What I’m Watching: True Detective

True Detective: Season 2, Episode 3 “Maybe Tomorrow” (C+)

So, headlines and all, I guess this show didn’t really kill Colin Farrell, and I’m glad I didn’t actually read the spoilery article to discover that ahead of time. The David Lynch-esque opening was a bizarre fever dream that represents an unusual departure from reality for this show, and keyed us in to the fact that Ray is all but okay. He didn’t get any sympathy from Ani for surviving a shot to the chest, and she seems intent on alienating everyone around her as is par for the course on this show. At least she asked Paul a productive question, skipping past the fact that he was accused of indecent behavior and dwelling only on whether it would be a problem for reestablishing his cover. I ended up watching “Mean Girls” again earlier this week, and it’s a real trip to see how different Rachel McAdams’ character is here compared to Regina George, though I suspect that Ani wouldn’t be too thrilled about fetch either. As I said in my review of the pilot, I think the strongest performance on this show comes from Kelly Reilly, who isn’t content to be bullied by Frank, who has a temper and a desire to rule over everything, and it’s great to see Jordan stand up for herself and refuse to take his abuse and his sidelining of her. Everything else is still a real mess, and I’m hoping for a bit of clarity in the coming episodes on just what is going on and who’s going to make it through alive.