Every Main Character From True Detective Ranked From Worst To Best

Appearing as a grown adult, the son of Wayne Hays is a chip off the old block; he's a family man (but not a devoted husband), a cop, and seems to have the same quiet reserve his father had when he were a younger man.

Unfortunately though, despite being a law enforcement officer and the son of Wayne Hays, Henry doesn't appear to do much across the third season. Most of his interactions see him babysitting his father or negotiating with Elisa when the documentary questions get too tough.

But there is drama to Henry; he's having an affair with the documentary filmmaker, and does have a huge amount of respect for his father and it clearly pains him when he sees his dad succumb to his dementia.

I imagine there was more complexity to the character when he was first devised; and there may have been a plot thread that could have allowed us to see him exhibit his own detective skills in the present day.

Sadly, the closest we got was to see him pocket the address of the still alive Julie Purcell. An instinctive reaction to follow up on the mysterious address later down the road.