The season has also spent much time exploring the how destructive the case as been to so many lives. But the events of the episode show just how fragile is mind is. This is somewhat obvious he is the parent of missing children, after all. Much of ‘Hunters in the Dark’ is a look at how Tom’s mind has been destroyed by the events of 1980. What the show also does is revisit questions that should have been dealt with when the mystery first occurred. The sixth episode of the season goes a long way to reinforcing this personification. Tom is the most pitiful character of the season. When Tom is first seen in 1990, he is recovering from his addictions thanks to Detective West, but even then there is a sense of despair that surrounds him. His wife cheats on him, his co workers mock him, and his in-laws despise him. Instead, Tom is portrayed as a down on his luck character who is constantly being kicked in the teeth by life. True Detective deftly avoids those lingering doubts. There is always the initial suspicion that falls on the parents when their children go missing. After his children are kidnapped, everything begins to fall apart in Tom’s life. It is almost impossible for the audience to not want to take his side. Starting with the season’s premiere, Tom Purcell has constantly been shown as the victim.
Still, the mysterious phone call at the end of episode of five is one of the biggest surprise’s of the season. Even ignoring the fact the case is still being investigated almost three decades later, there is something about the whole incident that just does not sit well. There were plenty of questions as to whether the person originally convicted of the 1980 disappearances was actually guilty.
Episode six immediately addresses the cliffhanger from the previous episode.