‘True Detective’ Recap: ‘The Big Never’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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The more time I’ve had to think about the two-hour season three premiere of True Detective, the more I’ve truly come to appreciate it, simply due to the fact that it took us into some unprecedented and welcome territory when it comes to this series. For while the past two seasons focused heavily on the case and peppered in just enough character development to keep us rolling, season three thus far has done quite the opposite by focusing heavily upon our lead Detective, Wayne Hays, and what makes him tick as an incredibly disturbing case unfolds around him and well, this paradigm shift in storytelling design, left me supremely curious as to how the next episode of this series was going to turn out.
 
Because in reality, ‘The Big Never’ had two paths that it could have taken. It could have immediately shifted gears and started working on revealing the details of the Purcell case for the audience and help us understand what kind of monster killed young Will and kidnapped Julie. Or…it could continue to study the man that is Wayne Hays, helping the audience to get to know every fiber of Wayne’s being and well, in the end this particular tale chose to throw both elements into the mix, since we did come to find out that the kids weren’t telling their parents the truth about where they went after school, and that they were playing games in the woods near a farm, and that’s likely where Will died since Hays found blood there. Plus, we also learned that a brown car, complete with suspicious occupants, made its way around town about the time that things went south for the Purcell family, a clue that somehow slipped through the cracks of the investigation.
 
But while it was nice to see that there are new clues slowly filtering into this case, and that whomever hurt Will apparently knew to replicate the ‘pure’ pose from his communion picture, it was Detective Hays who once again stole the show since we learned so much more about the man. In fact, we came to discover that while Hays is smart and supremely talented as a detective, he’s often scared by the things he sees and finds, and his fear is something he rarely shows to others, and sadly…his fear sometimes translates into outright anger since he doesn’t know how to properly deal with it. And the finest example of that came about in 1990 when it seemed for a brief moment that his daughter, Rebecca, was lost in a store, and upon her return, the panic in his eyes quickly turned to anger as he snapped at his little girl and the shame from that moment and from being ‘weak’ spilled over into a fight with his wife later on. 

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​If anything, these moments demonstrate that Hays has done anything and everything to hide from the horrors of the world and he puts that same effort into protecting his family from all of that as well, and his decisions to step away from the ugly have hurt him greatly because he managed to push away his family since his daughter Rebecca stays as far as away from her father and her home as possible, and it is strongly implied in this episode that Wayne pushed his wife away to a certain extent as well, despite her best efforts to help him with the case and write the book to expose this heinous crime and that’s just fascinating because it makes Hays one of the most relatable detectives I’ve ever seen on television since he deals with fear and trauma like an everyday man and I love the subtlety that’s going into his story.
 
However, what mattered most in this particular tale to me, when it comes to Wayne’s journey at least, was the fact that this episode took the time to help us to really understand just how much this case haunts him. Because it’s obvious that he doesn’t feel as though he finished the job in the slightest, and anytime a new clue comes up in his television interview, it’s amazing to see how the fog in his mind lifts and he’s laser focused once again and if anything, it seems as though the 2015 segment of the story, is going to become a race against time and where the case will be solved. Because with his mind slipping into the horrors of old age, this is his last good chance to put this nightmare to rest forever, and at the same time, make peace with the demons that haunt his soul and it seems as though, he is finally determined and resolved to deal with everything he’s run from.
 
When all is said and done however, I have to admit that I was truly impressed with this episode. Because the writing in this one, was simply sublime, especially when it comes to all the subtle moments that were present here and while sometimes the slow burn approach to a mystery can annoy when you’re dying to know the answer as to ‘who done it?’ that kind of irritation simply isn’t present here. Because the mystery is unfolding exactly as it should, and there’s a strange comfort in knowing that there’s a strong possibility that the case will end in 2015 when Wayne finally puts together the missing pieces, and feeling that in the back of one’s mind, allows for patience and care to settle in because you know eventually…you’ll get the answers you seek, and they’ll likely be as unpleasant as can be. And really the only joy we will find when the truth finally comes to light, is the peace that Wayne Hays will discover in solving the case that has haunted him for a lifetime. Until next time.

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