World Literature

So that’s how one of the most divisive, scrutinized and debated seasons in recent television history ends — with bullets, hearbreak and survival. Did it leave you satisfied?

For all its faults, the gonzo, gripping, silly, bleak and dense L.A. noir season of Nic Pizzolatto‘s “True Detective” ultimately made for entertaining television. Even the viewers and critics who ended up disliking what this season had to offer were “hate watching” to see what kind of crazy stuff would happen next (a guy in a bird mask shooting someone; an “Eyes Wide Shut”-style sex party) or what advanced vocabulary word (apoplectic, stridency, etc.) would come out of Frank Semyon’s (Vince Vaughn) mouth next. Even its detractors would likely admit, however, that the second season built some momentum in its second half. Would that continue in the 90-minute season finale, though?

For a while it did, but the last 20 minutes alternated between tense and bizarre moments, some strong, others head-scratching.

The episode begins with some personal business before the big plunge into the climax. First it’s Ray and Ani, then it’s Frank and Jordan.

Ray and Ani “enjoy” the moment after their coupling by working through her childhood trauma with that creepy guy at her father’s commune. Four days of blackness. Maybe he gave her something, but she does remember that he didn’t force her. “Everytime I remember that feeling, like pride, I get sick to my stomach, ” she says. “I was proud that he thought I was pretty.” But Ray is quick to remind her that it wasn’t her fault.

Then it’s Ray’s turn to confess about killing a guy he had been led to believe had raped his wife. Right when the guy turned around, Ray says, that’s when he made his move. He didn’t even say anything. “It didn’t make anything better. It made it worse, ” he says. “People, whole cultures, wouldn’t blame you. I don’t, ” Ani says. But it wasn’t him, Ray says. The real guy was caught weeks ago. All of these moments are intercut with scenes from later in the morning, which feel much colder and more distant.