The Fork in the Road

Martin: You wonder ever if you're a bad man?
Rust: No I don't wonder Marty. The world needs bad men. We keep the other bad men from the door.
- "True Detective"

On Sunday, "True Detective" offered it's most fascinating and action-packed episode of the season. It was the fourth episode, marking the half-way point in the initial run. And after four hours, we might not be closer to catching the killer of Dora Lange, but we're a lot closer to figuring out what kind of story this show wants to tell.

It's not about the case, it's about the partners. Early in the show's run, Martin Hart and Rust Cohle had the exchange above. At the time it didn't seem like much more than a way to try and understand the difference between the two partners. Now, it seems like the ultimate in foreshadowing.

This series began, ostensibly, as a murder mystery. The murder took place in 1995, and 17 years late the detectives assigned to the case were being asked to describe their work and process to new detectives. It seemed like a way to recount the investigation. But, as has been made more clear through the first four episodes, this is more an investigation of those two detectives. Or, more specifically, of the unstable Rust Cohle.

Early one Rust said the world needs bad men to keep the other bad men from the door. On Sunday night, he lived up to that philosophy with a wild, drug-fueled, and crazy plot that supposedly got them closer to solving their case.

It's hard to say where the show will go from here, but we know for sure it won't be boring.