Rachel McAdams

The critical derision of True Detective Season 2 came to a head last night with the untimely “Omega Station” finale, but did Nic Pizzolatto’s once-revered drama redeem itself, as HBO promised? Here’s how every major character ended the Vinci-set season, for those dying of heart blue-balls.

One thing is for certain about director Tom McCarthy — he’s been very diverse, which makes him a bit unpredictable. His most recent film was the laughably, inconceivably awful The Cobbler, starring Adam Sandler. But prior to that he made acclaimed films like The Station Agent and Win Win. With that little Adam Sandler hiccup behind us now, we’re free to look forward to Spotlight, a new drama featuring an excellent ensemble cast and some very serious subject matter. Best of all: no magic shoes.

A few weeks ago, we heard that Rachel McAdams was in talks with Marvel for a leading role in Doctor Strange opposite Benedict Cumberbatch. Since then, all’s been quiet on the Sorcerer Supreme front, with no official confirmation or other casting news. But today brings a small update, in the form of an interview with McAdams, who confirms that she is in talks with Marvel, though it’s still a bit early.

Each trailer for Southpaw has been better and more focused than the last, and the latest follows in the footsteps of its predecessor by using the second of two original tracks Eminem recorded for Antoine Fuqua’s film — this one is “Kings Never Die,” featuring Gwen Stefani. The trailers continue to lean a little too heavily on the family drama, while Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance in the boxing ring appears to be the main draw.

Doctor Strange already boasts an impressive cast that includes Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton and Chiwetel Ejiofor, but Marvel isn’t ready to stop there. In addition to those three Oscar-nominees (with Swinton winning for her role in Michael Clayton), they have also reportedly offered Rachel McAdams a role in the upcoming superhero film.

Here’s the thing: comparisons between Season 1 and Season 2 of True Detective are inevitable. The first season of Nic Pizzolatto’s HBO detective drama was a near-perfect character piece in which the cultish serial killer mystery was an added bonus. And although this is an anthology series, so far we only have that one season to go on. Comparing the technical aspects and general quality of Season 2 to Season 1 is fair, but there’s been a lot of complaining that the second season is downright bad (it’s not). The problem is that everyone loved that first season so much that they just instinctively want more of the same.

I feel sorry for those of you who may have made the unfortunate decision of hanging around Twitter or Facebook before watching tonight’s episode of True Detective. There’s absolutely no way you could avoid spoilers about the ending of “Night Finds You,” but if you’ve made it this far, I trust you’ve already seen the episode, which makes this a safe space to discuss what the hell just happened.

As our own Kevin Fitzpatrick noted in his early review of True Detective Season 2, impotence and masculine ideals play a huge part — both literally and thematically — in the new season, which opens a new case in California. “The Western Book of the Dead” is mostly introductory, establishing our central characters and their various troubles, as well as reinforcing the series’ gruff and grim tone.

'True Detective' Season 2 excels in quiet characterization and gorgeous visuals, but falls far short of its predecessor with a crowded and impotent central story. Our early spoiler-free review, before Sunday's Season 2 premiere on HBO!

True Detective Season 2 has managed to keep much of its core story under wraps, but with a June 21 premiere looming just one week after Game of Thrones’ Season 5 finale, HBO has uncovered several new spoilery descriptions of the next case. Find out who opens the “Western Book of the Dead” with the first synopses for True Detective Season 2 episodes!