WARNING – Spoilers, strong language and adult themes

Rust Cohle is a detective, who is particularly skilled in being able to obtain confessions. When it comes to his personal life, Rust doesn’t give much away. He has struggled with alcohol over the years, having managed to quit when we first meet him but in 2012 it’s clear that he’s spent the past few years drinking.

Matthew McConaughey is an American actor who you’ll definitely recognise as he’s starred in many hit films. Rom-coms like The Wedding Planner, How to Lose a Guy ion 10 Days and Fool’s Gold made him a household name. His role in Dallas Buyers Club earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor and he subsequently starred in hit films including The Wolf of Wall Street, Interstellar and The Gentleman.

Maggie Hart is Marty Hart’s ex-wife and mother to his children.

Michelle Monaghan is an American actress. Films she has starred in include Made of Honor, Patriots Day and Mission: Impossible. Her role as Maggie Hart saw her earn a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Detective Maynard Gilbough is a Louisiana State Police detective who is tasked with interviewing Rust and Marty in 2012.

Michael Potts is an American actor, who has starred in The Wire and The Book of Mormon.

The episode begins with Martin Hart and Rustin Cohle being interrogated in present day about each other and the investigation that saw them brought together as partners. Present-day Hart is a clean-cut individual, with Cohle coming across standoffish and unkempt.

The investigation in question took place in 1995, when a murdered woman was found in a burned field outside of Erath with her body positioned against a tree, wearing deer antlers on her head and sculptural stick lattices surrounding her body. Cohle believes that this is not the killer’s first victim, as the kill is too specific – a theory he shares with Hart.

The tension between the pair is immediately apparent, despite them having been partnered for three months. A disagreement in the car following Cohle’s revelation that “human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution” leads Hart, a religious family-man, to declare their squad car now a place for silent reflection.

Cohle, determined to distract himself with work, takes off to a trucker bar where he finds sex workers who knew the victim. The victim is later identified as Dora Lange, a 28-year-old sex worker, with the autopsy revealing she had LSD and crystal meth in her system.

Marty and Rust continue investigating, discovering a potential connection to an old case which saw a young girl – Marie Fontenot - go missing five years earlier. After following up with the local sheriff, they discover that Marie’s case was never investigated and uncover a separate complaint around the same time when a young girl claimed she was chased through the woods by a “green-eared spaghetti monster”. Later, when investigating Marie’s disappearance, Monty and Rust discover twig latticework in the backyard where she used to play.

Back in 2012, Rust reflects on Marty inviting him over for dinner with his wife and two children back when they were first partnered together. Marty recounts how Rust arrived to dinner drunk. The 2012 interrogators, Detective Gilbough and Detective Papania, are suspicious of Rust because he’s been off the grid for a number of years. After being bribed with beer, Rust plays ball and reveals that he knows there’s a new victim who shares similar circumstances to the murder of Dora Lange. But with Marty and Rust having caught Dora’s killer years ago, could they have got the wrong person and is the real killer still at large?

Rust and Marty pay Charlie Lange a visit to find out more about Reggie Ledoux. Charlie reveals that Reggie is slightly odd and had a tattoo on his back, which was the mark of a group of devil worshippers who sacrifice women and children for “The Yellow King”. He points them in the direction of Tyrone Weems. Charlie – having previously shown Reggie suggestive images of Dora – asks if he was responsible for Dora’s death, with Rust suggesting he was.

Rust and Marty track down Tyrone’s ex-girlfriend, Kelsey, who refuses to help them but a bartender at the strip club Kelsey works at reveals she is still seeing Tyrone.

Marty testifies at court, where he’s confronted by Lisa - who is the court’s reporter – about him attacking her date. A stubborn Marty refuses to apologise, so an angry Lisa contacts Maggie and tells her about their affair. Later, Marty returns home to find Maggie and their daughters gone.

After work, Marty follows Kelsey to a rave. He spots Tyrone and pulls a gun out, forcing him to reveal where Reggie is. Tyrone reveals that Reggie is no longer dealing, instead he’s cooking drugs exclusively for the Iron Crusaders – a gang in East Texas. Marty updates Rust on what he’s discovered and heads to the hospital where Maggie is working a night shift. After he refuses to leave, Maggie calls Rust to come and collect him.

Rust is aware of the Iron Crusaders from his time working undercover, telling Marty that they believe he died on a raid. He decides to use this cover to infiltrate the gang and find out if Reggie is their supplier. He asks for personal leave from the police, so that him and Marty can run this sting operation. Rust takes it upon himself to speak with Maggie and arrange for Marty to be able to spend time with his children.

In character as his old alias “Crash”, Rust meets his former partner Ginger and feeds him his cover story – that he’s been in Mexico with a gang and is now looking to exchange cocaine for meth. Ginger agrees to arrange a meeting between the Iron Crusaders meth supplier and Rust on the condition that Rust helps him with a raid. With no other option, Rust agrees. Marty, having been kicked out of the bar, spots Rust leaving with Ginger on a boat.

Ginger and his gang prepare for the raid, breaking into a house wearing police uniforms. But the plan goes awry when one of the members kills a man, with the whole raid turning into a huge gunfight. Rusty grabs Ginger and escapes from the house in Marty’s car. Rust then attacks Ginger to try get him to give up information on Reggie.

In 2012, Rust is questioned by the two detectives about his period of absence from the police. He claims he was visiting his dying dad in Alaska but they question this, noting that there’s no record of the trip or of his dad being ill. Marty – knowing that the story is fake – isn’t impressed.

Ginger, being held hostage by Rust, schedules a meet with the Iron Crusaders’ meth contact and Reggie’s cousin, Dewall Ledoux. Rust – still undercover – tries to get Dewall to accept his offer to trade cocaine for meth but he refuses. With the first plan having failed, Marty follows Dewall to see if he will lead them to Reggie.

Rust meets up with Marty at the forest, with the pair deciding to not call it in and head down to the compound without backup. They make their way into the house, arresting Reggie in the process. Marty heads inside the house and finds two children chained up in a shed. Disgusted by what he’s seen, Marty shoots Reggie in the head – the shock of which leads Dewall to step backwards into a landmine which blows him up. With both Dewall and Reggie dead, Rust and Marty plant evidence to cover up what really happened and make it seem like they acted in self-defence.

With everyone having bought their story, Rust and Marty are praised for their heroic efforts with Marty being promoted to Detective Sergeant. With the case having been put to bed, Marty and Maggie fix their issues and get back together.

In 2012, Rust and Marty recount the story of the “shootout” but Detective Gilbough and Papania are more interested in finding out what happened in 2002 when Rust left the police force. Marty reflects on 2002 being a significant year for him and his relationship with his daughter Audrey. After police pick Audrey up, having found her undressed in a car with two guys, an angry Marty loses his cool and slaps her. Rust reveals that by 2002 he was known for his ability to draw out confessions from suspects.

In 2002, Rust interrogated Guy Francis – a man charged with double murder. Guy wanting to make a plea deal, insists that Rust and Marty didn’t catch the person behind Dora’s murder. Guy mentions the “Yellow King”, which startles Rust as there’s no way he could have known this information. Rust attacks Guy, before the interview is stopped. The following day, Rust fills Marty in on what happened with the pair returning to find out more information only to discover that Guy has killed himself. They’re told that following a phone call from his lawyer, Guy slit his wrists but after tracing the call to a pay phone Rust has suspicions. Rust revisits the original investigation, finding Dora Lange’s original crime scene now decorated with twig sculptures. At the Light of the Way Academy he finds more twig sculptures and paintings on the walls.

In the 2012 interview, Rust asks to see the file for the recent murder but is shocked by how little information there is. Detective Gilbough shows him a photo of the crime scene – where Rust is visible in the image – and reveals that there’s evidence of Rust being present at the murder scene. Gilbough and Papania tell Marty and Rust their theory that Rust was involved in the murders and that he manipulated evidence to protect himself. Rust’s refusal to allow them to inspect his storage unit and the odd timings around Tuttle’s death adds to their suspicions. An upset Rust walks out of his interview. Elsewhere, Marty grapples with what he’s hearing about his former partner.

The local caretaker, Errol Childress, who gave Detective Gilbough and Papania directions, is in a room with writing all over the walls, watching over a man – who he refers to as ‘Daddy’ - tied to a bed. He leaves the room and heads to a house close by, where his lover Betty is. Later, we see Errol painting the exterior of the school and watching the children play outside.

Rust shows Geraci the video footage of Marie Fontenot’s rape and murder. Shocked by what he’s seeing, Geraci reveals that Ted Childress was in charge and dropped the case. Rust and Marty leave Geraci on the boat, threatening that a hitman will kill him if either of them are arrested. To prove their point, Rust signals to Robert Doumain who fires bullets into Geraci’s car.

Looking back at their evidence, Marty spots that one of the houses in Dora’s neighbourhood had recently been painted green. They hypothesise that the killer must have painted the house, which is why people reported being followed by a “green-eared spaghetti monster”. On their way to the house Rust and Marty speak about their 2002 fight, with both of them accepting responsibility for their part.

They arrive in Dora’s neighbourhood and find the house that had been painted green and contact the original owner, Lilly. She remembers that one of the people who painted her house had a scarred face. Checking the payment records, they discover that the company Lilly used was called Childress and Son Maintenance – a firm that works in many of the areas where people have disappeared from. Through records they’re able to find an old address.

Rust meets with Robert Doumain and hands him a number of packages with evidence. He instructs Doumain to send them if he doesn’t hear from Rust in 24 hours. Marty meets with Detective Papania and gives him the heads up to expect a call.

Rust and Marty head to the address they found earlier, only to discover there’s no phone signal. Marty uses the lack of phone signal as an excuse to knock on the door and ask Betty to use her phone. A dog runs out of the house to a shed, where it’s silenced. Turned away by Betty, Marty breaks into the house whilst Rust inspects the outside where he finds Errol and the dog from earlier… now dead. Errol runs into the woods and Rust follows him, finding an old overgrown building – a place Errol calls ‘Carcosa’. He heads inside where he finds kids’ clothes, bones and latticework throughout the corridors.

Marty having found Betty’s phone, heads into the woods after Rust. Rust makes his way further into ‘Carcosa’ and reaches a room where there’s a skeleton wearing an antler crown. Rust is struck by a hallucination and Errol takes advantage of him being distracted and stabs him. Marty rushes in, shooting Errol but despite being wounded by the bullets Errol throws a hammer into Marty’s shoulder. Rust saves Marty by shooting Errol in the head, thus killing him. Despite suffering from his own wound, Marty helps Rust whilst police arrive on the scene.

Days later, Marty is visited in the hospital by Detective Gilbough and Papania. They confirm that Errol and Betty were Billy Childress’ children and that they’ve matched the tools found in Errol’s home with the Lake Charles murder and Dora Lange’s case. The media report on what was found at Errol’s house but Tuttle doesn’t face any consequences – suggesting there have been further coverups.

Marty is emotional to see that Maggie and his daughters have come to visit him in hospital. Marty visits Rust in his hospital room, where Rust confesses he’s angry he didn’t recognise Errol back in 1995 and shares his frustration that everyone involved hasn’t been punished.

A few days later, with Rust almost fully recovered, they head outside the hospital so that Rust can have a cigarette. Rust shares that he’s disappointed he survived being stabbed – having felt himself die whilst in a coma and feeling the presence of his daughter waiting for him. Trying to distract Rust, Marty asks about growing up in Alaska with the pair discussing light vs darkness. Rust comments that “Once there was only dark. If you ask me, light’s winning” – to which the pair exit the hospital.

The soundtrack for the first season of True Detective includes tracks with gospel and blues music themes. In an interview with Mother Jones, T Bone Burnett who worked on the soundtrack, said “It’s all about the character” when it came to choosing the songs.

Songs you can hear throughout True Detective S1 include:

• Far From Any Road – The Handsome Family
• Sign of the Judgement – The McIntosh County Shouters
• Rocks and Gravel – Bob Dylan
• Young Men Dead – The Black Angels
• Train Song – Vashti Bunyan
• You Better Run to the City of Refuge – C.J. Johnson
• One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer – John Lee Hooker
• Meet Me in the Alleyway – Steve Earle
• If I Live or If I Die – Cuff the Duke
• Unfriendly Woman – John Lee Hooker
• Kingdom of Heaven (Is Within You) – 13th Floor Elevators
• Stand By Me – The Staple Singers
• Does My Ring Burn Your Finger – Buddy Miller
• I’m A One-Woman Man – Johnny Horton
• Evangeline Special – Jo-El Sonnier
• The Heart That You Own – Dwight Yoakam
• Bring It To Jerome – Bo Diddley
• Illegal Business – Boogie Down Productions
• Rainin’ In My Heart – Slim Harpo
• Sur Le Borde De L’Eau – Blind Uncle Gaspard
• Are You Alright? – Lucinda Williams
• A History of Bad Men – Melvins
• American Life – Primus
• Clan In Da Front – Wu-Tang Clan, RZA, GZA
• Honey Bee (Let’s Fly to Mars) – Grinderman
• Casey’s Last Ride – Kris Kristofferson
• Tired of Waiting for You – The Kinks
• Eli – Bosnian Rainbows
• Waymore’s Blues – Waylon Jennings
• Les Champs Elysée – Bobby Charles
• Goldberg Variations – Johann Sebastien Bach, Glenn Gould
• Everyman Needs a Companion – Father John Misty
• The Good Book – Emmylou Harris
• Core Chant – Meredith Monk, Allison Sniffin, Theo Bleckmann
• Sign of the Judgement – Cassandra Wilson
• Angel of the Morning – Juice Newton
• Red Light – Vincent & Mr Green
• Fault Line – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
• Did She Jump or Was She Pushed – Richard & Linda Thompson
• Lungs – Townes Van Zandt
• The Angry River – The Hat, Father John Misty, S.I Istwa

Want to see more? - Discover everything you need to know about the latest season >

The cops solve a murky LA murder - Read our season 2 recap here >

A new detective and a new crime - Read our season 3 recap here >