True Detective: Episode 02-05 Other Lives – Recap & Analysis

*****MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*****

When we last watched True Detective, Episode 4 (Down Will Come) had ended in a bloody shootout. The streets with no names were filled with the bodies of cops, criminals, and people who were just caught in the crossfire. The gutters literally ran red with blood.

So when Episode 5, called Other Lives, began – the calendar had moved forward some sixty plus days. Nothing had remained the same, in terms of career, for Detectives Ani Bezzerides, Detective Ray Velcoro, and CHP Officer Paul Woodrugh.

Bezzerides was still a cop, still based in Ventura County, only she was no longer a homicide investigator. She was now set up as the uniformed desk officer of the Property & Evidence Lockup. Her bosses had also required her to attend group counseling to work through her sexual predilection…

Bezzerides: I like big dicks….
that woke up the room of her fellow cops in group counseling

involving well hung men on the job. Meaning her fellow cops.

This didn’t mean she had stopped working the case; only it meant she was ‘investigating’ from her desk, rather than out in the field.

Velcoro had resigned from the Venice police force. He took Frank Semyon up on his offer to come work for him. Velcoro was now collecting overdue rents from the residents at Frank’s motel. Velcoro, now shorn of mustache, and 60 days into his sobriety looked much better. But is he a new man? Not really.

True Detective: Season 02 Episode 02 –

The second episode of True Detective, called Night Finds You, aired on HBO tonight. I liked what I saw, and will readily admit to being hooked, but the shocking end to this episode really threw me for a loop. Let’s have a look at some theories – half-baked and otherwise.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I’m stumped about Farrell – it does seem too early for  the lead actor (in star billing) and leading character to be killed off in the second episode… But maybe he was wearing a Kevlar vest. Which I doubt. We haven’t seen in him one earlier.

Second, who could it be that was behind the shooting or had sent or ordered someone to watch Caspere’s playpen. I doubt it was Semyon (Vince Vaughn) who while he may have been pissed at Farrell’s Velcoro – it seemed that it wasn’t necessary to send him up to that house to be killed – especially since Semyon had provided the address and needed to know what Velcoro might find.

Second likely candidate to have arranged it might be Richie Costner as the Vinci Mayor. But then again this isn’t sensible either, as likely The Mayor of Vinci already knows what there is to find. And if the Mayor had Caspere killed for Semyon’s money – why bother with Velcoro?

Which leaves us with the CHP now special investigator – but he doesn’t seem likely unless Caspere’s playpen was located in Ventura where he was. The apartment was no where near Ventura unless the entirety of Beverly Hills had been relocated overnight. He clearly stated that he would be heading south to LA.

Bezzerides? Doesn’t seem likely. How would she know that Velcoro was heading to Caspere’s playpen, plus as far as we know – Bezzerides didn’t know where the playpen was. Ditto for Velcoro’s wife. But Bezzerides clearly hinted at a twisted youth.  2 of her siblings have been incarcerated, and two others attempted suicides. She? She signed on to become a detective? Plus she hasn’t any apparent motive.

I don’t think so but that points us toward Bezzerides father – the self-help spiritual guide, played by David Morse, and mentor up at the commune. But how would he be connected to the land deal (which is the whole story) to buy the land then sell it to the high-speed rail link developers, because his land was a coastal property and the land for the rail link was going up the center of the state.

There’s that sunglasses Doctor who Velcoro and Bezzerides visited. The shrink who treated Caspere. But he didn’t seem the type to do wet work, or don a crow’s head mask (this is true ONLY if you ignore the fact that he had the Crow’s Head artwork on the wall of his office). But I’m working without evidence here. Maybe the Caspere playpen is actually owned by this doctor, who may or may not have something to do with the girl with the facial scars who Ray spoke with,

So I admit to being stumped.