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.

You’re warned of all the major True Detective Season 2 spoilers from this moment on, but suffice to say, Season 2 finale “Omega Station” allowed for some predictable twists, and couldn’t quite atone for any letdown, affording us some of the bleakest ends possible. Without further ado, here lies the fate of all your beloved True Detective Season 2 characters:

Ray Velcoro (Colin Farrell)

True Detective Season 2 Finale Spoilers Ray
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Dead! As if the Conway Twitty vision from Episode 3 couldn’t have laid it on any thicker, Ray indeed met his end being cut to pieces as he stepped out of the forest, presumably by the remaining Black Mountain security crew, and a freshly-injured Lt. Burris.

You see, after learning of Woodrugh’s demise, Ray and Ani put enough pieces together to figure set photographer Leonard as the bird-masked killer, brother to Laura / Erica, before arriving to the former’s house to find Laura willing to back up the entire story, confirm her brother as Caspere’s murderer and warning of Len’s plan to kill Burris and Holloway at a Los Angeles train station.

Clad in a cowboy hat, Ray managed to infiltrate the station and some sense into the waiting Leonard, usurping his position as the one to meet Holloway and deliver Caspere’s (erased) hard drive in exchange for the blue diamonds (confused yet?). Ray sits with Holloway as an incognito Leoanard looks on, while Holloway reveals that Caspere was actually Laura’s father, something that provokes Len to attack Holloway outright, the ensuing scuffle of which sees both Leonard and Holloway dead, Ray’s record of the meeting destroyed, and Burris fleeing with a gunshot wound.

Some time later, Ray reunites with Frank in an illegal immigration weigh station behind their favorite bar (yep, that singer is still around, and playing to empty rooms), in which Frank convinces his former associate to rob the Ukrainians at a Northern California cabin, securing enough payday to all reunite in Venezuela. Surprisingly, the two succeed, killing Osip and all his men, and shaking hands with millions of dollars to part with, though wouldn’t know know it, things don’t last.

Ray stops to salute his son one last time from a distance, seeing the boy with his grandfather’s crystallized badge, after which Ray realizes that his enemies put a transponder on his car (or a bomb? It was wildly unclear, as was why any transponder would broadcast its presence with a shiny red dot on the pavement beneath). Still, Ray opted to drive away with his loot, phoning Ani with a demand she get on the boat to Venezuela, regardless of whether or not he catches up.

Ray manages to lead Burris and his men (there was only one SUV, but apparently 10 men!) into the woods, fending off a few of them (and failing to upload a final voicemail to Chad) before stepping out and getting shot to pieces. Good news, though! He’s 99.99% likely to be Chad’s paternal father, if this is your first time analyzing clichéd plot points.

Ani Bezzerides (Rachel McAdams)

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Alive! And with a son! Ani seems to recall more and more of her youthful kidnapping, disgusted with how proud she’d felt that her assailant called her pretty, though she and Ray find their way to Laura and Leonard’s residence, Ani reluctantly agreeing to stay behind with Laura and her recorded testimony. Only … she totally doesn’t, puts Laura on a bus to Seattle, and manages to save Ray in the nick of time at the train station shootout.

Afterward, the two reluctantly accept Frank’s plan to rob the Ukrainians, during which Ani … curiously sits out the entire caper, but agrees to meet up with everyone in Venezuela. That is, until Ray phones with news of his tail, and Ani reluctantly accepts his plea to join them on another continent after he loses the pursuers. Ani tensely boards the boat, but seemingly makes it, crying over an apparent omniscient realization that something horrible has happened.

Months later, Ani shares her story (and all the collected evidence) with the same New York Times reporter that Ray had earlier assaulted, demanding the press member wait in the room for a full hour after she departs. Afterwards, she finds Jordan in their own room, cradling Ani’s newborn son “Ray” (be careful with your eye-rolls), before Nails leads the hat-clad trio through Venezuela streets, in the midst of a festival;.

Frank Semyon (Vince Vaughn)

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Dead! After taking every possible opportunity to foreshadow his own end in saying goodbye to Jordan, including failed reverse psychology to dispose of their wedding rings, and assuring her that they’d meet up in a Venezuela park inside of two weeks, both clad in white, the two said their final goodbyes. Frank next paid a visit to the Chessanis, only to find Mayor Austin face-down in the pool, and warn his Ukrainian bride that she would likely be framed for the murder.

Afterwards, Frank laid out his plan with Ray and recruited him to the effort, infiltrating Osip’s cabin with gas masks, and delivering killing blows to both McCandles, and the Jewish-Ukrainian gangster. Still, after downright tender goodbyes with Ray, Frank found himself cornered by those loose-end Mexicans, who hijacked his getaway car and drove him out into the desert, enraged by the loss of Frank’s clubs.

Frank briefly managed to barter for his life by handing over the $1 million in his suitcase, though when another member of the crew demanded his suit, Frank fought back, and wound up alone in the desert, bleeding out from one of his sides. Frank fought his way to walk as long as possible, enduring hallucinations of his father, past bullies, and even men he’d killed, before learning from a hallucination of a white-clad Jordan that he’d stopped walking and collapsed some time ago. Womp-womp.

Paul Woodrugh (Taylor Kitsch)

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Still dead. That said, lucky him, the murder wound up pinned on Ray, while this newborn child, baby-mama, and creepy mother attended the ceremony of a highway being dedicated in his honor.

Lieutenant Kevin Burris (James Frain)

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Alive! Despite taking a shot to the arm in the botched train station handoff, a sling-wearing Burris managed to mastermind the lojacking of Ray’s car, as well as Ray’s untimely bullet-ridden end. He was last seen in full uniform, attending Tony Chessani’s ascension to Mayor, because that’s how politics work? And hey, while we’re at it, Geldof (C.S. Lee) hammered a golden nail on the high-speed rail corridor!

Chad Velcoro (Trevor Larcom)

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Alive! Officially Ray’s son. Officially carrying a decorative badge around at school, for … reasons. Unofficially unaware of his true paternity.

Athena and Elliot Bezzerides (Levin Rambin and David Morse)

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F#$k if we know. You’d think a 90-minute finale would find a few seconds to catch up, given how the bad guys seemed to get away with everything, or how shady Ani’s partner Elvis seemed.

Depressing Guitar Girl (Lera Lynn)

True Detective Season 2 Finale Lera Lynn
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Upping her evidently lone gig by playing to empty rooms. Also garnering her own exit shot from the bar, despite having no relevance to the plot whatsoever. Well done, Nic.

Well, was True Detective Season 2 as much of a letdown as fans feared? Was the bleak finale a final nail in the coffin, or a tense wrap-up to a slow-burning season?

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