I am no small amount of obsessed with True Detective…specifically Matthew McConaughey, who I suspect of being a half-lunatic. Seriously, this guy pulls off crazy eyes like no other! He is also the most convincing functional drunk I’ve ever seen–like, h e even looks like actual alcoholics I know. He’s got the thousand yard stare of someone who isn’t all there down to a T!

But what I’m even more fascinated by is how the internet has completely lost its mind theorizing about the final episode. Here are a few examples:

One Last Wild True Detective Theory Before the Finale

This one about the Lawnmower Mann is soooo long

And a collection of a whole bunch of crazy theories

I have spent so much of my life reading these articles (and so many more), wondering just how all of this is going to come together — hoping my beloved Rust Cohle is not behind any of this (as Chris Moore would put it) heinous fuckery most foul. I’m not sure if I’m just paying more attention to the coverage of this particular show (because, like a complex novel, it’s easier to understand with the help of others) or if True Detective has actually captured to imagination of America in a new and different way.

I think there is something about the structure of the show — designed to be over after just eight incredibly dense, layered episodes — that sends people into a tizzy. The writer and director have hidden just enough clues to send people searching for more… spiraling into a Carcosa-esque abyss. The closest thing to the fever pitch over this show was, perhaps, that last (half) season of Breaking Bad. But even then, the only real mystery was whether or not Walt would die, so while critics poured over the show they didn’t necessarily feel the need to make predictions.

But now, let me digress a bit to discuss my love of Rust Cohle.

Sometimes the stuff coming out of this guy’s mouth feels like it’s coming out of my head…but only sometimes, because obviously the guy is a little nuts. Frankly, the level to which I identify with some of the crap he says should probably worry me. That whole shpiel about people being a mistake — and how we should all walk hand-in-hand into extinction — rings strangely true with me… mostly because it’s becoming more and more clear that we are a blight on this planet — and pretty much every living thing on earth would be better off without us.

Anyway, I’m starting to disturb myself with the amount of thought I’ve given this show, and I have to drive through Louisiana next month. So before I scare myself into cancelling my trip, I’m going to stop thinking about what lurks in the bayou.