continuing.....
In the beginning of episode 4, we get right into the meaty stuff. Cohle and Hart are interviewing Dora’s ex, Charlie, again. This is what he said when he was being questioned about Ledoux:
Now, it’s worth mentioning that there isn’t any mention of cults or sacrifices in the book ”The King in Yellow”, written by Chambers. It was no other than H.P Lovecraft that introduced cults into the mythos. To understand what they were worshipping in Lovecraft’s world, we need to take a look at the Cthulhu mythos. There are mainly two types of different Gods that are relevant, the Great Old Ones and the Outer Gods. The Great Old Ones are powerful, ancient entities worshipped by crazy human cults. The Outer Gods however have unlimited influence in comparison and function on a more cosmic scale.
Here’s an excerpt from ”Call of Cthulhu”, where an Inspector John Legrasse of the New Orleans police department raids a cult ritual gathering, capturing several of its members:
Here’s another excerpt from ”The Whisperer in Darkness”, written by Lovecraft as well:
In episode 5, our detectives finally find Ledoux. (Notice Ledoux smirk when he sees Cohle.)
When he’s put down on his knees, Ledoux asks if it’s time. He mentions that the black stars rise (sound familiar?), that he knows what happens next. He’s seen Cohle in his dreams and that he’s with him in Carcosa now. He continues on to say that Cohle will do this again and that time is a flat circle. Meanwhile, we see Hart discovering the children.
There’s a story called ”THE REPAIRER OF REPUTATIONS” in the book ”The King in Yellow” by Chambers. The story is basically about a young man who’s personality changes drastically, following a head injury. After reading the dreaded play ”The King in Yellow”, the man becomes even more insane. He deludes himself into thinking that he’ll become the ”Last King”:
The reason why Ledoux or Cohle doesn’t care is because they believe in eternal return. Time is a flat circle. Everything will repeat itself, rebirth is a fact, no matter what we do. We as human beings are powerless to the greater forces, but we’re so engrossed in believing in our self-importance that we don’t realise that we’re trapped in ourselves. We are prisoners of our own consciousness, and the ”real truth” is far too depressing for us to accept, or even comprehend. We value life, as we fear death. What we don’t realise is that there’s a third factor at play, which the other two merely are a product of. What we perceive to be an eternity is in fact - a flat circle.
When looking at the cult, perhaps it can be argued that the they believe that by worshipping The Greater Gods by sacrificing people, it takes them to an unknown alternate realm in which the Yellow King resides, known as Carcosa.
By the end of episode 5, we know for a fact that the two black detectives are trying to pin Cohle for the murders. They’ve grown tired of his - in their mind, irrational ramblings, and it further confirms their belief that Cohle is the mastermind behind it all. They got their man as far as they’re concerned, and are eager to call it a day. However, Cohle knows that it’s not over. Chole knows exactly what he’s doing, and has been working tirelessly for all this time, most likely in tandem with Hart to some degree. They know how corrupt the system is from the inside, where pinning scapegoats and sloppy police work leads to rewards from the overlords that rule the show. There’s a reason why he got shafted, and he and Hart are going to see to it that those responsible will pay for the crimes they committed. As far as they’re concerned, the world will know the truth of the happenings in Louisiana, and it’s so maddening that it will shake society to its core.
Okay, there's is going to be potential spoilers about the cult from this point, so warning!
I just want to end this by saying that Nic Pizzolatto has written a television masterpiece. To incorporate such abstract and complex elements and philosophies is very dangerous if you don’t do it absolutely right, but Pizzolatto has done this flawlessly. Even with the time jumps, the story stays consistent and grounded in its own reality. It leaves us analytical and craving for more. It makes us question the concepts of reality and truth, in the quest of finding out what really is out there.
Whatever happens, I’m certain that we’ll be in for one hell of a ride.
In the beginning of episode 4, we get right into the meaty stuff. Cohle and Hart are interviewing Dora’s ex, Charlie, again. This is what he said when he was being questioned about Ledoux:
Charlie lays it all down. Rich men, devil worshipping, sacrifices, Carcosa and the Yellow King. With this information, and with the information we’ve gathered so far, we're getting the bigger picture. A cult of powerful people who’ve come to worship the Yellow King, by sacrificing women and grooming them from young age. Dora’s friend mentioned that there was a place down south next to a ”Spanish lake” (Lake Hali) where there was a shelter where girls used to stay.
Now, it’s worth mentioning that there isn’t any mention of cults or sacrifices in the book ”The King in Yellow”, written by Chambers. It was no other than H.P Lovecraft that introduced cults into the mythos. To understand what they were worshipping in Lovecraft’s world, we need to take a look at the Cthulhu mythos. There are mainly two types of different Gods that are relevant, the Great Old Ones and the Outer Gods. The Great Old Ones are powerful, ancient entities worshipped by crazy human cults. The Outer Gods however have unlimited influence in comparison and function on a more cosmic scale.
Here’s an excerpt from ”Call of Cthulhu”, where an Inspector John Legrasse of the New Orleans police department raids a cult ritual gathering, capturing several of its members:
Here’s another excerpt from ”The Whisperer in Darkness”, written by Lovecraft as well:
It is not known what Hastur actually is, but what is important to note here is that both ”Hastur” and the ”Yellow sign” are being linked together in relation to the cult. Why is that important? Because both exist in the book ”The King in Yellow”, and is therefore part of the yellow mythos.
In episode 5, our detectives finally find Ledoux. (Notice Ledoux smirk when he sees Cohle.)
When he’s put down on his knees, Ledoux asks if it’s time. He mentions that the black stars rise (sound familiar?), that he knows what happens next. He’s seen Cohle in his dreams and that he’s with him in Carcosa now. He continues on to say that Cohle will do this again and that time is a flat circle. Meanwhile, we see Hart discovering the children.
There’s a story called ”THE REPAIRER OF REPUTATIONS” in the book ”The King in Yellow” by Chambers. The story is basically about a young man who’s personality changes drastically, following a head injury. After reading the dreaded play ”The King in Yellow”, the man becomes even more insane. He deludes himself into thinking that he’ll become the ”Last King”:
The reason why Ledoux or Cohle doesn’t care is because they believe in eternal return. Time is a flat circle. Everything will repeat itself, rebirth is a fact, no matter what we do. We as human beings are powerless to the greater forces, but we’re so engrossed in believing in our self-importance that we don’t realise that we’re trapped in ourselves. We are prisoners of our own consciousness, and the ”real truth” is far too depressing for us to accept, or even comprehend. We value life, as we fear death. What we don’t realise is that there’s a third factor at play, which the other two merely are a product of. What we perceive to be an eternity is in fact - a flat circle.
When looking at the cult, perhaps it can be argued that the they believe that by worshipping The Greater Gods by sacrificing people, it takes them to an unknown alternate realm in which the Yellow King resides, known as Carcosa.
By the end of episode 5, we know for a fact that the two black detectives are trying to pin Cohle for the murders. They’ve grown tired of his - in their mind, irrational ramblings, and it further confirms their belief that Cohle is the mastermind behind it all. They got their man as far as they’re concerned, and are eager to call it a day. However, Cohle knows that it’s not over. Chole knows exactly what he’s doing, and has been working tirelessly for all this time, most likely in tandem with Hart to some degree. They know how corrupt the system is from the inside, where pinning scapegoats and sloppy police work leads to rewards from the overlords that rule the show. There’s a reason why he got shafted, and he and Hart are going to see to it that those responsible will pay for the crimes they committed. As far as they’re concerned, the world will know the truth of the happenings in Louisiana, and it’s so maddening that it will shake society to its core.
Okay, there's is going to be potential spoilers about the cult from this point, so warning!
Okay, this is a tough nut to crack. If we look at the clues, we might be able to decipher where the cult might actually be. Before, we've heard time and again that the yellow king has been spotted in the woods, and that the cult has been worshipping there. However, what we also know is that the cult’s been linked with fires. We have the burned church, the burned man, the burning sign on the leaflet amongst other things. With that in mind, let’s look at Cassilda's song in its entirety:
Still not convinced? Just look at the opening sequence. Why does that place have such a major presence? We’ve seen it multiple times on the show, acting as a backdrop, but we’ve never really thought much about it otherwise. However, by connecting the dots, we can truly see what it is that we didn’t see before. I could be totally wrong, but whether these things are merely incidental or not, we'll know for sure in a couple of weeks’ time For the time being, it's food for thought..
Let’s go back and look at Episode 2, titled ”Seeing things". Look at the highlighted part. Remember the twin suns reference which we saw right right after Hart and Cohle visited the burned church? It’s being alluded that ”Carcosa” is in fact nearby that particular place, but it’s still not enough to draw any reasonable conclusions. However, we have another major hint. Remember when Cohle was seeing the very bright sky when traveling in the car with Hart? It’s right after they leave the Bunny ranch. This is a reference to ”Along the shore the cloud waves break”, alluding that the place they were driving through when that took place is also nearby ”Carcosa”. In both instances, what physical place are they close to, that can be linked with fire, an element we’ve linked with the cult already?
Still not convinced? Just look at the opening sequence. Why does that place have such a major presence? We’ve seen it multiple times on the show, acting as a backdrop, but we’ve never really thought much about it otherwise. However, by connecting the dots, we can truly see what it is that we didn’t see before. I could be totally wrong, but whether these things are merely incidental or not, we'll know for sure in a couple of weeks’ time For the time being, it's food for thought..
I just want to end this by saying that Nic Pizzolatto has written a television masterpiece. To incorporate such abstract and complex elements and philosophies is very dangerous if you don’t do it absolutely right, but Pizzolatto has done this flawlessly. Even with the time jumps, the story stays consistent and grounded in its own reality. It leaves us analytical and craving for more. It makes us question the concepts of reality and truth, in the quest of finding out what really is out there.
Whatever happens, I’m certain that we’ll be in for one hell of a ride.
