My girlfriend noticed that when they were chit chatting with Rick Springfield there was a painting of a Crow Faced man in the office. A clue?

http://www.pajiba.com/assets_c/2015/06/hbo…

1. Lady singer songwriter could have really lightened the mood with a cover of Jesse's Girl!

2. Paul is totally gay. We're all clear on that, right? It's not that his dick doesn't work. It's just a divining rod for other dicks.

3. Ray's not dead. Melisandre will show up and make it all okay. But really. It was nonlethal something or other and they're either going to kidnap him and torture him, or they'll dump him in Vinci to send a message. Or maybe the camera was to film it so they can fake his death while holding him somewhere (sympathetic arms, hopefully).

4. Not hate-watching. Had low enough expectations for this season that I'm allowing myself to just enjoy it. Feels ridiculously gritty and noir-y in a Lynch sort of way, and that's sort of fun. I wish Vaughn was just a better actor. He does okay in some of the schlocky gangster-goes-clean scenes, but that rat goo soliloquy was just way beyond his range.

I also agree that the smoothest cop is closet gay.

I watched this episode while dozing and thought it was great. I recommend this method to everyone.

I'm interested in the idea that the gangster is the only one who really wants to solve the case.

Animal masks!? I would be happy is this was loosely associated with the politician animal mask people from season 1. I'm just going to go write that fan fiction right now because it's unlikely.

1) On the next on, Colin Farrell's commanding officer says something about one of his detectives being "shot." If he were dead, I imagine he would have used the word "killed." Then again, juggling four characters is already proving difficult, so perhaps Detective Mustache signing off is for the best.

2) Old Riggins is totes gay, though I initially thought the gay bank anecdote was supposed to be a joke considering how it was just dumped into a conversation.

3) Speaking of which, the writing in this show is just plain bad, so much so that I find myself laughing at lines that are in no way intended to be laughed at, "rat goo" speech being exhibit A. And there should be a fart noise every time they call Rachael McAdams "Antigone."

4) Weird Sex Stuff was obviously a part of the first season storyline, but this season, it seems like they're doubling down, and for no real reason other than Weird Sex Stuff.

I'll probably keep watching, because it's summer and there nothing else on, but after two episodes, it's pretty trash. It's all of the shit from Season 1 without any of the gravitas.

Rick Springfield is the best thing about this show even if he's blatantly channeling Rob Lowe's character from Behind The Candelabra.

What is Vince Vaughn doing? Is he acting? His intimidation scene was one of the least intimidating things I've ever seen.
It's like he's fighting the urge to be his snarky character from Old School in every scene.

I'm also learning a ton about women from this show.

Women are pouty-lipped wives with no identity forced to listen to VERY long stories about rodents and fingers. Women are whores or strippers. Women are also scantily-clad mom's who want to bonk their sons. Women aren't cops (the lone female cop slot taken up by Rachel McAdams, sorry ladies). But women can get work in government opening up doors for men. Women serve drinks. Women sing mopey songs for drunk men. How do women spend their free time? They wait around the apartment in lingerie for their man to get home and they also hang around the apartment begging their man not to leave.

@TSW: I had a fleeting thought in the first third of the episode: "how fucking great would it be if Brianna Barksdale became a central character?"

Attorney General's office is clearly trying to build a bigger case against Vinci around this investigation. Would be cool to see her calling the shots. But it's Pizzolatto, so they'll probably just have her cry about a boy.

A welcome departure from the current trajectory: Colin Farrell = Ghost Cop

this is a hilarious summation. and i 100% agree with everything you said

D+W:
God, that would be awesome. She was great on The Wire. But it's hard to even dream small with Pizzalatto. This show's the Entourage of mediocre melodrama.