The following podcast contains explicit language.

Hi, and welcome to a spoiler special about True Detective's season two.

The season that was so incomprehensible, it was impossible to distinguish between what was a spoiler and what was just the plot.

I'm Willa Paskin, Slate's TV critic, and I am joined today by Laura Bennett, a senior editor.

Hi, Laura.

Hi, Willa.

And Ben Mathis Lilley, the editor of this latest, and that

very rare find, a true detective apologist. Hi, Ben. Hi, that's me, yes. This season was so bad.

I think that even here at Slate Pitch headquarters, the only person Slate Pitchy enough to like

the season was Ben, but that is wonderful news for this spoiler special because otherwise you'd have just had to listen to Laura and me commiserating about how bad this show was.

I want to get to what you liked about the show, Ben, almost immediately.

But first, I just want to do a very quick synopsis of what I didn't like, which I think I can sum up as basically bad acting, bad writing, bad plotting, bad mystery.

There will be occasion to expound upon all of these things, I think.

But just very bad is the emergent consensus opinion on this season, and it is one that I share.

Ben, tell me why I am wrong.

Well, I guess, first of all, I think...

That was my best Ira Glass.

If you hear that telling you.

It was good.

I think that you're probably...

We're probably going to agree on some things.

I wouldn't say this is a great season.

...