NOTE: This post contains spoilers for the second season of “True Detective” for anyone that hasn’t seen the third episode.
Yesterday I rewatched the first three episodes of this second season of “True Detective” and it was a rather enlightening look at the season so far, to the point even that first episode improves with a second glance and a few things that previously alluded my knowledge have now come to light.
That said, Taylor Kitsch recently spoke with The Daily Beast about his role as Officer Paul Woodrugh and the secrets he’s hiding. Secrets such as Kitsch confirms he’s popping Viagra in that opening episode and mere allusions to what went down with his work as a mercenary for Black Mountain Security in the Middle East.
“Who we are comes from our past–our upbringing (or lack thereof), and fatherhood, and what it is to be a man,” Kitsch said. “With Paul, you really do see how much shame he carries, and it slowly unfolds throughout. I will say that in Episodes 4 and 5, you really see this guy fall. And the deeper we get into the season, the more desperate Paul gets for having to hold that secret and hide who he really is. It’s pretty fucking tragic to not be able to be free, or to hold shame about something like that.”
Kitsch also speaks to his relationship with his mother and throughout the interview really hints at big things to come in episodes 4 and 5.
“We see beats with my mom of where Paul has come from, and where the wounds started,” he said. “It’s pretty diabolical, man–living and growing up with a woman in a one-bedroom trailer who was a dancer in Vegas. There’s a scene in Episode 5 that completely unwinds everything, including his entire relationship with his mom. He’s like a 10-year-old kid in that scene, though, if you think about it. It’s a beautiful thing when you see what happens when he goes back to his mom and tries to tell her certain things, and her reaction is basically what he’s been dealing with for the past 30 years.”
Speaking more to future episodes, Kitsch discussed how Paul is pretty much a loner, working alone and how he gets to only share a few scenes with co-stars Rachel McAdams and Colin Farrell. He does say, however, “There are some fun driving scenes I have with Rach, but when Woodrugh is working, he’s pretty solitary. There’s a scene in Episode 4 where Paul just melts down in front of Farrell’s character, and I came out of that wishing we had more scenes like that between these characters because they’re both so fucked up and could seek help within one another. There’s a relatability factor there that’s really fuckin’ intense.”
The next episode airs this coming Sunday, titled “Maybe Tomorrow“. The synopsis for the episode as well as a preview are included below.
Ani lets Ray know she’s in charge after he goes rogue on the investigation, even though he stumbles on crucial evidence that takes the case in a new direction. Meanwhile, Frank meets with his former associates in the criminal underworld, but they make it clear they’re not taking orders from him anymore; and Paul hits the streets to see if Caspere’s face rings a bell.
