S02.E02: Night Finds You

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ben Caspar's autopsy reveals the gruesome details of his demise, and Ray and Ani wonder if it has anything to do with his fondness for prostitutes. Meanwhile, Frank looks into what might have happened to his missing fortune.

 

Promo:

[AimingforYoko]

Uh, they didn't just kill the most interesting character on the show, did they?

[JocelynCavanaugh]

Yeah, what? Are they going to Pulp Fiction this so we get more Colin Farrell or is that it?

[Primetimer]

True Detective's underwritten ladies, in order of bearability.

Read the story

[MrsRafaelBarba]

WTF?

[Neurochick]

I was like what? I'm confused.

[Shriekingeel]

Whoa. Didn't see that coming.

[magdalene]

WTF. Did they just kill off CF's character???

 

Also, I changed my mind about Vaughn's gangster, he is not "nice" at all or has/had any concern for CF.

 

Paul's mother is so inappropriate I cringed through that scene. And I am getting a bad vibe with Paul in general. Don't laugh, but could he be a serial killer? What was he doing watching these hookers?

 

And please tell me that Paul's problem is not that he is gay and in the closet. That would be so trite.

Edited June 29, 2015 by magdalene

[susannot]

Mayor was creepy and psychiatrist was creepy. Who TF was Raven masked creature who shot CF?

2d episode took show to a whole new level of darkness and weirdness. However, I like dark and weird.

Edited June 29, 2015 by susannot

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Did I see correctly, Ray took two in the chest?

One at close range.

[susannot]

Surely he was wearing a Kevlar vest. Pretty sure they wouldn't kill off their star actor in the 2d episode.

[turbogirlnyc]

Okay then. I'm more confused than I was last week. Weird.

 

Oh, and the psychiatrist was played by Rick Springfield. I happened to see his name in the credits.

Edited June 29, 2015 by turbogirlnyc

[susannot]

What was end-credit song? Anyone?I tried to look it up, no luck.

[ToastnBacon]

Did anyone catch the mayor's name?

I hope Velcoro wasn't wearing a vest because that means super shitty writing. We might as well be watching an episode of CHiPs with Eric Estrada. Plus, the Raven dude was standing right over his body.

If he is dead or in the hospital for the rest of the season, then we could get backstory on Velcoro from the investigation and that might be interesting.

Either that or they show us Velcoro in Rust Cohle's flat circle from the perspective of "He who eats time."

Edited June 29, 2015 by ToastnBacon

[SallyAlbright]

Even with the choppy hair and little-to-no makeup, Rachel McAdams is just stunning. I know that's shallow, so I had to get it out of the way first. I love how competent Bezzerides is, and her interactions with Paul and Ray have been good so far. I especially liked her scenes with Velcoro, I think both McAdams and Farrell are doing Emmy-worthy work already, it's a shame that the show isn't eligible until next year. Paul is fascinating to me, the scene with his mother was incredibly uncomfortable and probably explains why he's screwed up, but I think there's a lot more about him to discover. I'm guessing Velcoro was wearing a vest, but that was a hell of a surprise! So far I am loving this season, I think all four leads are excellent and the supporting cast is equally strong. At this point I'm more interested in the characters than the story, but I am quite okay with that.

Edited June 29, 2015 by SallyAlbright

[benteen]

Jesus, did they kill off Colin Farrall's character already.  He might have been a bastard but he was amazing every time he was onscreen.

 

The first twenty minutes nearly put me asleep with all the investigative talk but it really picked up in the second half.  Great acting, not just CF but Rachel MacAdams.  She truly does look beaten down in this.

 

Can’t see CF’s character surviving but hope he does.  He’s just too damn good to lose this early.

Edited June 29, 2015 by benteen

[opus]

I can't believe at the end I was thinking "Wouldn't it be cool if they fooled everybody and someone blew away Colin"? Although I tend to agree with vest theorists, if its plausible that would save him.

[CouchTater]

I am not buying Vince Vaughn as the gangster. Every time he says "ain't" or uses a double negative I giggle a little. Woeful miscast, I'm afraid. I'm digging the other 3 leads though. I hope Ray somehow survives the shooting.

[benteen]

I hope Ray survives too but I can't imagine him not getting out of this paralyzed from the waist down and out of commission at the very least.

[LoveLeigh]

CF is listed on IMDb as in 8 episodes of season 2 True Detective... so who knows what to think. 

 

On a another note, who is the actor who plays Ray's wife? Anybody? 

[Eegah]

If it does turn out that he was saved by a vest, like Kevlar is some kind of magic force field, that will be the true death knell for this show. Luckily I don't think they're going there, as the second point blank shot seems specifically designed to make clear that we really did just see that.

[Otherkate]

I don't see how CF's character survives this, but if he doesn't, I don't see me surviving the rest of the season. For me, his is the only character that isn't a total snoozefest so far.

[susannot]

"If it does turn out that he was saved by a vest, like Kevlar is some kind of magic force field, that will be the true death knell for this show. Luckily I don't think they're going there, as the second point blank shot seems specifically designed to make clear that we really did just see that."

Maybe, but are the remaining stars and their story arcs strong enough to carry the show through 6 more episodes? I personally think Rachel McAdams has been really good, and I like the idea that the star is a damaged, but dedicated female cop with an interesting background. I guess we shall see.

[magdalene]

CF is listed on IMDb as in 8 episodes of season 2 True Detective... so who knows what to think. 

 

On a another note, who is the actor who plays Ray's wife? Anybody? 

The IMDB listing doesn't mean anything, that site gets things wrong all the time.  My gut feeling at this point is that CF got the Sean Bean/Game of Thrones treatment - faked by the show as a main character and killed off in a big twist.

 

So Sepinwall's review says Paul is gay. That is so cliched.

[opus]

You can't say Nic's not getting everyone to tune back in next week.

[Mars477]

If it does turn out that he was saved by a vest, like Kevlar is some kind of magic force field, that will be the true death knell for this show. Luckily I don't think they're going there, as the second point blank shot seems specifically designed to make clear that we really did just see that.

Guy was shot with a shotgun.  If it was a pistol he'd be a dead man, but there are a lot of things that can be fired from shotguns that won't kill but will hurt like a son of a bitch.

[MrsRafaelBarba]

CF is listed on IMDb as in 8 episodes of season 2 True Detective... so who knows what to think. 

 

On a another note, who is the actor who plays Ray's wife? Anybody?

Abigail Spencer

She also is on TSC series Rectify and was recurring on Mad Men during a past season.

[Quilt Fairy]

Feathered headdresses worked a lot better down on the bayou. It's like Nic has a twitch.

[Guest]

Wondering if VV's red-headed hired goon is the one who raped CF's wife? (Since it's pretty clear to me the guy CF killed was not the actual rapist but some other enemy of VV.)

Maybe if I were invested in anyway in this show, I'd remember the character's names. Maybe after next week's episode it'll pick up.

[scarynikki12]

Even getting shot while wearing Kevlar can cause serious internal injuries so Ray can be alive but in critical condition.  I'm eager to see if he survives or not and how it impacts the investigation.

[SlipperyPete]

Guy was shot with a shotgun.  If it was a pistol he'd be a dead man, but there are a lot of things that can be fired from shotguns that won't kill but will hurt like a son of a bitch.

So I'm not the only one thinking about rubber bullets?

 

I can't help but think about the fact that someone was shot twice with a shotgun on an HBO series and there was NO blood at all in that scene other than what Ray sees on the floor while he's looking around. That last shot especially would normally make a pretty big mess right away, no?

 

Did anyone else notice what the equiment was in that small room Ray checked out briefly? I honestly couldn't tell exactly what any of that stuff was and it was pretty dark. The second thing he looked at seemed like a wireless router or a wireless...something but I forgot to go back and check that before clearing the episode...

Edited June 29, 2015 by SlipperyPete

[TrininisaScorp]

**blink blink**  Whoa.  How are you going to shoot CF in the chest TWICE in the second episode of the show?!  The hell!?  I hope your theories above are correct and he might make it.  That crow/raven was well and good creepy.  

 

Still loving McAdams,  Her interactions with everyone are so layered and nuanced.  I love that even broken, her Ani is very smart and competent.  

 

The conversations in the car were some of my favorites last season and I enjoyed Firth and McAdams in the car tonight.  

 

The scene with Paul's mom was cringeworthy.  Made me uncomfortable, but I couldn't put my finger on why.  I hope Paul's issues are a little more complicated than Paul being gay and not being able to deal.  Too many episodes of that's why the murderer did it on Miss Marple has me jaded.

 

I like Vince Vaugh, but his character is starting to remind me a little too much of a terrible combination of his character and Harvey Keitel's character in Be Cool.  He just doesn't have the gravitas to pull it off and takes me out of the scenes he's in.  That first scene with him in bed talking felt like it was 20 mins long!

[DrivingSideways]

I tried with the first season of this show, and I just could not with it.  It was so self important and try hard artsy.  I am watching this season because I used to work in the city it's set in and was interested in the local shots.  The dialogue is SNL level bad.  No actor, no matter how amazing, could sell lines like "Pains me you talkin' so stupid" and "You pull on that e-cig"...  I don't know - maybe it's because I'm from LA, but there is absolutely nothing Californian about the way these people act and talk and it pulls me right out of the show.

[Lemons]

Uh, they didn't just kill the most interesting character on the show, did they?

 

I don't understand why he seemed to relax after looking through only a little portion of the house.  It looked like he put his gun away after only going through the kitchen into the living room.  Didn't he see a pool of blood? 

[catrox14]

The fuck??? You can't give me Colin Farrell and then kill him in the 2nd episode! That's just some bait and switch shit there.  BOOOOOOOO!!!

I don't understand why he seemed to relax after looking through only a little portion of the house.  It looked like he put his gun away after only going through the kitchen into the living room.  Didn't he see a pool of blood? 

 

I kept yelling at him. I was like why did you put your gun away, Detective Colin Farrell!?

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I had a similar reaction. You see a pool of blood and that makes you decide to put away your gun? No!

[sjankis630]

OK did Vince Vaughn set Colin up?  Does Vince feel he didn't need him anymore to do his dirty work?

SlipperyPete - what was in the room was a video camera (looked to be motion detecting), what looked like a portable harddrive (on) and what appeared to be a laptop with some discs sitting ontop of it.

I looked to me that someone - birdman? - had that setup in order to know when to pop out and shoot.

 

Oh yeah - Are we to assume that McAdams' character is a porn addict too? (to add to her drinking and gambling).

when the scene first started I assumed that she was looking for the online sex sites to see if her sis was in any of them, but I guess if she frequents them then she could have discovered her that way as well.

 

I thought it was funny how both she and the other cop calling her with the info when she was in her robe both had their badges and guns thrown up on a sidetable... I don't know why but it looked so cliche and at the same time so true.

Edited June 29, 2015 by sjankis630

[J-Man]

 

Surely he was wearing a Kevlar vest. Pretty sure they wouldn't kill off their star actor in the 2d episode.

Well, on "Wayward Pines," they killed off two of the biggest stars within the first three episodes.

 

Does anyone know which shopping mall they used as the locale for the scene where Ray meets his ex-wife? It sort of looked familiar but I couldn't place it.

[Attaboy000]

The only way he survive is if rubber bullets were used and the attacker is toying with him. A kevlar vest stopping 2 shotgun blasts at close-range is nearly comical in likelihood. Not only that, but even if he did have a magical vest, it's not like the attacker would be like "oh s***!! A vest?! I did not expect this! Peace out!!"

I don't believe he's dead yet...there was no blood, and they didn't show the gun shot wound either, after the first shot. They just zoomed in on his upper body and face (where, you could clearly see he wasn't wearing a vest, and he looked like he had the wind knocked out of him).

And no blood spatter after the second shot either, so I'm holding out hope.

[thuganomics85]

Certainly didn't see that ending coming.  Not sure why Ray suddenly got so casual and holstered his gun like that.  Curious to see if this is permanent or not.  I would think two shotgun blasts would mean you are a goner, but this is TV, so anything can happen.  But if this is a fake-out, I hope it was rubber bullets, because I would be willing to believe that.  If they go the whole "It was the Kevlar!" path instead, I'm calling bullshit.  If it isn't a fake-out, I guess credit to HBO and crew for keeping this hidden.  Would Colin Farrell be OK with only appearing in two episodes?  Unless we get flashbacks or something...

 

Took me a while to get into this episode.  The opening speech sure didn't help.  I really feel like the dialogue is clunkier so far this season, and only certain actors can make it work.  Colin and Rachel McAdams can make me forgive it, but I feel like Vince Vaughn and Taylor Kitsch struggled a bit more this time.  Also, I'm not sure really what to make of  Frank yet.  I think they're trying to make him sort of an everyman gangster, with problems normal people can relate too.  But it doesn't fully work for me yet.  Part of it could be I find him similar to Wilson Fisk on Daredevil, but vastly enjoyed Fisk more.

 

I really hope they aren't going the obvious "Paul is freaking out because he's closeted" route.  I'm fine with him actually being gay, but I hope his problems will be bigger then that cliched story-line.  I did love how he tried to be all manly in front of W. Earl Brown's character and toss around gay slurs, and Brown wasn't impressed.  Hey, he might be the typical alcoholic, older cop, but at least he ain't impressed with homophobia!

 

Recognized Abigal Spencer as Ray's ex.  That alone makes me think that the Ray story is far from over, although, again, it could be he just comes back in flashbacks or something.

 

Still loving McAdams, even if all I really know about Ami is she smokes e-cigarettes, seemed more interested in that porn then she probably wanted to, likes knifes, and is very bitter.

 

Since he returned, I totally think Lieutenant James Frain will be a part of this.  Frain should never, ever be trusted.

 

I did like the brief moments of the different police divisions jocking for position and trying to be the lead.  I always find it fascinating that despite having the same goals, there always seems to be pettiness like this, when it comes divisions working together. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Paul's mom totally creeped me out. With mommy issues like that, it's no wonder he needs Viagra. I can't blame him for not visiting often if that's the way she always acts around him.

[turnitwayup]

What was end-credit song? Anyone?I tried to look it up, no luck.

 

Shazam is saying What A Way To Go by John Paul White but I can't find the song anywhere on youtube, itunes or spotify.

 

On a another note, who is the actor who plays Ray's wife? Anybody? 

 

Abigail Spencer. Twitter has been promoting her character on Rectify and she's recurrent on Suits.

 

Barely recognized Rick Springfield, but he was really creepy here. Between the characters Michael Hyatt, James Frain, Alex Fernandez and C.S. Lee play, Frain seems the least trustworthy. Yara Martinez keeps showing up for a handful of lines so maybe we'll see her backstory.

[VCRTracking]

Whoa, did not expect that! Not since Janet Leight in PSYCHO has that been a shocking death of what was supposed to be a main character. Even Ned Stark on Game of Thrones lasted 9 episodes.

 

RIP Ray, you provided the only entertainment this season. Especially loved the E-Cig comments. He's right Rachel McAdams does pull it off.

 

So Taylor Kitsch's character was part of some of Blackwater thing AND is probably in the closet.

 

Also was wondering why the plastic surgeon seemed familiar. It was Rick Springfield!

Edited June 29, 2015 by VCRTracking

[DiabLOL]

So I think it could be some weird game with the shooter so it could be fake bullets. He's wearing a bird's head and there were other animal heads on the wall meant for people to wear. I also didn't think the pool on the floor was necessarily dried blood.

[Blakeston]

I'll be absolutely stunned if Farrell's character is actually dead. Not because I'd expect someone to survive that in real life - but because I think this show is absolutely hacky enough to ask us to believe he survived.

 

They were clearly going for shock value with this ending. And so if Ray was dead, I think they would have milked it for all the shock value they could get - rather than giving us any kind of ambiguity. He would have been shot in the head, and we would have seen his brains splattered all over the floor.

[ToastnBacon]

Paul's mom totally creeped me out. With mommy issues like that, it's no wonder he needs Viagra. I can't blame him for not visiting often if that's the way she always acts around him.

Paul's mom totally creeped me out. With mommy issues like that, it's no wonder he needs Viagra. I can't blame him for not visiting often if that's the way she always acts around him.

I'm guessing there is an incest story with Paul and his mom. She was way too touchy and jealous over who he was dating.

[ToastnBacon]

So I think it could be some weird game with the shooter so it could be fake bullets. He's wearing a bird's head and there were other animal heads on the wall meant for people to wear. I also didn't think the pool on the floor was necessarily dried blood.

This sounds plausible, it is part of an elaborate bondage game.

I'd rather he be dead/dying and we get flashbacks the rest of the season.

[snowblossom2]

Is there any way the pool of blood on the floor was not actually there but was foreshadowing / was Ray's own blood?

[sacrebleu]

Well, given that the scenes from next week, CF's supervising officer mentions how his officer "got shot" not "was killed"  so I suspect CF might be around (probably in the hospital).

[Whimsy]

Surely he was wearing a Kevlar vest. Pretty sure they wouldn't kill off their star actor in the 2d episode.

They would if that's what CF and the creators agreed upon before they started shooting.  I am interested in Ray's story, so I would be sad if he were really dead, but  also wouldn't be surprised if he is really gone. 

 

I am not buying Vince Vaughn as the gangster. Every time he says "ain't" or uses a double negative I giggle a little. Woeful miscast, I'm afraid. I'm digging the other 3 leads though. I hope Ray somehow survives the shooting.

I could not agree more.  I just am not buying him as a gangster at all.

 

I don't know what's going on with Paul either.  I am interested in learning more about all three detectives (or, two if Ray is really dead).  It took me a little bit to get into the first episode, but I'm all in now.  I do agree that the show doesn't really seem like it's set in LA at all.