True Detective (TV Series) Omega Station (2015) User Reviews

A stunningly dark conclusion to a generally solid second season

[ryanjmorris · 9/10 · 10 August 2015]

After a season filled with ups and downs, True Detective has succeeded in delivering three stellar episodes to go out on. Due to episodes six and seven making the most of advancing a ton of narrative work on their own, this finale had enough room to breathe to focus on the characters we've actually grown to care about. True Detective has delivered a finale that exceeds the rest of the season in terms of emotion , character work, themes and just general television quality.

There were some smart touches to this episode which helped to elevate it above the standard of the rest of this season, which, while generally impressive, suffered from occasionally poor writing and a story too big for its own good. Ani and Ray's story telling sequence opening the episode was one of the season's greatest scenes, proving how good this show can be when two main characters just sit and talk. Season one had Rust and Cohle in the car, this season gave us Velcoro and Bezzerides in the bed.

I particularly appreciated Ani's story, and how her description of the moment she was led into the woods by a stranger ultimately reflected the setting and mood of Ray's death towards the episode's close. Ray's brief encounter with his now proved to be biological son was also a touching moment, something I never believed season two was capable of achieving. Frank's death scene was also beautifully photographed, and the constant barrage of hallucinations was smartly handled.

It might have been a rocky path, but True Detective's second season came into its own these last few episodes, and gave us one of its all time best to close on. Bring on season three.

Excellent finale!

[newpapyrus-550-806119 · 9/10 · 10 August 2015]

The IMDb ratings for the second season of True Detective ranged from as low as 7.9 to as high as 9.4 for the eight episodes. Compiled, the second season of TD has an average rating of 8.6 which is very high and very well deserved, IMO.

Those who criticize the fact that Rey Velcoro compromised his life by going to see his son for one last time simply don't understand who he was. Rationally, he should have gone off with his potential new love to Venezuela and possibly never see his son again. But love is not rational! His love for his son cost Velcoro his life-- because his love for his son was everything! (Guess you could call Velcoro the Rick Grimes of True Detective:-)

Great ending for a great story, it's a lot different than the previous but in a good way

[Holt344 · 9/10 · 5 February 2019]

This season finale wraps everything up in unique and unexpected ways. John Crowley did an excellent job at the directing the episode. This episode being one of my favorite of this season, showing all the organizations and ending it with a bang. Just excellent television.

The overall second season was good but lacked what we knew True Detective is about, instead of making a similar season they made something unique, capturing the underworld of crime with a different case that is a mystery for us viewers and the mystery part of it is what made it interesting. The ensemble cast is chosen widely and all the four actors that plays the main characters does an incredible job at portraying them in a believable way, not over dramatic, realistic. It's my favorite performance of Colin Farrell. Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch and Vince Vaughn was all great. With the help of the performances and Nic Pizzolatto in the writing chair, the second season became a great season with great drama and action sequences. The only thing that was lacking was the overall case, felt more like a sub plot than the whole plot.

Tragic perfection

[dmny92 · 10/10 · 9 August 2015]

The season finale managed to touch me as very few other series did. It was pure, tragic art. And it was beautiful. I love film noir and this second season was as noir as it can get.

While the season started slowly, as a whole, I consider it to be masterfully crafted. I liked it even more than the first season, and I thought that was amazing at the time (the Mccounaghey - Harrelson duo was perfect but the story wasn't as exciting overall as this season). It was daring, it was consistent in tone. The characters broke away from the apparent stereotypes in the second half of the season, being defined by both the writing and the acting ability of the cast.

The casting couldn't have been better. I've read a lot of complaints about Vince Vaughn. I was doubting him but he proved me wrong, I'm actually wondering why he's sticking to romantic comedies, seeing him act in True Detective. He has more to show than that. During the first few episodes, I thought Taylor Kitsch is trying to fill in for Rust Cohle in this second season and it wouldn't work. His character was actually very different and he brought much more than a cheap imitation of Mccounaghey's style. Colin Farrell was basically born to play Ray Velcoro and Rachel McAdams was a great fit for the powerful Ani Bezzerides who was able to keep up in a world dominated by dangerous men.

The photography and the music (most of it was very subtle, but noticeable, creating a constant tension) were beautifully intertwined and have really helped to create this gloomy, dark, hopeless atmosphere that seemed larger than everything and everyone. The city as a whole and some locations in particular (the bar deserves a special mention - Lera Lynn's music!) became characters themselves. Frightening characters.

It was very daring for the writers to have all the male leads die. And it worked much better than a predictable, boring happy ending. Their deaths weren't accidental, they were the result of their beliefs, the consequences of their actions. Each death felt significant and tragic and that isn't easy to achieve.

There are a lot of subtle touches in this series that some people, myself included, really appreciate. Everything is pieced together on a deeper scale than it might look at a glance (a good example from the finale is the irony of Frank dying in the desert while Jordan was on a boat).

I'm glad I wasn't as vocal as the majority in the first few weeks, I was confident in the season as a whole and my expectations weren't just met, they were exceeded. And that's such a good feeling. I hope there will be a third season, with a different setting and different characters. I think it's a brilliant formula, having high caliber actors, great writing and several hours (instead of 2 or 3 for a feature film) to develop the story and the characters. I'm absolutely sure that it would be just as good. Maybe better. In a different way.

Life doesn't always have a happy ending. SUCK IT UP.

[szlinyc · 10/10 · 22 January 2019]

A great season overall. Compares to the S01 Finale when Matthew McConaughey says "light is always more than darkness" (or whateva) S02 is just a simple "there's nothing you can do bout it". Just like the title "True Detectives", there are solved cases, there are dead good detectives, the only difference is S01 focuses on what is a good detective, S02 focuses on what is the cost of being one. Overall, awesome episode.

Season 2: Perhaps tries a bit too hard to be brooding and menacing all the time, but is still satisfying with its narrative and dark delivery

[bob the moo · 30 October 2015]

I had heard reasonably mixed things about this season of True Detective - perhaps understandably, given the response to the first season, this second was always going to be on a hiding to nothing in regard to following it up. As it is, the narrative for the second season really has no connection to the first season and, although there is the suggestion of it in episode one, the 'interview' structure is also gone – as is a lot of the supernatural aspects (even if masks and weird parties do occasionally give it a similar feel). Instead the second season runs much more like a police procedural, albeit a very polished and high quality one.

Corruption, skeletons in closets, dirty money, and interconnected characters and threads all see this narrative play out in a pretty satisfying and engaging manner. Personally I found it not only easier to follow than the first season, but I also found the story more rewarding by the end (I was not a great fan of the conclusion of the mystery of the first season). This season perhaps pushes the darkness and oppression of the narrative a bit too much; we are always reminded how grim everything is, and how there are constant clouds of high level corruption and control always looming overhead. Mostly it is a tone I really liked, but it does occasionally get too much and feels like the show is wallowing in it a bit too much.

The story itself is complex but yet tightly packaged to keep the viewer on board. Some have complained about the number of characters and their various overlaps; I admit I did struggle at times when side characters were mentioned by name, because I did not always manage to keep up with that without checking online to remind myself who all the players were. This was a downside of the number of players – particularly that some that become key later on are really not around much more than anyone else, so no reason to remember every single name. The dialogue is a mixed bag. In some ways it is great, and has such great phrasing and presence, but then at times you do wish that people would just talk rather than speaking 'great dialogue' all the time; again this is related to the season pushing the darker and more serious tone all the time where really you wish it would occasionally relax into the real world. That said, the cast do very much benefit from this tone and writing, and as with the first season the cast are surprisingly strong throughout.

Farrell plays the broken, haunted man very well, bringing enough character to it to make it more than the cliché it could have been. Likewise McAdams is very strong throughout, while Kitsch is way better than I expected he would be able to be. The real surprise of the season though is Vince Vaughn, who is physically half the man he was, but also twice the actor I thought he was. He has a great presence and he mostly makes the intensity of much of his dialogue work with dead eyes and a determined yet fatalistic desperation. I also enjoyed that the dialogue appeared to have space for the odd dig at him (a reference to his character being great in the 90's for example). The supporting cast is deep in names and faces you will recognize, and while few have much time to do much, they add to that feeling of quality. This feeling continues in the production as a whole. From the opening credits onwards it is very slick, very professional and very well delivered. Highlights include the usual tracking shots, pull-backs, and such, and there are several very strong dramatic sequences which stick in the memory in the same way as that great one-shot sequence in season 1 did.

Those that loved season 1 for what it did, may not be happy with this season because it is essentially a whole different show; however, just like season 1, I found this to be really engaging, intense, gripping, and satisfying even if it is not without its faults, and in different ways that the first season did it.

A brilliant finale to a season that got got more criticism than it deserved.

[maxglen · 9/10 · 24 September 2019]

Season 2 is far from the best season of television ever made but it is nowhere near bad. The only reason people have given this season such a bad wrap is because it's not as good as season one but that was never going to happen, season one is up there as one of the best seasons of television period and comparing this season to the quality and success of that one is Neanderthal level thinking. Watch another crime drama and then watch this season and you'll realise it is actually pretty top tier for the genre. Especially these last few episodes. This season did what a lot of shows do for shock value. It killed (almost) all of its main cast, but in this case it's actually good writing, each of the characters that met their end this season were in too deep and it was foreshadowed from the start. I think everyone this season, particularly Colin Farrell bit the other three leads also did a spectacular job and I like that show infused the dreamlike fantasy that season one had without directly ripping on it. Ultimately this season was an above average crime drama which disappointed people that wanted something better than the best. This episode gets a 9 and the season as a whole gets an 8.6

Genius season! exceptional from the traditional storytelling pattern

[younestft · 10/10 · 11 August 2015]

No matter what they say in the reviews ,This Season is better than the first one the way i see it

True Detective is one of the greatest TV Series ever made . Probably the best Cop Series ever, 1st season was great in all aspects ,It had more black mystery and darker crime HAIL THE YELLOW KING , lt had a less complicated storyline & characters...aaand it had the same repetitive story telling pattern "HEROES GO THROUGH HELL TRYING TO GET THE BAD GUYS , THEY SUCCEED,THEY SURVIVE.THE END" a solid pattern that worked for centuries. but we want something new.

That's where 2nd season comes, it has a more exceptional pattern ,an outstanding approach to real life like nothing I've ever seen ,The story and each Character are a representation of how real life works. they're complicated yes but hell! real life is even more complicated and most of its endings are sad.

and FRAANK! why didn't you take off the suit man ?! is that worth your life ? apparently not , it wasn't about the suit it was about the diamonds in his pockets remember ? (oh! yeah right its all coming back) he could have give the diamonds and saved his life but MONEEY was more important to him . his wife kept telling him to take whats left and start e new life but you know frank "NO REST , NEVER STOP MOVING". I liked it in the end when the ghost of his wife told him "You stopped moving way back there" like if it was way back when he lost his money and that's where he should've walked out

***MORAL : Contentment is an eternal treasure (arabic proverb)

The scene where The rail project and the catalast group continued its Corrupt work and the scene where Toni Chessani made his oath and became mayor makes you open your eyes to this truth : Even If they cut off one head, more shall take it's place (Hail Hydra! wait that's captain America) anyway the Creators took great care of showing how corrupt the government systems are ,its all the same in real life.."if you know where to look"

So that's it , that is Life ,it will remain corrupt no matter what we do as long as there are humans , giving you the common sense of the series "MAN IS THE CRUELST ANIMAL".

Though, unlike all the tragic endings this one gives you a bit of something that makes it up to you , like when you see that Volkoro & Ani had a Child , and Frank's wife as she always wanted kids holding him , also the way Badass Ani wears her hidden knifes & pistols like nothing ever changed

Aaaand the music maaan!!! it fits perfectly! , this Series & Season are genius , but not everyone understands genius , it is only for high standards & great minds.

So whoever wants to see the same repetitive stuff of : "HEROES GO THROUGH HELL TRYING TO GET THE BAD GUYS ,THEY SUCCEED,THEY SURVIVE.THE END" you have a lot of series out there.

we hope to see a third season that is all different from both seasons in all aspects , not because the two seasons weren't good , they were great! , but because renovation is always a good thing especially from gifted creators like Nic Pizzolatto.

Last days at Vinci before departing

[quincytheodore · 8/10 · 9 August 2015]

The last episode takes the characters through a tour of the corrupt city as they try to wrap things up and hopefully escape unscathed. It's a more action packed showing, somewhat reminder of 24 from the flying bullets or chases. Both Vince Vaughn and Colin Farrell deliver stellar performance, they maneuver through chaos and conspiracy, but more importantly they give deserved personal conclusions for their characters.

Visually, the final act looks clean despite running its course through dusty town. Credit to cinematography as it portrays the scenery with suave atmosphere. It still gives the gritty noir flair, but for most dramatic parts the series ends strongly with cinematic treatment.

The case itself is pretty jumbled, there are many subplots and they can be messy. Granted, it could work intentionally, but it'd be nice to see more subplots or other characters given more attention. All things revolve back to the leads, and thankfully the writing and acting for these tired men are effective.

Frank and Ray eventually try what last resorts they can play. The show works with prospect that they might just pull it off. Both of lead actors perform admirably, equally giving emotional and personal scenes. Be it may desperation or acceptance, the characters almost seem as though they are going through cathartic motions even though redemption appears awfully far. Audience would most likely respond well as they reach their journeys' end.

Season 2 is different than the first, but ultimately, and probably ironically, it all comes down to the two anti-heroes. In this regard it concludes with a grand closure.

Another Masterpiece of Storytelling Complete

[jericw16 · 10/10 · 2 September 2018]

This is a late review, but necessary to add. To all those who don't like this season, get over it. You are a minority, and spewing hate and unintelligible reviews isn't doing anything but embarrassing yourself.

6/10

[MattBrady099 · 6/10 · 25 August 2015]

Season 2 isn't as good as the first season which is a real damn shame saying that. Season 2 wasn't bad and I tried to watch season 2 as it's own season but I still didn't get into it.

Colin Farrell, Rachael McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and surprisingly Vince Vaughn were all great in this season. But season 2 felt like it was trying too hard to be miserable on purpose and everything was way too serious for it's own good. It didn't help that a good looking cast like this trying to act like the world is weighing on their shoulders and walking around acting depressed. As the show went on I got a little bit uninterested on what was going on, because everything that the second season is trying to do is try to work on something that's not going to work or going nowhere.

Overall True Detective: Season 2 was pretty disappointing, but I do know that some people have enjoyed and liked this season and that's fine, but my opinion on this season isn't going to charge anytime soon.

A great ending to a ride of emotions

[matiasrodriguezsandoval · 9/10 · 9 August 2015]

The first time I watched the first episode of this season, I was already sure it was not going to beat it's predecessor. You'll say why, well here's my explanation: We don't want a story about dirty cops and corrupt politicians! But (fortunately) I was wrong, from the final scene of the second episode, till the show's last scene, this season was definitely a thrilling ride. We got to see the stories of: A war veteran, a molested cop, a dirty (yet caring) cop and a gangster that now just wants to settle down. Even though in the end only one of these survives, I got to say, it was a great ending. For how can there be a good ending in such a blood-filled and twisted world as ours? And that I think, is why I loved this finale so much, because it shows us that no matter how righteous our path is, the consequences of our acts will always find us. Aside from that, I also loved how we got Frank's redemption as he lay walking in the dessert to an inescapable death, how we got a final and heartfelt moment between Ray and his (legitimate) son.

On the negative side (and that's why I gave it a 9), the producers should have found a more shocking way of presenting us who the man in the raven mask was, not just by looking at a photo and recognizing some guy. And finally, whose was that baby, anyway? We know it wasn't Leonors, but was it Bezzeride's or Woodrough's own son?

These were my only concerns for this awesome and unforgettable episode. One can only hope that next year, season 3 will surpass all our expectations.

Finale and s2

[andrei1981-1 · 6/10 · 23 September 2015]

I feel a strong sense of dissatisfaction at the end of s2. I'm beginning to think that the worst enemy of s2 was not bad acting, bad writing and bad editing (all present) but the exceptional season 1 and the viewer's subsequent expectations for s2. Story: predictable and mediocre, which is worse than a poor story, at least a bad story elicits some sort of reaction; this one just left me numb and bored. The noir California scenery was utterly uninteresting and the story about corruption & money is a bad version of Mulholland. Just as the final desert scene where Frank meets his grave is a pale imitation of Casino where Joe Pesci and his brother are clubbed to death. The emotional muscle is lacking throughout and everything seems and feels artificial. It must have seemed so to the writers themselves because the story is hugely over-dramatized in a desperate attempt to compensate. Making everyone totally f**ed up or making sure that all female characters get pregnant is not going to translate into a great story imo. Characters: my impression here is that they wanted to leave nothing out. We have everything, really. We have feminism, including a hyper-active detective who's a sexual predator, we have alpha males with caveman tactics, we have gangsters, including a bunch of overacting badguys; and of course we have a gay guy in denial. It's really hard to follow anyone especially since we need to digest at least four main characters which is ridiculous. Acting: pretty mediocre, but not actors' fault; it's probably the bad story that made them unconvincing. Vaughn was by far the worst. No charisma whatsoever, no chemistry with his wife. Perhaps the only chemistry in this show was between the lady detective and her knife. Conclusion: I have no desire of ever rewatching this. Wasn't a complete waste of time but fell short of expectation across the board.

Horrible Writing

[wildmoe31 · 5/10 · 10 August 2015]

Yes, I get that and applaud the fact that they wanted to go for the realistic "unhappy" ending unlike season 1 where the "good guys" win over the "bad guys", but the way they did it was just horribly written: After killing the Russians and taking all the money Frank and Ray set off. Frank was driving happily away and suddenly Le Wild Mexicans appear out of no where. Ray is supposed to be a cop, he's supposed to know very simple truths. Leaving aside the fact that he has lots of money in his car and he's heading out on a boat, he is still a wanted fugitive, and he should know that the first thing the cops will do is keep an eye on his son in case he tries to contact him. While I do get why they wanted Frank and Ray killed, the plot seemed so forced it's just unrealistic.

The criminally underrated best season of True Detective

[gedikreverdi · 10/10 · 1 December 2021]

That the voice recordings weren't sent to his son (he was his biological son btw) was the saddest part. Frank in the middle of a desert and Ray lying down under sequoia trees. Bezzerides and Jordan was the only ones that managed to go to Venezuela. It was the orphaned children all along.

Never Lay Down

[Marlo_Spencer · 9/10 · 10 August 2015]

I've often found the best endings for any film or series are the ones which hunker heavily on the mind once it's over; True Detective's "Omega Station" season finale achieved this with great heights.

I have no objections to the writing, as the acting, symbolism and tone can communicate more than just mere words. We got to see what drove Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn) to not "Lay down" despite the grim circumstances (being alone in the desert with the "Mexicans"). The ghosts of his abusive father and neighborhood bullies as he limped through the blazing sun in the middle of nowhere shed light (no pun intended) on his strengths and weaknesses, both of which simultaneously led to his demise. I truly thought he would make it out alive, at least I hoped he would. If it's any consolation (and it is), he did get what he set out to do - take vengeance on those who screwed him out of his millions and the ultimate business deal, plus recovered his losses. Vince Vaughn was a top notch choice for this role, indeed.

I believe in the end, Detective Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell) atoned for his bad choices and that Detective Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams) got her form of justice from not only Woodrugh's (Taylor Kitsch) & Velcro's death or the set up they were all placed into, but her own (the molestation, the sexual debauchery at the party). Bezzerides was/is a strong female character in every sense of the word. It was refreshing to experience this kind of woman in such a chaotic world. I hope Rachel McAdams is nominated for an Emmy and/or Golden Globe.

To sum it up with a quote from Velcoro, "We deserve the world we live in." ...and in that world are very few happy endings.

So Realistic

[Voltoma · 9/10 · 7 June 2020]

Good people die, bad people always live. Corrupted people continue to work. If you don't have power, you can't do anything. Velcoro, Woodrugh and Frank. It would have been nice for me if one of them survived. At least, the voice mail should have been sent. So sad.

Fantastic End to a Fantastic Season

[rhymingvibes · 10/10 · 10 August 2015]

I know there are many writers (and a few trolls) who see Season 2 as a mere distraction to the supposed greatness of Season 1. Don't get me wrong: Season 1 was good, great even, but the final episode was a let-down. The unwashed, illegitimate and slow villain somehow managed to kill perhaps a hundred people while they drove by him day-by-day and never suspected? Lector he ain't. But the painful and bittersweet ending to True Detective Season 2 was one of the most emotional moments I've ever had sitting in front of a screen. The music, cinematography and plot-writing combined not just to form a mood, but to stimulate your thinking process. It wasn't just "stimulation", either but balls against the walls action, gun battles, exposing conversation and even some good old-fashioned begging. Some of the more well-heeled reviewers have said that the season was like a run-on stream of action and pointless dialogue. The truth is that the season was more down-to-earth and believable than TDS1. I don't understand the psychology of bashing a new version of something you like but some of these reviewers need to examine their motives.

Best cop drama ever. (Sorry "The Wire")

[jwfreeman-62583 · 8/10 · 10 August 2015]

My only reason for writing this review, which I never have for any show before, is because it is simply being trashed by incredibly pompous critics whose head it must've gone wayyyyyyy over. Maybe not quite as good as the first season... maybe. Season two had without a doubt though, had the BEST season finale I have ever seen in my entire life. It was... flawless. Pizzolatto captures atmosphere and pure grit better then anyone else in the game. Point. Blank. Period. DO NOT let dumb*** critics dissuade you from watching, there is something within their cynical little brains that keeps them from being able to enjoy the amazing art of true detective. And ALL the actors were amazing, I don't know what got up their ass about Vince Vaughn as they've trashed him the most, but he played the part beautifully, and his performance was completely unique. Never have I seen a portrayal of a wounded gangster done in this fashion and it was awesome! Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, well, they were born to play these parts, I'm not sure it isn't really who they are in real life. Farrell had me in tears in the final episode, he absolutely killed it, and if McAdams' Bezzeride wasn't the most badass portrayal of a strong woman in television then I don't know what in the world is. Of course the critics found problems with it, blah blah blah, big surprise. They'll find problems with everything until all of TV is comprised of nothing but gay minority characters... only then will they be truly happy. ANNNND one more thing: Taylor Kitsch. I was surprised at this one, having never seen anything he was in before I didn't know what to expect, but his portrayal of a closeted gay cop was so frickin' good I felt like I could understand his pain and rooted for him the entire time. Overall Pizzolatto did it again, this guy has created the darkest, most fun cop show of all time. Sorry "The Wire", although I love you, you still are not 8 hour long movie material. Nothing is. Except "True Detective". Thanks Nic P, hope you do it again next year. Oh yeah,and critics, f*** you.

A good 2nd outing in the series

[mike_brunton · 8/10 · 14 November 2015]

I binged watched the second series over 2 days, which I think was the best way to enjoy this series. All the facts and characters were fresh in my mind. I agree with other reviews, this wasn't as mind blowing as the first season, but I still enjoyed it. I thought the acting was great, even Vince Vaughn out of his comfort zone doing comedies did a great job, and I really felt for him at the end. Same for Colin, the ending came as quite a shock to me. Like other reviewers, I hope the 3rd season improves on this one, but boy did season one set the bar impossibly high. Overall I liked the story of corruption going all the way to the top of society and mankind's depravity and lust and greed. We get the world we deserve, a great line and very true, if you look around you, at the state of the world today. I am totally convinced the only way to improve human society is to end capitalism and introduce a money free world. That of course might never happen. Another descent into the dark side, and I enjoyed the ride.

Good riddance season 2

[interestingstuff · 6 January 2023]

The only good thing about Season 2 of True Detective is that it ended and that says a lot. You know that saying "could 100 monkeys on typewriters write a Shakespeare play if they had unlimited amount of time". I don't know that but I know for a fact that 100 monkeys could write a better story than second season of this show. This whole thing is an insult to viewers as well as the name of True Detective.

This whole season was a massive failure and disaster in every sense of the word. If they tried hard to make a season this terrible on purpose, they couldn't accomplish it but here we are witnessing an incredibly terrible season of a show that had absolutely nothing in common with the first season except for its name.

There are so many problems with this season that I don't even know where to start. There are 50 characters with 50 different stories and each story goes 50 different directions without any explanations. To add to confusion, every character constantly talks in vague terms or in riddles and it's literally impossible to follow the story. On top of that, add all the plot holes, logical errors and lack of common sense and you get yourself a alphabet soup of random letters.

There wasn't even a coherent story in the entire season. It felt like they just filmed hundreds of random clips and mashed them together in hopes that it will amount to something but it only amounted to one of the biggest failures in TV history.

The producers of this series should consider themselves the luckiest people on earth that HBO gave them a third season after filming such an incredibly terrible season. I've seen much better shows getting canceled after much better seasons than this incoherent pile of garbage.

A bad finale!!

[thwmasstavropoulos · 7/10 · 10 August 2015]

Very disappointed ending! Ray's character was a good detective but very damaged and TV audience wait him to recover from bad habits and don't die like this and without upload the recordings. He deserved a better end and satisfied the ray's fans. Colin Farell played very well and the role it's like made for him. Rachel McAdams very good for an officer that raped at the past from these people and at least some of these people must had busted. Frank i think is my favorite character. A boy who grow up without love and he make his legacy,but writers destroyed and killed him. Two deaths are very sad for those who watch the series. It's called ' True detective' and must have some justice at the end!

Extremely upset but a great series nonetheless

[jasperan · 10/10 · 8 August 2018]

Did you really need to show us the voice mail to Chad failing to upload? That was crude.

Without the Paternity test I would rate lower

[temirlankasmaliev · 7/10 · 2 January 2019]

The 2nd season tried to be something huge and it was trying too hard that it looked funny. When detective Velcoro dies, I bursted outloud "wtf are you doing, you had a chance to survive!". Nonetheless, enjoyed it.

What a Bummer of a Final Episode!

[lavatch · 3/10 · 27 February 2018]

After a strong build-up in episode seven, this finale was an enormous letdown for one reason: it was too depressing!

The program begins with a pair of confessionals. Antigone relates her childhood episode in the woods with her bearded abductor. Ray conveys his guilt over having killed an innocent man. These tortured characters appear to experience a catharsis in opening up about their past.

The program then moves into a series of action sequences with Ray, Ani, and Frank moving against the plotters of the California "corridor" scam. But the problem is that too many of the police are involved for their plan to be successful. Ani makes her escape to Venezuela by boat. But Ray and Frank are not as lucky, both consumed by the vultures, one figuratively (Ray) and one literally (Frank).

Like the series as a whole, this final episode gets bogged down in too many insignificant plot details and characters. Tony and Betty Pitlor, the children of the wacko psychiatrist, are mentioned as important eyewitnesses, yet never appear in the program. Another weakness was in the dialogue. The first season was enormously entertaining with the banter of Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey. By contrast, script for season 2 was a variation of the Oedipal complex and filled with morose musings that remained on a single, static level.

On the other hand, the strength of the second season of "True Detective" was in the development of three characters: Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell), Antigone Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams), and Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn). It was especially Semyon's character that had some complexity, due to his inherent decency behind the mask of ruthlessness and vaulting ambition.

The ambivalent and depressing ending includes a nearly comical tribute to Paul Woodrugh, for whom a California highway is named in his honor. But the irony is that by the close of the series, the award is given with the public believing erroneously that Woodrugh was murdered by Ray Velcoro. It is not even clear if the L.A. Times reporter will be capable of assembling the evidence provided him by Antigone in Venezuela. The best word to describe this final episode is: inconclusive.

Bummer!