‘True Detective’ Recap: Ani & Paul Search For The Missing Girl; Ray Learns Frank Set Him Up

True Detective opened Sunday night in the aftermath of the shootout that left criminals, cops and civilians dead, and allowed the city of Vinci to prematurely close Ben Caspere’s murder case.

True Detective Recap

After the shootout, Ray (Colin Farrell) decided to walk away from the police force and took Frank (Vince Vaughn) up on his job offer. His new job, among other things, includes working security at Frank’s club Luxe, as well as collecting rent from the undocumented immigrants that live in his rundown building. Ray also agrees to start trailing Frank’s employee Blake (Christopher James Baker), who he thinks might be doing a side business and is becoming a threat.

Meanwhile, Ani (Rachel McAdams) is going to classes about sexual harassment and making the counselor and her fellow attendees squirm with some crude remarks. Her probation also means that she’s been temporarily demoted and has to log evidence. Though she’s officially off Caspere’s case, Ani is also looking into the girl who disappeared the same night of his murder and gets a lead on an address from her former partner.

As for Paul (Taylor Kitsch), he has a hearing in regard to the actress’s allegations that he let her go following a traffic violation in exchange for oral sex. The young woman’s attorney also brings up allegations of war crimes from when he was in the military, and questions Paul about whether or not he shot any civilians during what’s now being dubbed the Vinci Massacre. After leaving the hearing, Paul goes home and tells his mother he’s in love and getting married to the mother of his child. Ignoring her disgust, he goes to grab his $20,000 savings only to find it missing. His mother, who blames his existence for ruining her life, admits to taking his money – and reveals that she knows he’s gay.

Ray, incidentally, also found himself in a hearing that his ex-wife, who is suing for full custody of their son, has asked for a paternity test, despite reassuring Ray that it wouldn’t get to that. In order to fight her, he’s going to need more money, which is why he’s taken all the extra opportunities he can with Frank. While following Blake for him, he sees that he’s involved with finding women for the hooker parties, and is working with Dr. Pitlor.

At Luxe, Jordan (Kelly Reilly) confronts Frank about how they’ve slid back into a life of crime and that she doesn’t want to be a gangster’s wife. He reassures her that he still wants to be legitimate, and once he is legitimate they can bring a child into their lives. Jordan continues with the truth, admitting that she can’t naturally have a child, and that she doesn’t care about the money; she just wants the good man that Frank had become, wants them to spend more time together and not be liquored up every night.

Over drinks, Ani tells Ray her feelings about the shootout, including her belief that the Mexicans were not responsible for Caspere’s death and that something weird had been going on with Dixon. Ray tries not to get wrapped up in it, but that changes when Attorney General Katherine Davis (Michael Hyatt) recruits him, Ani and Ray to continue looking into Caspere’s murder.  Davis promises Ray that if he comes on board, she’ll make sure he doesn’t lose his son. She also lets him know that she’s aware he didn’t kill his ex-wife’s rapist, as the man has been caught.

Realizing that Frank must have set him up all those years ago, Ray decides to take out some of his aggression on Dr. Pitlor (Rick Springfield). He knows that while he practices psychiatry during the day, he works as a plastic surgeon at night, giving reconstructive surgery to the girls that Caspere and Tony Chessani hire for their hooker parties. During the beat down, Pitlor reveals that Caspere had blackmail on a lot of people who went to their parties, including one particularly powerful businessman.

When Ray goes to talk to his ex-wife about the hearing and the new information about the rapist, she admits that finding that out is why she’s demanding a paternity test. She can’t understand why he lied about killing the man who raped her. Ray tries to explain that he was set up, but she’s not hearing it. Ray then takes off to Frank’s place.

Paul and Ani, meanwhile, are continuing to work their own angles. Ani tries to get into one of the hooker parties, while Paul tries to get information about the blue jewels from the pictures that had belonged to the missing girl. He finds out from an appraiser that Dixon had brought in nearly identical pictures. From there, Paul goes with Ani to the address the girl last called from. While up in the mountains, Ani notices circling birds. They follow them to a small cabin that had served as a torture chamber with arterial spray spattering on the walls.