True Detective Season 3 Premiere Review: Off To A Good Start

"True Detective" is back on HBO. Last week's premiere contained two episodes. This time around we have Arkansas State Detective Wayne Hays (Mahershala Ali) investigating Will and Julie Purcell's abduction in the small town of West Finger, AR. The added twist is the story is told in three different time periods: 1980 when the crimes occurred; 1990 when the case is reopened and the conviction overturned (but we dont know who was convicted) and 2015 when Hays is an old man recounting the story for a true crime TV show. To make it even more interesting, Hays has some sort of memory issues (possibly Alzheimers). This means he/we cant trust what he remembers. We also know that the disappearance of Julie Purcell has never been solved since an older Hays says it's haunted him all these years.

So after two episodes, who could the killer be?

Tom Purcell- the children's father (played by Scoot McNairy); he may have been convicted of the crime but we dont know for sure yet.
Lucy Purcell- the children's mother (played by Mami Gummer). If we include the father, we should add the mother as well.
Dan O'Brien- uncle of the children. He was staying at the Purcell's house several months ago. Detectives discover a peep hole he apparently made to spy on Julie. Creepazoid!
Brett Woodard- ie "The Trashman"; he's a local trash collector. Woodard is a red herring if I ever saw one.
Roland West- Hays partner (played by Stephen Dorff). I seriously doubt it's him but who knows.
Freddy Burns and friends- local teens who are seen with some bikes after the children go missing. They are probably another red herring.
Wayne Hays- This is a super long shot but could it be Wayne himself?
Amelia Reardon- Wayne's wife (played by Carmen Ejogo). Another long shot. From what we've seen thus far, she has lots of secrets. She wrote a book about the events called "Life and Death and the Harvest Moon".
Someone we havent met yet- This would be my bet.

Grade: 4 Monsters (out of 5). I wasnt as thrilled about seasons 1 (from 2014) and 2 (from 2015) as others were. The season 3 story might have potential though. Mahershala Ali is also a compelling presence to watch. I'll hang in to see where it all leads.