2.17.2014

Television: True Detective, "The Secret Fate of All Life"

So. Is Cohle guilty or isn't he?

This is the question that's underlay the entire season only now being openly asked.

Did Cohle—does he—have anything to do with these ritual murders.

They've done a great job of stacking things against him. And Cohle's bizarre personality, his weird ways of thinking and talking, makes him seem like a prime candidate. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say I don't believe—and of course I could be wrong—he's the killer. I think Cohle has been investigating outside the boundaries of the law because he knows people inside the system are involved in the murders. And/or in covering up the truth. Cohle is a Mulder.

That's just my take.

And yet, it wouldn't surprise me if we found out in the final episode (there are only what? three more?) that Cohle was in it all along, or somehow became a disciple, or whatever. It's a testament to the fine writing and acting that I can see it going either way.

So. Is Cohle a patsy? Are the setting him up as a scapegoat because he's too close to the truth? Or is he really a killer?

The final scene in last night's episode was interesting (though I felt they lingered more than necessary): Cohle standing in the ruined religious school, examining one of the devil traps that have been left there. A shaft of light falls in from above and one is left to wonder: Is this just Cohle doing his job, or is this a man having an epiphany? Is he about to dedicate himself to something? And is that thing a dark belief in a Yellow King or a mission to find out the truth? The viewer doesn't know, can't tell.

It will be interesting to see how the remainder plays out.

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