But I could not let the other write ups about how this is the best one in S2 stand. It's incoherent and rushed. They lost the tread of the whole paper thin plot here in an attempt to tie things up. But they introduce new characters, suddenly boost obscure plot points to the forefront and throw various characters for no clear reason. Look, it's simple. If you're doing Raymond Chandler then do Raymond Chandler. Don't make it so baroque. Keep the story clean and sparse. Guy's dirty partner dies and maybe ripped him off someone else ripped HIM off. Toss in a few me Fatale or two but tie them into the main plot don't create a whole separate story that was used as a crutch to bring in one of three main characters only to throw it away. Don't toss in personal details about another main character that's entirely superfluous to the story. Don't create a backstop you for a main character that's not important not used and doesn't lead anywhere.
Like I said it's simple. The fulcrum of the whole story is the first dead guy. Everything leads to that conclusion not 5 different ones. It doesn't matter if the story is advanced through a good guy, a bad guy or an anti hero.
All the reviews of this Ep are enamored that after nearly an entire season of slow moving fumbling, THIS is the moment where it falls together. But it doesn't. It tosses everything into the air. It's not a coming together it's an overly complex setup for what would be, in true Raymond Chandler style, the last 15 minutes of the movie. In thus case that 15 minutes is obviously more than an hour.