True Detective “Haunted Houses” 

I knew Marty and Maggie weren’t together anymore. I don’t know why I doubted myself. I think I was so confused about Maggie taking Marty back in “The Secret Fate of All Life,” that I convinced myself she was still with him. I’m glad she isn’t, but I can’t say I like the way she blew up her own marriage. I get why she did it, but I hated how she did it. More on that in a minute though. Let’s talk about the Dora Lange case first.

Now that Rust knows Reggie and Dewall Ledoux weren’t the only ones tied to Dora’s murder, he starts digging more into missing persons. He also goes to see Kelly, the girl he and Marty found at the Ledoux compound. She’s in a mental institution. Whatever they put her through has really scarred her, so Rust is warned that he’ll be asked to leave if any of his questions upset her. It’s from Kelly that he learns (or rather, confirms) that there was another man. When Rust asks if this man – the giant – had scars on his face, Kelly freaks out and has to be subdued. But it’s a lead. The problem is his current superior officer – Major Leroy Salter – hasn’t given Rust the ok to work these cases. And Rust is upsetting people with all his questions. Salter gives Rust a direct order. Since Rust doesn’t have any bodies, he wants Rust to stop trying to turn missing persons cases into homicides. He threatens him with a suspension if Rust doesn’t stop. Of course Rust ignores him. If we know anything about Rust, we know how tenacious he can be. So after he goes to see Billy Lee Tuttle, Salter is done. He makes Rust give up his gun and badge and tells Rust he must complete thirty hours of counseling before he’ll be reinstated.

At the same time, Marty’s getting lost in another affair. He starts talking to Beth in a bar after she sells him a new mobile phone. He doesn’t remember her, but Beth remembers him from when he and Rust came to where she was working as a prostitute. She thinks Marty’s a good man, but all she really seems to want from him is sex. And Marty is more than happy to oblige. Maggie gets suspicious and finds some damning photos on Marty’s phone. Wanting to hurt him, Maggie decides to sleep with someone else. She was going to take a stranger home from a bar, but she knows having sex with Rust will hurt him so much more. So she does. She thanks Rust and tells him she’s sorry before he kicks her out. So Marty and Rust’s big falling out is because Maggie and Rust had sex. The guys won’t talk to Salter about it and Rust is just done. He quits on the spot.

Random thoughts

It’s interesting to watch Rust with Charmaine Boudreaux. Both he and Marty are in the interrogation room at first, but Marty isn’t helping Rust close this case. So Marty leaves and Rust is able to work his magic. He gets Charmaine to confess to the murders of all three of her children. And I don’t know what it is about this case – although it’s probably the heinous nature of her crimes – but Rust warns her that the papers will be harsh and prison will be rough. He suggests she kill herself, which surprises Charmaine. But to Rust, I’m sure this is justice.

Both of these men are such interesting, complex characters. One minute I can’t stand Marty because he’s a hypocrite who really shouldn’t have a badge. And the next he’s telling Gilbough and Papania that he won’t talk to them about Rust anymore. So despite everything, it seems like Marty might still has Rust’s back. Maybe it took all those years since their fight for Marty to cool down. Maybe Marty realizes he’s the reason his marriage broke up. At the same time, Marty goes for that drink with a loaded gun. Whether or not Marty thinks Rust has been local and up to bad things for the last ten years, he’s going for a drink with Rust prepared for anything.

True Detective airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.