Everything This Season of True Detective Made You Feel

Maybe our expectations were just too high. The first season of True Detective (after, admittedly, a warmup period) was one of the best shows of 2014, with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson delivering a dramatic gold mine, so our hopes were up there. And season two started off with potential, with a lot of excitement because of the promising cast, and when the premiere hit, it was, like, OK, there are some interesting questions here. But from pretty much the beginning, season two became the hate-watch of 2015, with viewers tuning in only to take to social media each Sunday to complain that they were underwhelmed and over this season (well, no complaints about this, anyway). It's been such a shared experience that I've pinpointed how it has felt every step of the way to watch True Detective season two.

When the First Moody Previews Aired
NBC

When the First Moody Previews Aired

Then When the First Episode Premiered and You Were, Like, OK, There Is Stuff Here
NBC

Then When the First Episode Premiered and You Were, Like, OK, There Is Stuff Here

Like Taylor Kitsch's Butt . . .
HBO

Like Taylor Kitsch's Butt . . .

The Acting Seems Like It's Good . . .
HBO

The Acting Seems Like It's Good . . .

Ray Promising to Do Gnarly Things to a Suburban Dad . . .
NBC

Ray Promising to Do Gnarly Things to a Suburban Dad . . .

And Then Episode Two Came On, Answering No Questions
Columbia Pictures

And Then Episode Two Came On, Answering No Questions

And You're, Like, I Misjudged This Show. This Show Takes Risks
Comedy Central

And You're, Like, I Misjudged This Show. This Show Takes Risks

But Then He's Alive in Episode Three
NBC

But Then He's Alive in Episode Three

And More Characters and Questions Are Introduced
Fox

And More Characters and Questions Are Introduced

While No Questions Get Answered
The CW

While No Questions Get Answered

And Everything on the Show Makes You Mad
HBO

And Everything on the Show Makes You Mad

Like Every Time Vince Vaughn's Character and His Wife Have a Conversation
NBC

Like Every Time Vince Vaughn's Character and His Wife Have a Conversation

After 99 Percent of the Conversations
Paramount Pictures

After 99 Percent of the Conversations

Why does everyone mumble on this show? Is that acting? Is this a new acting thing?

Every Time You Do Understand a Sentence but Actually Listen to the Words
Comedy Central

Every Time You Do Understand a Sentence but Actually Listen to the Words

You Wonder Why You're Still Doing This to Yourself Every Week
Warner Bros.

You Wonder Why You're Still Doing This to Yourself Every Week

You Argue With Yourself Each Sunday About Watching It
Paramount Pictures

You Argue With Yourself Each Sunday About Watching It

And Have to Self-Medicate
Comedy Central

And Have to Self-Medicate

And Then You See Taylor Kitsch's Face
NBC

And Then You See Taylor Kitsch's Face

And They Expect You to Care About Vince Vaughn's Character and His Wife Making a Baby
E!

And They Expect You to Care About Vince Vaughn's Character and His Wife Making a Baby

Or That Chad Is Not Ray's Kid
NBC

Or That Chad Is Not Ray's Kid

And It's, Like, Am I Supposed to Care If Taylor Kitsch's Character Is Gay?
ABC

And It's, Like, Am I Supposed to Care If Taylor Kitsch's Character Is Gay?

Then There's That Crazy Shoot-Out at the End of Episode Four
NBC

Then There's That Crazy Shoot-Out at the End of Episode Four

And Then Someone Named Stan Dies and We Are Supposed to Feel
Columbia Pictures

And Then Someone Named Stan Dies and We Are Supposed to Feel

But You Remember That You Stopped Caring
AMC

But You Remember That You Stopped Caring

While They Keep Finding Weird Crime Scenes That Lead to Nothing
Universal Pictures

While They Keep Finding Weird Crime Scenes That Lead to Nothing

Like that empty cabin. And Mayor Chessani's house. And remember that weird woman swimming in that weird pool at Caspere's house?

And You Realize They Are Still Trying to Solve Ben Caspere's Murder
HBO

And You Realize They Are Still Trying to Solve Ben Caspere's Murder

Then They Shoehorn an Aggressive Orgy Scene in For Drama
Bravo

Then They Shoehorn an Aggressive Orgy Scene in For Drama

You Think Maybe You Might Care If Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams's Characters Get Together
Fox

You Think Maybe You Might Care If Colin Farrell and Rachel McAdams's Characters Get Together

But You Just Can't Anymore
NBC

But You Just Can't Anymore

And Then They Kill Taylor Kitsch's Character
Warner Bros.

And Then They Kill Taylor Kitsch's Character

But Then Rachel McAdams and Colin Farrell DO Get It On
NBC

But Then Rachel McAdams and Colin Farrell DO Get It On

There's Only the Finale Left
Warner Bros.

There's Only the Finale Left

So You Tune In For the Final Episode, Hoping It Will All Make Sense
NBC

So You Tune In For the Final Episode, Hoping It Will All Make Sense

At Least Caspere's Murderer Is Revealed and Stuff
NBC

At Least Caspere's Murderer Is Revealed and Stuff

But Ray and Ani and Frank Don't Run After, Like, 17 Chances to Just Run
20th Century Studios

But Ray and Ani and Frank Don't Run After, Like, 17 Chances to Just Run

And Then Vince Vaughn Dies RIGHT Before He Gets to Safety
ABC

And Then Vince Vaughn Dies RIGHT Before He Gets to Safety

Then Ray Knows He's Being Tailed and Then Gets Himself Capped
Searchlight Pictures

Then Ray Knows He's Being Tailed and Then Gets Himself Capped

I was sort of enjoying the Ray-Ani romance.

But the Show Gets in a Last Cliché With Ani and Ray's Child
Fox

But the Show Gets in a Last Cliché With Ani and Ray's Child

When Does Game of Thrones Come Back?
Getty

When Does Game of Thrones Come Back?