True Crime

"We get the world we deserve." — "True Detective," Season 2 tagline

It certainly seemed from the beginning that the second season of "True Detective" would be different. The main character pool expanded, the setting changed, and it seemed like darker things were coming. That tagline — "We get the world we deserve" — portended a bit darker take on the world, too.

And through seven episodes — there's just one more — the season has been different. The world has been darker and more confusing. It's generated more complaints, too, as people have wondered if showrunner/writer Nic Pizzolatto  has lost the plot.

I have stuck with this season, though it's been confusing and a bit disappointing, because I expected it to round into form. Earlier this season I likened an early episode to the beginning of "L.A. Confidential," where the character introductions had just been strung out over hours instead of minutes. How little did I realize I was close to right.

"L.A. Confidential," which is an all time classic film, deals with a long investigation, three broken cops, and trying to make amends. It turns out that those responsible are police officers who act more like gangsters. It leads to some shocking moments, some great plot turns, and plenty of great character development.

It became clear in last night's penultimate episode that Pizzolatto loved that story, too. From the moment Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch) discovered the connection between cops, I realized this season was borrowing heavily from that film. I knew, pretty early on, that Kitsch was playing the Kevin Spacey role, which is what made the final moments less of a shock and more of an eye roll.

There is just one, 90-minute episode left. There are still plenty of questions to be answered, but at this point it's unclear whether there's any hope they'll be answered. The anthology format is a good idea, and the first iteration of this show was engrossing, but this feels like a misstep.

Perhaps Sunday's finale will leave me feeling different, but at this point it's fair to wonder where this series is headed. And it's probable to consider it's headed nowhere good.