TV Show Review

TV Review: TRUE DETECTIVE: Season 2, Episode 3: Maybe Tomorrow [HBO]

Vince Vaughn Maybe Tomorrow

HBO’s True Detective Maybe Tomorrow TV Show Review. True Detective: Season 2, Episode 3: TV Show Review Maybe Tomorrow continues the season’s trend of offering genuinely great moments atop a tangled mess of plot like meatballs slapped down on a plate of spaghetti. Despite being held back by some confusing story elements, Maybe Tomorrow is an enjoyable hour of television.

It’s unfortunate that this episode of True Detective took such a cheap shot at Cary Fukunaga. Fukunaga directed all 8-epiodes of True Detective season 1, and it had long been rumored that there was tension between Fukunaga and series creator/writer Nic Pizzolatto. Maybe Tomorrow featured a scene taking place on a movie set, which cast an ethnically ambiguous, pony-tailed director that bared a resemblance to Fukunaga as a “douchey” movie director. Using the show’s air-time to showcase a feud is petty and juvenile. HBO and True Detective should be above airing out their grudges like high-school kids on twitter.

Advertisement
 

How about the resurrection of Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell)? Season one of True Detective captivated fan’s imaginations with allusions to the supernatural. Ultimately, Marty and Rust’s investigation of Carcosa and The Yellow King was a bit of a disappointment as the killer was only a deranged man. While last season’s let down left fans weary of overthinking clues, it hasn’t stopped Pizzolatto from inserting those same otherworldly flourishes into season 2. Whether Ray  entered a dream-state or the afterlife, one thing is for sure; the audience received a long hard look into Ray’s subconscious. On the most basic level, Ray knows that he is in over his head and heading down a road that he is not likely to come back from. Despite Ray’s bosses and colleagues referring to him as a burnout, and Ray himself admitting that, “He’s no Columbo,” he continues to survive in his crooked world because of his wits. Ray immediately put together that the buckshot that levelled him most likely came from a cop, which re-enforces the notion that he can’t trust his colleagues on either side of the law. Ray was already exhibiting unstable behaviour when he pushed back against Frank (Vince Vaughn) last week, now that his dead man waking mentality has surfaced from his subconscious, Ray Velcoro is capable of anything.

Ray and Ani’s (Rachel McAdams) working relationship continues to be my favorite aspect of the show. Both characters have been ordered by their bosses to play watch dog on the other; this episode features an amusing scene cutting back and forth between the state police and the Vinci mayor’s office ordering Ani and Ray to make haste on finding dirt on their partner. Despite their opposing goals, Ani and Ray have a mutual respect for each other and a growing level of trust that should not exist given what they know of each other. Even in an immense state of pain, and carrying orders to pin the murder on a fall-guy, Ray ran his broke-down ass off while in pursuit of the pyromaniac in the white mask. Although Ani and Ray failed in their attempt to take the perp down, Ray scored trust points with Ani by saving her life.

Ani’s character remains an enigma. She was so committed to chasing down the fire-starter that she litteraly put her life on the line; Ani was so locked into the chase that she was unaware of a truck barreling down the road at her. At this point in the series, we have no idea what occurred in Ani Bezzeride’s past that would transform her into the cold blooded, super cop that showed up in episode 1. So far we know her father is a guru in a cult, her sister is in the porn industry and Ani has a thing about not letting men overpower her. Hopefully the series will dive deeper into Ani’s past so that we can discover where her hard edge comes from while at the same time giving McAdam’s and her fine performance more screen time.

While Frank’s story remains confusing on the micro level, I’m enjoying all the tough guy, gangster bravado on the macro level. The further away True Detective gets from property deals, dummy corporations, and constructions site politics the better. I don’t want to see my gangsters talking real estate, I like them dropping F-bombs, ripping their underlings gold teeth out with pliers, and taking them home in the pockets of their Armani suit’s. As the season kicked off, Frank Semyon was this close “===>” to going legit, and was on his best behavior. As the trail for his vanished cash grows cold, Frank is devolving into the monster that he tried to leave buried in his past. Though he plays the part of a gentleman, Frank is showing that he capable of atrocious acts when he doesn’t get his way. Frank is positioning himself so that even if he tracks down his lost money, pushes the land deal through, and goes legit, the cost of doing business will leave him more monster than man.

It is often said that the journey is more important than the destination. Right now, it feels like Pizzolatto constructed the current season of True Detective to pay off down the road. There are so many disparate elements in play – assuming that they tie together rather than become loose ends – that this season will demand a re-watching in order to get the most out of it. Season 1 of True Detective had me hooked from the first moment that Marty and Rust jumped into their car together. While season 2 hasn’t provided any one stand-out moment where I immediately knew that this show is for me,  it does offer several strong performances from the cast and more than enough intrigue to hold my curiosity.

NOTES:

Was I the only one that had to google stridency and apoplectic?

Was Mrs. Chessani (Agnes Olech) working on a vision-board when Ani and Paul showed up?

Leave your thoughts on this review and this episode of True Detective  below in the comments section. For more True Detective  photos, videos, and information, visit our True Detective Page, our True Detective Google+ Page, subscribe to us by Email, “follow” us on TwitterTumblrGoogle+, or “like” us on Facebook for quick updates.

FilmBook's Newsletter

Subscribe to FilmBook’s Daily Newsletter for the latest news!

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

Victor Stiff

Born and raised in Toronto, Victor has spent the past decade using his love and knowledge of the city to highlight and promote significant cultural events such as TIFF, The IIIFA awards, and the Anokhi Gala. He is an avid reader of Sci-fi and Horror and constantly sits through indie film marathons in rabid anticipation of the genre’s next great film auteurs. He also contributes sci-fi and fantasy movie reviews to www.zone-six.net
Back to top button
Share via
Send this to a friend