Vinci? Now we have a grand mystery in front of us and I'm dying to know more. Until next time. 

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