Why, it would seem, Laura a.k.a. Erica did it. And if you’re saying, “who?’ right about now, then you’ve zeroed in on one of the problems at the center of True Detective Season 2”. By that point, it was clear that the little seeds of greatness scattered throughout this unusual, inconsistent season had actually grown into something tangible, and that the lingering faith kept by the diehards wasn’t totally misplaced. There’s only one more episode to wrap up this convoluted plotline.

Unfortunately, the remainder of scenes in “Black Maps and Hotel Rooms” don’t do almost as much with their characters. No one is “rooting” for a show to fail.

Paul finally makes his way outside.

Having narrowly escaped from the Kubrickian orgy that ended in bloodshed at the climax of the previous episode, tonight’s plot-heavy entry begins with Ani, Paul and Ray holed up in a motel, licking their wounds, both physical and psychological.

But instead, at the end of it WE are the ones who are just tired with the burden of trying to care. So, just to clarify, in case you haven’t been paying attention: Evil Men were something-something Caspere money Chessani hookers freeways Bad. “They give you a shift meal”. Now, Holloway and Burris work for Catalyst along with Vinci, and the California gubernatorial candidate Geldof stopped the investigation into Vinci in return for a significant payout to fund his political career. It was a really sweet scene all things considered.

Meanwhile, fan website, Uproxx, says that Ben Caspere’s killing does not prove Kevin’s criminality. I think Nic is a bold storyteller and I mean that only in the most positive ways.

Of course, we think Paul is dead… but we also thought that when Ray was shot earlier this season, so now we’re doubting everything. It’s told chronologically (for the most part), but the case is dense in a way that makes the Yellow King serial killer look sane. It’s a small detail, but it’s emblematic of the laziness of this series, and the disrespect to its primary audiences; given how obsessively viewers pored over every frame for Yellow King references last year, did they really think no one would notice? It might even be a lovely moment for the series if it weren’t so staged by director Daniel Attias, who defuses all hints of subtlety with his longing close-ups and the swelling of music in the background. But his plan, it seems, was to skip town with millions. Frank plays contrite, and admits he was out of his element on the land deals.

Ray Velcoro joins him to look through the contracts. I want to compile a list for the producers of this show titled “Things That Are Not Fucking”.

Then there’s Frank, this episode’s surprise MVP. However, the mystery has come to also involve a missing young woman, a corrupt police department, and Frank’s business associates, among many more. If one thing is consistent, though, it’s the season’s nihilistic worldview, which truly comes into focus in this episode. Jordan Semyon arrives to talk to him. The crooked cop puts two slugs in Paul, snatches his phone, and leaves him dead on the pavement. Holloway doesn’t believe him, and Paul offers to call Ray and get them. He beats the hell out of him and demands info on Osip. A guy like that simply has to be killed.

It’s the pieces you take your eye off of that get you in the end. His henchman, Blake (Christopher James Baker), has committed the ultimate sin of disloyalty, working behind his back. And it’s the people seeking that opportunity at the expense of others who drive the majority of the action this season. “In the midst of being gangbanged by forces unseen, I figured I’d drill a new orifice, go on and f- myself for a change”. He’s asked who they’re with. And after weeks of being the only two characters I can bear to watch interact for extended periods on screen, they’ve finally become an item. They don’t really take kindly to that. But deep down, they both know the answer is “yes”. Vapechel McOmbre and Colin Farrell have great chemistry, and watching them just circle each other was fun.

Which brings us to Woodrugh. Paul picked up his fiancé and told her he needed to keep her safe. “I’ve heard enough confessions”, he retorts. And the finale, I’m guessing, will be better for his absence. Much like the city itself, though these aspects may be interconnected somewhere, they are bogged down by the traffic of uneven and unclear delivery and untenable significance. “Most people don’t know that”.

With double crosses and betrayals lurking around every corner, that scene in which Athena and Eliot prepare for their trip to Oregon has an excellently queasy undercurrent. They go unspoken, but in art, it’s the way these tunnels are conveyed-by writer, director, actor-that matters. In a burst of light, it delivered on a promise we’d nearly forgotten.