SPOILER ALERT: True Detective body count soars as Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, and Taylor Kitsch engage in fiery gun battle

True Detective featured a truly high jump in the body count on Sunday's episode of the HBO series.

The fourth episode of the second season of the anthology series ended with a deadly shootout after detectives played by Rachel McAdams, Colin Farrell and Taylor Kitsch pursued their prime murder suspect.

The episode titled Down Will Come was directed by Jeremy Podeswa and creator and show runner Nic Pizzolatto shared a writing credit for the first time with novelist Scott Lasser.

Gun battle: Rachel McAdams lead a team of officers into a gun battle on Sunday's episode of True Detective on HBO

Gun battle: Rachel McAdams lead a team of officers into a gun battle on Sunday's episode of True Detective on HBO

Vince Vaughn as crime boss Frank Semyon opened the show talking with his wife Jordan as he chose to focus on work instead of their efforts to get pregnant.

California Highway Patrol Officer Paul Woodrugh, played by Kitsch, was then shown waking up in a bedroom littered with beer bottles.

Paul stumbled out to find his old military buddy in the living room and learned that he drove there after asking questions at the Lust club.

Taking aim: Taylor Kitsch fired away as officers were confronted with gunmen wielding automatic weapons

Taking aim: Taylor Kitsch fired away as officers were confronted with gunmen wielding automatic weapons

Intense shootout: Colin Farrell joined in on the deadly gun battle that broke out in broad daylight

Intense shootout: Colin Farrell joined in on the deadly gun battle that broke out in broad daylight

He declined an offer for waffles and went looking for his motorcycle only to be confronted by reporters seeking comment on his days with Black Mountain Security in the Middle East.

Vinci Detective Ray Velcoro, played by Farrell, and Ventura County Sheriff's Office Detective Antigone 'Ani' Bezzerides, portrayed by McAdams, were then shown trying to piece together information after a car they believed carried Caspere was firebombed.

Ray warned Ani that Mayor Austin Chessani was after her for visiting his mansion while investigating the murder of Vinci city manager Ben Caspere.

On the case: Ani and Ray chased down leads on the case before the deadly shootout

On the case: Ani and Ray chased down leads on the case before the deadly shootout

Frank after losing $5 million to Caspere returned to his old ways in a bid to regain his footing in a high-speed rail line.

He met with mobsters who agreed to supply cocaine, crystal methamphetamine and ecstasy through the nightclub favoured by sex workers.

Frank later met with a landlord and set a new price for kickbacks as he continued turning to old sources of revenue.

Old ways: Frank Semyon, played by Vince Vaughn, returned to his criminal roots to raise revenue

Old ways: Frank Semyon, played by Vince Vaughn, returned to his criminal roots to raise revenue

Ray was shown picking up Paul whose motorcycle was apparently stolen.

The clearly disheveled Paul was offered a 'cure' by Ray whose car glovebox contained a bottle of alcohol, a bag of marijuana and pills.

Paul picked the booze as he lamented over his stolen motorcycle and the hounding press.

'I don't know how to be out in the world,' Paul said.

Explosive development: Ray took cover as a building exploded while pursing the prime suspect in the case

Explosive development: Ray took cover as a building exploded while pursing the prime suspect in the case

'Look out that window. Look at me. Nobody does,' Ray responded before turning on his siren to beat traffic.

Ani and Ray conduced surveillance at the mayor's house and followed his daughter Betty who drove away in a convertible to a hookah bar.

Betty told Ani that her brother Tony likely wasn't exchanging telephone calls with Caspere, who had always been nice to her.

She also revealed that her mother died when she was aged 12 after being committed in a hospital for schizophrenia.

Complaint lodged: Ani learned that a sexual misconduct complaint had been lodged against her

Complaint lodged: Ani learned that a sexual misconduct complaint had been lodged against her

Betty said her mother was under the care of Doctor Pitlor, played by Rick Springfield, who coincidentally also treated Caspere.

'My father, he is a very bad person,' Betty said.

Ani was then shown visiting with her sister Nina who alluded to being a sex worker who drew the line at 'real hooking' at 'those parties.'

Paul and his ex-girlfriend Emily then had an awkward conversation at a diner where she dropped the bomb that she was pregnant.

'I think we should get married,' Paul said after Emily said she intended to keep the baby.

Ani and Ray then met up with her spiritual leader father who revealed that Doctor Pitlor researched a spiritual community that included Chessani's father and Caspere.

Detective down: Detective Teague Dixon was shot in the head during the shootout

Detective down: Detective Teague Dixon was shot in the head during the shootout

'You have one of the largest auras I've ever seen. It's green and black and taking up the whole room,' Ani's father told Ray.

Paul and Detective Teague Dixon checked pawn shops and Paul found a lead with Caspere's expensive watch at a store.

Ani meanwhile found out from a superior that a formal sexual misconduct complaint had been lodged against her after she broke up with a deputy in her department.

Hostage taken: A hostage was taken by the prime suspect who then shot the man at point-blank range

Hostage taken: A hostage was taken by the prime suspect who then shot the man at point-blank range

Don't shoot! The officers are unable to save the hostage

Don't shoot! The officers are unable to save the hostage

'Is this for real,' she asked rhetorically only to find that her superiors also knew of a previous relationship with her partner.

Ani was advised to straighten out her gambling debts and was put on departmental leave while still being allowed to work the state investigation into Caspere's death and Vinci corruption.

Aerial footage of Los Angeles freeways provided transitions several times in the episode giving it the dreamy feel of Joan Didion's 1970 novel Play It As It Lays but with even darker undertones. 

A pimp named Ledo Amarilla meanwhile was identified through pawn shop video.

Ray shared the development with Frank who offered him muscle work only to be turned down.

Second weapon: The policewoman reached for a boot knife once her gun was empty

Second weapon: The policewoman reached for a boot knife once her gun was empty

The corrupt cop made a secret visit to see his son Chad who looks nothing like him and presented the boy with his grandfather's encased police badge.

'You hide it. You can look at it when you want to remember me. My father, me, you.' 

Ani then lead a team of about 10 officers who sought to arrest Amarilla  at a warehouse.

They were met in the middle of the street with automatic gunfire as two officers were immediately gunned down.

Bad day: Ani could only curse as she looked at the corpses following the shootout

Bad day: Ani could only curse as she looked at the corpses following the shootout

A group of Bus Riders Union protesters got caught in the crossfire with several civilians sprayed by bullets from gunmen wielding assault rifles.

The top floor of the warehouse building exploded and a fire broke out as the shootout continued.

Detective Dixon was brutally shot in the head as the gunmen tried to escape in an SUV.

Ani chased the vehicle and fired away at it as Paul and Ray also pursued.

The SUV struck a bus filled with passengers and Amarilla fired away holding a gun in each hand.

A gunman with a rifle was taken out by Paul as he approached Ani.

Amarilla grabbed a hostage and placed a gun to his head before shooting him at point-blank range.

Ray and Paul then opened fire and shot Amarilla dead.

'F***, f***, f***,' Ani said as she looked around at the carnage of dead officers, innocent bystanders and cop-killing gunmen.

 

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now