True Detective Review: Hunters in the Dark (Season 3 Episode 6)
The pieces start to fit on True Detective Season 3 Episode 6 “Hunters in the Dark,” as Tom Purcell (Scoot McNairy) becomes more active in the unfolding events, and the pink room in the “castle” becomes a focus.
The season has been taking its time, delivering on its characters far more than its mystery side up to this point. But on “Hunters in the Dark,” the marriage of character and mystery becomes a strong move forward, and allows the story to make the leap nearly an entire season in the making.
Now with things approaching their conclusion, the episode moves with a more graceful speed. Before, while usually great, taking so much time could lead to wheels spinning and the characters being a saving grace. Now, though, both complement each other.
It’s clear the Hoyt family stole Julie now, with the basement vault-protected pink room Tom discovers in the last moments of the episode. It’s solved that the peephole in the closets of the Purcell children’s rooms is a means of passing notes when home life is dire.
It’s also proven up to this point, small clues of the big picture are there, but Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali) and Roland West (Stephen Dorff) are too caught up in details to see the much larger scale. It’s all subtle, but there in retrospect.
Wayne Hays: Nothing stays like it used to be.
Amelia (Carmen Ejogo) and Wayne are no longer on the same page in 1990. The bitterness between them is all they know, which makes both of them having information the other could use a disconcerting notion. Amelia learns about the pink room, and has an encounter with the man with the one eye, all pieces which could be a monumental help to Wayne.
It’s on this the episode shows some extra power. Everyone has something which could solve the puzzle for someone else, but are too caught up in their resentment or games to allow it to happen.
The season is about the hang-ups of its characters making them blind to what’s right in front of them.
Scoot McNairy is a force to be reckoned with in this episode as Tom Purcell. He’s been a fantastic character actor for ages (and is incredible on AMC’s Halt and Catch Fire), and continues the tradition with a breakdown so devastating to watch.
Tom’s recognition of Roland no longer being on his side is such a quick look, but holds so much pain in it during the interrogation. His yell of pain and anguish as he holds the sides of his head is gripping and powerful.
Another one of the more potent moments of the episode comes from Wayne and Roland in 2015. The way Wayne looks at Roland in confusion when he returns from the bathroom is nerve-wracking, as if he does not trust his mind or his eyes. With Roland’s notice of the gun on the desk only a moment before, it is as though things could turn bad at a moment’s notice.
It’s a trait True Detective continues to employ with great effect, a sense of foreboding for even a simple conversation. There’s a sense of things potentially going the wrong way at any point for these characters, especially when only two of them for certain make it to 2015.
What the “pink room” is is still a mystery. Did the Hoyt family kidnap Julie and hold her hostage in there? Lucy Purcell (Mamie Gummer) is paid a large sum of money over time, according to Cousin Dan (Michael Graziadei) when at gunpoint.
Lucy did work at the Hoyt Foods factory, after all. Tom sees a picture of her in the pink room, presumably, based on his reaction. It took some time, but the larger tidbits are finally coming.
“Hunters in the Dark” moves the story exponentially, far more than expected. The cracks of both the 1980 and 1990 investigations are showing now, as are the cracks in the characters’ relationships. It’s through their disintegration of control where True Detective becomes a glaring reflection on the dark human nature they all share.
The Nic Pizzolatto & Graham Gordy co-written and Daniel Sackheim directed episode is a great indicator of how intense the remaining hours will be.
Some stray observations:
- As Wayne looks in at Tom from the other side of the interrogation glass, his reflection is his older self. As he lights a cigarette in bed, too, he looks at himself for a time, as though confused. It adds to the theory of the season being viewed through the prism of Wayne’s scattered memories.
- The possibility of Tom being gay seems to be an angry spot for Roland, who has grown close to him since the 80’s investigation. It will be interesting if it’s because he doesn’t believe it, or is hiding something, too.
What did you think of this episode of True Detective? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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True Detective airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.
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Kevin Lever
Kevin Lever has been following television closely for most of his life, but in starting to cover it, he has grown a further appreciation. He strives to give the blockbusters their due, and give the lesser known shows a spotlight to find more fans.