True Detective (TV Series) Church in Ruins (2015) User Reviews

The Best Episode of Season 2

[Motopsycho2 · 9/10 · 26 July 2015]

Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived! This episode has all the confrontations we've been waiting for. It has all the genius screen writing of the first season. Every scene has something to say and the story is truly coming together as we get closer than ever to solve the murder mystery.

I don't remember when was the last time I watched a TV episode so intense, full of adrenaline rush and thrill. Maybe it was one of the good episodes of Braking Bad or the first season. This one definitely reminded me of the first season when it was finally coming together.

Collin Ferrel is at his best and we see yet another great scene involving him and Vince Vaughn. I gotta admit, I wasn't sure if Vince Vaughn has what it takes to play a mob boss but his amazing performance makes you believe he was born to do these kind of roles. It's a shame he didn't get to do more of it in the past.

Rachel McAdams is on a whole different level of her character here and keeps you on your toes in one of the best scenes of the show. You thought last episode was action packed and intense? Think again! because this is the best episode of the season so far with a lot to offer in every scene.

Finally, a concise episode!

[TouchTheGarlicProduction · 9/10 · 26 July 2015]

So far, it's been very hard to see the point to this season. The case was uninteresting, the drama scattered. Even when there was a truly impressive scene, such as the shoot out before, the rest of the episode felt completely scattered. Last week's episode was a step in the right direction, but now, finally, we have an episode worthy of the first season.

The first half of the episode deals mostly with Farrel. May his moustache rest in peace. This was good, as he has been the most interesting part of the season so far. Farrel's performance is really what sells this whole section.

Then, the gang infiltrates a prostitution ring tied to Caspere by sending in McAdams in disguise. Not only was this a wonderfully intense and disturbing sequence, but it revealed a shocking and interesting piece of back story for her character. Overall, the directing on this episode was stellar. It was the first episode to feel clear, concise, and consistently intriguing.

High end honey trap

[quincytheodore · 8/10 · 26 July 2015]

Colin Farrell takes all the spotlight this episode. The decision to cast him is justified as he delivers wide range of emotions and draws the audience with charming melancholy. Rusty Cohle was amazing, but Ray Velcoro is equally interesting in more grounded, less philosophical fashion.

Following the mishaps from the past, he reevaluates his life and eventually comes to a heavy conclusion. It's not often to see a variety of believable dilemma in the span of one TV series episode, but Farrell pulls it off. Seeing rage, guilt and sadness delivered seamlessly, audience will most likely invest to his damaged character.

The chemistry works well too, there is certain tension as he interacts with other cast, especially Vince Vaughn. His character Frank makes all sort of shady deals. The mafia boss is definitely better in his natural element of harsh environment than cushy family issue. As he digs further to satisfy demand of another party, he finds that it's a more personal effort than he thought.

This episode still has a few subtle hints, but it's more clear-cut and approachable. Rachel McAdams' Ani goes into a dangerous covert mission. She looks prettier and also more vulnerable in strange situation where she doesn't have much control. It's a different pace than the tough girl persona and definitely opens more view on her character.

It sheds away the undertone subliminal mystery and exposes the characters bare. This humanized them and made them much more relatable, even likable in all its sorrowful glory.

Exceptional

[APWhite9 · 26 July 2015]

This show is beyond words. Everything about it is perfect. There are only positive things to say. To put it simply, this show is a masterpiece that is at the top with the best(Twin Peaks). Anything I can think to say feels like I'm stating the obvious.

Spoiler Alert:

Velcoro's character has developed in a very interesting way and Farrell is exceptional in his performance. Have to say, Farrell really does shine amazingly at this point. Farrell is definitely the one for the role. I think Vaughn, also the one for his role, performed exceptionally as well in this episode, maybe his best so far. This episode was very intense. Learning a lot more about what the main characters are after in life while the investigation just got a boost from their successful objective of obtaining the documents that include the signatures. Looks like there's going to be a very impressive finale. Again, speechless. This show is one hell of a ride.

In the Boom-Boom Room

[shesetsail · 9/10 · 28 July 2015]

The best episode of the season so far. Everything works, pace, atmosphere, action, plot...sure there are shaky points, but you don't notice unless you're looking. At last it's working, enjoyable crime drama.

Vaughn's had a hard job with Frank Semyon's often creaky dialogue, and Farrel's been desperately shovelling his way out of an avalanche of cop-memes since the beginning. In this episode, both make it work. Semyon becomes a man you know almost made an empire and could do it again. He's persuasive and charismatic and not just because the plot says so. Finally I believe in him.

Farrel just gives it everything; Velcoro towers in his moment of pain and weakness, and becomes so strong, so real, I can't recognise the dwindled cop-on-the-take stereotype we met in episode 1.

In fact, there are no duds this week; McAdams delivers with real confidence (weird though, that Bezzerides calls herself by her sister's name in such dangerous circumstances. It's a pretty unusual name, not hard to trace) and Kitsch just keeps going; he isn't working with much, but Woodrugh is coming across as a standard troubled strong good guy. We're pointed towards him as a possible creepy link - 'a skinny white cop,' is described. Could be anyone of course, but I'm still trying to work out what this character is actually for. Still, that's not Kitsch's fault.

At last Pizzolato is reminding us of why TD got its reputation in the first place; right now, it's all good.

Best episode yet

[beanluck-60754 · 9/10 · 29 July 2015]

First review.

I've had a struggle with TD:Season II, mainly because of Vince Vaughns acting (I like Farrell and McAdams, they're brilliant) - but also the slow and a bit boring buildup.

This latest episode was for me Vinces breakthrough - I really hope he keeps developing.

And I really like the way it's going since the shooting episode, just curious to see see how they can manage to make all what it's build up to in the last two episodes.

MrRender

Review of season 2: Episodes 5-6

[851222 · 9/10 · 29 July 2015]

Greetings from Lithuania.

Episode 5 was 8/10, and episode 6 was solid 9/10. While both of them moved a kinda complicated story so far forward, they did it in a bit different way. While the script is in the same mood, and didn't feature some groundbreaking plot points, directing was better in episode 6, director Miguel Sapochnik (still fresh from milestone "Game of Thrones" episode "Hardhome") did it better.

Overall, while this season's main plot isn't as intriguing as 1-st seasons yet, nor it isn't boring. Actors (especialy Colin Farrell) does a great job (while Taylor Kitsch's character isn't really used well), there are some scenes that are simply great - like for example the one in prison and the whole ending in party house. Still i can't figure it out "what" "True Detective" show really is (after seeing now 14 episodes of this anthology series - it is partly a detective story, with strong main characters which are out of their luck in personal life, but they are true detectives. It has some dialogs that would have never been spoken in real life (except for in some philosophy lecture), and it is not a gritty crime detective, yet it features the dark side of the world and human nature - "man is the clueless animal", but it does't go to deep. Maybe trying to enjoy it just the scenes them self, while you "get the beat", but then in your way stands a confusing and not typically simply told plot (which isn't a minus).If creators would manage to merge difficult plot (as it is now) with superb and not oversimplified but intriguing narrative (which isn't now) and deep and rich character (yes and no now) - that would be probably a near masterpiece. At the moment i can say that we don't have "a season we deserve" (in comparing to 1-st season), but it's is very OK one and definitely a watchable one (and sometimes in between great one). Nevetheless, last two episodes will be wild ride i think.

The party was intense

[jasperan · 9/10 · 2 August 2018]

Incredibly intense episode. The party and the build-up to the party was incredible. Also, Frank's position with the mexicans is developing into something dangerous and disgusting.

Going to a Party

[lavatch · 8/10 · 22 February 2018]

With each character holding a revolver under the table, Frank and Ray resolve their differences: Frank persuades Ray that he was working in good faith in providing the lead to the man allegedly connected to the assault of Ray's wife. Ray vows to find the man who gave Frank the false tip.

In a supervised visitation with his son, Ray stumbles badly in "bonding" with the lad under the watchful eye of the social worker. Perhaps because of the lack of affinity with his son, Ray phones his ex after a bender and agrees not to contest the custody...on the condition that she not proceed with the paternity test. In this moving scene, the wife agrees to the deal.

After making a bargain with the Mexicans to allow them to move drugs through his clubs, Frank is led to believe that they can produce Irina Rulfo, who can lead Frank to Caspere's missing hard drive. But the Mexicans murder Irina, who they believe had worked with the police.

The episode culminates with the ritzy party attended by Ani, posing as her sister Athena. Ani is drugged into a stupor and begins to have visions of a time in her youth when she was dragged into a vehicle by a bearded stranger. She kills one one of the wealthy men at the party and discovers Vera, the missing person sought by Ani and her partner. With assistance from Velcoro and Woodrugh, Ani and Vera are taken to safety. Woodrugh has discovered contracts of the "corridor" land swindle. The foursome escapes under the sound of screeching tires in a frenzied getaway with the contracts in hand...with signatures!

See About Killing a Man

[ThomasDrufke · 7/10 · 27 July 2015]

Even though I haven't loved this season of True Detective, there are certain parts of the show that I have really enjoyed. Colin Farrell continues to dominate the acting each week and tonight was no different. But even I came around to Vince Vaughn tonight. It was one of the only episodes where his dialogue actually sounded genuine. And although this week once again didn't have the most coherent story, it was one of the more entertaining episodes of the season.

As the detectives moved closer (apparently) to the target, we got a great scene between Farrell and Vaughn, which as of now, didn't have anything to do with the larger killer at hand. This is one of the reasons why I don't think this season has worked. I really find Farrell's situation with his wife and son to be much more interesting than the actual search for the lead murderer. As a show, you cant let one overshadow the other, especially if you are going for an ensemble piece. With that being said, I once again wrote down "too much going on" in my notes. I feel like that's my main complaint about this show each and every week. Maybe it's that I don't care enough about the story, but I find myself asking what the hell is going on every week. But I did find it interesting how Vaughn ended up having a great father moment while Farrell struggled to connect with his son, when all season long it's been the other way around. It was a cool switch of our usual father figures.

I also found the whole Bezzerides looking into Churchman's prostitution ring to be a bit underwhelming, along with Vaughn's Mexican standoff. The episode was building it up like it was a life or death situation. And even though she ended up killing a man, I didn't feel scared for her character or anyone else in the episode. So overall, it was a step up this week, but not as much as I would have liked.

+Vaughn

+Switch of father figures

-Interested in the wrong story lines

7.4/10

Predictable and boring

[alwaysdewright · 1/10 · 28 July 2015]

Is it me, or did Colin Farrell's accent totally change? He's suddenly talking like Ben Stiller's character in Dodgeball. I kept waiting for him to drop the line, "Nobody makes me bleed my own blood." Anyway, this episode was god awful. I'm tired of the build- up to let-down, where all our main characters stumble into danger then skip away scratch free. This seems to be Pizzolatto's best, and questionably only tactic to get viewers to tune in. The blatant David Lynch thievery is starting to be an insult and less of homage. Five minutes into this episode and I'm rolling my eyes. There isn't going to be a shootout with a main character dying? Shocker. Please, continue with the pointless dialogue and make sure to over- explain everything to the audience, especially about childhoods and anger issues so we can truly understand what makes these characters tick...

The scenes with Vaughn and Farrell are painful to sit through. The dialogue feels forced, and the actors seem to be confused by the lines they are supposed to deliver. For a comedian (*cough*) Vaughn has the worst timing in the business. It's like he takes so much energy remembering his lines he never takes a second to contemplate how an actual conversation works. His eyes just glaze over as chunks of sentences fall from his mouth. I know this has been beaten to death, but honestly Vince Vaughn is cinematic cancer. Someone must have owed him a huge favor or he has the best agent in Hollywood.

Just like last week the 'detectives' are trying to solve the Caspere murder on their own time, which just feels dated. If the roof of a meth house can explode downtown and 50-or-so gang bangers, protesters, and cops can be shot dead in the streets without national coverage or outcry, then it's clear nobody cares about a corrupt politician. But we're six episodes in, and much like the audience our main characters feel a tedious obligation to see this thing through.

We have a few entertaining scenes this week: The aforementioned kitchen snooze fest, with Frank and Ray trying desperately to talk and not hold hands. Frank tries to connect with Stan's son in one of the most forced, unbelievable scenes of the season (which is saying a lot). It's like the director told the child actor "OK, now you'll just sit there and look sad, then at some point put your arm around Vince and pretend he said something meaningful." Also, who is Stan? I get that he worked for Frank and got killed, but when Vaughn delivered the line, "He was the best at what he did," I couldn't for the life of me understand what he meant. Stan was the best… father? The best… bodyguard? Best… drug dealer? Maybe? Stan certainly wasn't the best at character development.

Ray tries to connect with his 'son' only to discover there's merely 'Friends' on TV (quite the transparent allusion). Ray flails around in a cliché drug-fueled montage. I thought for sure Farrell would go method (I mean he has the history of drug abuse to tap into), but again it fell flat. For starters Ray puts down a significant amount of blow and scotch before punch dancing an off-Broadway version of Footloose. Somehow avoiding cardiac arrest(?), Ray manages to pick up the phone, dial his ex to have a thoughtful conversation about the future of their child. Has Pizzolatto ever been around cocaine or tried it himself? You drink that much booze and snort caterpillar rails off the coffee table and you're not going to logic your way through anything, especially a telephone call. I laughed when his ex said, "You're drunk." No, he SHOULD be drunk, and SHOULD be grinding his teeth to the roots. But he's acting, and not doing a very good job in the process.

Paul stared at things this week. At one point he sprung out of a bush and tackled a guy, then conveniently listened to some henchmen explain the details of their plan.

Ani struggled with cat scratch fever, showing off her slice and dice technique of carving up men made out of wood (which hopefully means she'll attack Vince Vaughn and his acting career in a future episode. Zing). Apparently having a wooden stab doll in your kitchen and a wall for the "killing knives" isn't weird to anyone. Anyway, Ani put on a wig and eyeliner to blend in with a stocked pond of Eastern European surgically enhanced sex-dolls at the David Lynch/Stanley Kubrick knock-off party (err-yup, totally believable). Before going into the party she takes a Binaca spray of "pure Molly" which again seems to be something Pizzolatto knows little about. Suddenly Ani is having flashbacks(?) depression(?) and fearful hallucinations(?), yet simultaneously avoiding any realistic effects of MDMA such as euphoria, excitement, and 'the good times'. Even after she pointlessly tries to vomit out the spray (which was absorbed sub-lingually) she can hardly stand up. Not much of a stimulant if you think about it. The music from Murder She Wrote plays overhead. It's a pretty boilerplate orgy scene, and not worth the hype. Suddenly that girl(?) from the first episode shows up and Ani has to get her out of there right this second. Some guy (predictably) grabs her. She must smell his mahogany cologne because she instinctively slices him up like a Lincoln log. Luckily Paul is there (the luck!) and opens the door. Though they can hardly walk, he tells them to run and they're off like pumas. For a second it seems someone might get hurt, but this is Season 2, so the main characters make it out safely. Uh oh, Ani thinks she might have killed someone! No worries. Ray flips on the headlights and tears off into the night.

There's campy, and then there's crappy.

Painful

[timmyhollywood · 1/10 · 10 August 2015]

People sit. They talk. I've given this show six episodes. I'm done. There are so many grievances, I just don't have the time to list them all. But for one, Vince Vaughn's acting is so one-note, so bad, his character seems superfluous. But he sits. And he talks. Occasionally in this six episodes, something happens, usually not until the tail end. I knew where it was going long ago, and yet so many long scenes, everything so endlessly grave, the maudlin musician in the background, cut to another sweeping helicopter shot, cut to Colin Farrell acting morose, or drinking a fifth of whiskey, doing an eight ball of cocaine, then having a lucid, sober conversation with his ex-wife. Then more sit downs, more wooden conversations, more weird music, more of Nic Pizzolato run amok. What the hell happened. This show takes itself so seriously, it breaks.

I think the show lost me at this episode

[o_s_k_r · 3/10 · 15 February 2016]

I have a very love hate relationship with this show.

There is some amazing cinematography, some great acting and some intelligent, original scenes.

Unfortunately there's a lot here which doesn't feel "right". The good scenes are back-to-back with scenes that are very hard to believe. Each scene seems to clash with the other. The dialogue is often mumbled and wayyy too flowery for the situation.

I picked on this episode because I don't think I could be bothered with the final two after this.

I don't buy the orgy scenes. I never heard of an mdma mouth spray, I'm not sure you could fit a whole dose in just one spray and it would sure taste bad. The girls are already being paid - why give them mandatory psychoactives - surely this is introducing random elements, risk, further crimes etc etc. Plus, all those people at the party, surely they would talk and folks would hear about it: "yes I saw important politicians getting blown at the orgy". Yet even Frank seems naive to this stuff.

Further what's with the Farrell character smashing what seems to be a mountain of cocaine and not really feeling any effects. Does he cut his cocaine with 99% talcum powder? What the hell. That looked like A LOT of cocaine. He would be up all night raving like a maniac, not sitting sobbing gently. What was with that scene?

I think the writers should probably aim for less extravagance and they'll get more consistent, more plausible scenes.

Ray's Misery

[gedikreverdi · 29 November 2021]

Ray is such an important character to this season. He doesn't contest custody so that his ex wife won't tell his son what happened. He also visited the rapist to threaten him in jail. There was a jewelry shop robbery and double homicide in the past which is related to the case because of the stolen blue diamonds. Irina got killed by the mobs because she worked for the police. She was about to tell the police officer that got her to give the stolen valuables to the pawnshop. And she saved the lost girl Vera from the party and they stole some documents, too. It is a bit too complex and hard to follow at times but this season might be my favorite season which is quite unexpected.

Conspiracy?!

[douderfeinix · 4/10 · 13 March 2024]

There were some things in this episode that I can't believe. Freelancer prostitute Ani Bezzerides is the only one to get so high from a single pump of Liquid Molly, which all the women - like chickens on a roost - had received at the same time as her, that she commits a homicide. The drug was administered for a good mood. So now we know what Ani Bezzerides does when she's in a good mood. Did I just say "the only one"? That's not quite right, of course, because the "missing person" is also so groggy that she can't do what she's there for. Ani Bezzerides tries to get the substance, which has been administered orally for absorption via the oral mucosa, out of her stomach through forced vomiting, which, absurdly, seems to work, then - barely out in the fresh air - she can run again as if nothing had ever happened. Needless to say, the "missing person", who just had to be carried, is also fit again outside and can keep up the pace Ani sets. What a difference a little fresh night air can make!

Why use performance-enhancing drugs at all? Incidentally, this also applies to Ray Velcoro, who has just inhaled a quantity of cocaine - the size of a medicine ball - in a scene that precedes it, but after the next cut can clearly make a phone call to his ex. He was probably out in the fresh air for a moment without us being able to see it. Have I already complained about the fact that Paul Woodrugh could obviously open the window of the orgy house with a letter opener as if it were the gazebo in an allotment garden? No? Then I'll do it quickly now. In my opinion, the whole thing can only be explained by the fact that the screenwriters, the showrunners and the actors have conspired with each other.

Crowd Pleaser

[aintwrong · 30 July 2015]

Why are people bashing Vaughn, who is that same type of gangster? Farrel's mustache the face of most American cops, creepy, Rachel the empowerment, Kitsch a typical patriot. All have acted well. The script/story often that pleaser Hollywood, or from another period of time, that yet remains to be quite seen.

I agree Spike probably wanted it shown another way, where is more diversity, agreed? Although anybody else within that position, every reflection is often the same, when showing a gangster. However some of the hands on approach doesn't make it consistently reservoir dogs, but instead looks rather stupid. Bartering meant giving up, what he had just gone and took, for nothing, but a fool's errand. Maybe he needed to get certain other business back into his establishments, or something, who knows? It got repeated a few times in yet another standoff. Until he wasn't in charge, but had got muscled out, the club now gets filled with those other streets. He was torturing minutes before, and pulling out other teeth, not really this week when he becomes a lamb. Who the what is Stan, he was put in the trunk of the car, or garage, did he really need another family from a song?

The first scene was grabbing, if a lil slurred, gone all seven samurai or something else, but those guns haven't quite gone off, yet. Possibly they are foreshadowed?

Drugs affect everybody differently, hysteria, paranoia, euphoria, but the first normally pukes, often quite as delusional. Somebody acting all mustache, is probably going to be limitless, he was already pounding, pumping from trashing his place. He was missing that powdered nose, but coherently he knew exactly what he was asking, probably thinking he was never gonna be there, knowingly his influence was always limited by the chromosomes of just what could have been.

Masks have been around since Greece or Rome, every brothel has them, Kubrick knew what he was showing in them. I agree it wasn't Robbie's birthday and every bodies mom wasn't invited, nor was it that other playboy mansion, both like to press their listings for a front covered release. However it was another type of ranch, where even governments turn a blind eye to the necessary evil, because any business investments generated means those diplomatic immunities. Those who are trafficked or at least monitored to exactly who the what they are, and where they come from, not as America's next top hookers. There ain't no Spec Ops getting even a mile away, as any listings remain to be largely secretive. The way a honey trap works, showdumb today, isn't to go and get all analyzed, but to recruit from the inside, if any reconnaissance has to get even a little bit of dirty. We aren't in the cold war, should have fooled me, but there isn't all of those ten extra dollars for any longer time. Although we would have be missing any of that femme fatality, empowerment, otherwise something else Nikita!!!!!

Story remains to be seen by Hollywood, for everybody else it has often hit their demographic. Shucks!!!

The Bucket List

[greenwhich · 28 July 2015]

Ginger plus ginger must equal rapist, but seriously with those genetics, they don't like make any friends. I suppose the biology studied, must have gone and proved that Brady bunch? Please Shhhh, because one day he might find the force.

Uncle Frank was shitting Mexican bricks, because another standoff would have just made the day of the dead. Please nice Mexicans here have anything you want for Mictecacihuatl, 100% of everything is yours just to meet. No No Senor she is a snitch, we will honor our dead instead.

The ghost squad have gone all Rambo, and have even resorted to pulling tricks. Why didn't anybody else have their eyes wide shut, cmon with all of those mannequins? In case that pun has read awry, masks for the elite, CCTV for blackmail, everybody else is an assassin or reporter today no matter their disguise, well consistency is doped. Now if they aren't swaficers and they have gone all native, aren't they just breaking and entering? Meaning that any evidence obtained is criminal, but a murder would see them fried?

Damn this episode was just well offffffff

Explanation; The ability to perceive a fictional setting that draws into it's reality. Any acting is often class, grade A, unless it's that uni grade highshool pantomime production, or the person playing their part absolutely doesn't fit into their role, but they do when cast on this level. Naming somebody I don't personally know is an attack, praise is just as meaningless apart from maybe to their fictional character. I don't have a right to call them by a name outside their screen creation that isn't really them, unless they just cannot act at all. I don't read those gossip mags and I couldn't really care less. I don't want a handout and they don't care. Why write unless to want it seen better, because it has invested my time, and I am not paid to write otherwise. I agree it isn't often entirely the directors fault either, the budget outside of many other numerous things. Here is a review that paints a honest, or whatever thought about picture.

Why is biology not taught? We learn about that in junior school, chromosomes, no didn't fit that role, but appealed to any demographical emotions. We can argue certain cause is known, whatever other jokes. Frank is awesome, but this week his character was utter tripe, nobody does back flips for no matter what, that could turn out to be nothing. He has to build back up anyway, when he is living in the dog house, so you make a profit by any means, taking a cut, not chase fool's gold. If he starts a war thinking it's his club, it would be the Alamo all over again, 1000's, and for every head there is another until his profit is gone and dead. I am sure he can muscles in, but now with this deal it was on their streets. We saw them search her, but so what, those were oil magnates and foreign dignitaries, passport please. Where was their security hub, CCTV. Local enforcement had black ops, but not against night vision and monitored response. Just illegal gone and make belief some Hollywood found in another kind of Dolph flick, machete knives and all. Oh well maybe next week they find her sister dead, presumably, but I doubt it. They have the evidence now, cough, when it should hit the press?