verushka70

But... I still find the bebbeh thing kind of 'meh'.

Yes. I think having just two of them being gal pals (for any vague definition of that term) + Nails but without the bebbeh would've made for a better finale. I don't think that Ani needed to be "rewarded" with motherhood. Or softened up, for that matter. Dunno. I've grown to resent (or, at the very least, side-eye) the redemption-through-motherhood end game.

I was so glad it ended with Jordan though, that he got to his dame-in-a-white-dress, even if it was only just right before he died.

I'd gotten spoiled about his death (but not about the hallucinations) and yet I found that whole scene beautiful because of its fragility. Frank reuniting with Jordan (even if it all happened in his mind) was perfectly bittersweet. ;___;

Wait, are you saying that you had a darker wish that he had lived?

Indeed I did. Ray had merged himself so much with his death wish (down to being resigned to his fate even after tumbling in bed with Ani) that I'm curious to know what would've happened if he had made it. Would he regress to the substance abuse? Would he try (and possibly fail) an actual relationship with Ani (including its ups and downs)? Especially since he'd fathered a kid with her? Sometimes, the worst option for such a dark character is to live. Because it means that they have to own up to whatever has changed within them and keep pushing forward.

I had several moments throughout, even up until she got Ani on the boat, of wondering if there was going to be some double-cross by the barmaid

Yes, me too! It's pretty obvious she was crushing/pining for Ray since before episode 1. She kept glancing at Ani at the oddest moments too. Very good acting.

But then, I'm one of those people who just avoids mpreg and kidfic like the plague. I've never understood it.

Funnily enough, I loathe regular pregnancy fic but mpreg hits a strong id button for me. It's one of those things I can't quite explain why it works for me. It just does. Kidfic I can leave or take. Some of it is good, a lot of fics are awful. It depends on the pairing and what exactly I'm in the mood for. *hands*

But I got a very strong feeling Frank Semyon was the most Gary Sue of the characters for Pizzolatto.

Huh, I hadn't thought about that. For me, Ray was more of Pizzolatto's stand-in/Gary Stu than anyone else. Perhaps it's because Velcoro was front and center (since Frank didn't really solidified as a character--at least for me--until episode 3).

I hung on virtually every word Cohle said because he was prone to philosophical rants and I was freaking out that a fictional prime time TV character was articulating and saying things I'd been thinking morosely...

Putting the whole plagiarism thing to the side, I actually believe that the main reason why watching Rust go on and on about all kinds of things was solely because of Matthew McCoughnaey. He had a very specific delivery as well as the physicality to enhance his dialogue. Another actor might've come across as ridiculous to the point of obnoxiousness. But Rust (as played by Matthew) was living art. YMMV.

I haven't read any critical commentary on S2 yet. Have you? What are they saying (if you have)?

I think that the general opinion was lukewarm. A lot of people kept bitching about how S2 wasn't anything like S1 or that the plot was hella complicated.

FWIW, I did come across a lot of people in comment threads being very enthusiastic about the entire season. Perhaps the fans weren't as vocal as they were last season, but the show (even though it "wasn't as good as S1") still got a viewership. So, if S1 got an A+, S2's final grade hovered between a B- and a C (depending on who you asked).