True Detective Season 2: 5 Awesome Moments (And 5 That Sucked)

4. Awesome: The Set Pieces

Despite this, the directors and the show do get the spectacular set-pieces right, especially so in the case of episode four's shootout at the meth-lab. The shootout has a real kinetic vibrancy to it, and it eschews modern cinema's obsession with over-cutting an action scene—to the point where we don't know who is where or who is whom—to instead deliver one of clear, defined action. 

This only serves to heighten the tension, raising it to palpable levels. The shootout is also a rare example of one where members of the public are shot down just as freely as the characters who are supposed to die. Add to this the four cast members' distressed reactions post-shootout, and you get a truly great set-piece. 

Just as good is the orgy sequence, which sees Ani, off of her head on Molly, trying to navigate her way out of what is seemingly one of Dante's own circles of hell. F*ucking couples—and threesomes, foursomes, fivesomes—block her path, and the camera becomes distorted while a sorrowful score plays on the soundtrack. It's a nightmarish evocation superbly staged; a definite high-point in a season screaming out for them.