Ep 6. Darkness

In Real Detective season 1 episode 6, titled "Darkness," viewers are taken on a journey through the mind of Detective Richard Zuley as he recounts the traumatic case that almost pushed him to the brink.

The episode begins with Zuley describing his upbringing in a tough Chicago neighborhood, where he learned to survive by becoming tough and street-savvy. He joined the police force and quickly found himself assigned to the homicide division. It was there that he first encountered the case that would end up defining his career.

A serial killer was on the loose, targeting young girls and leaving their bodies in abandoned buildings around the city. Zuley and his partner, Detective Dan Delaney, were tasked with finding the killer before he struck again.

Their investigation led them to a suspect, a charming and intelligent man named John Wayne Gacy. Gacy had a history of sexually assaulting young boys, but he denied having anything to do with the murders of the girls. Zuley felt certain that Gacy was their man, but they didn't have enough evidence to convict him.

Meanwhile, the killer continued to leave a trail of bodies, and Zuley became more and more obsessed with catching him. He spent long hours poring over the evidence, and started to feel like he was losing himself in the darkness of the case.

The turning point came when Zuley and Delaney received a tip about a suspicious vehicle parked outside an abandoned building. They rushed to the scene and found a man inside, who was covered in blood and holding a knife.

At first, Zuley assumed they had finally caught the killer. But as they questioned the man, it became clear that he was just a drug addict who had stumbled upon one of the bodies and tried to cover up his involvement.

Zuley was devastated. He had invested so much of himself into the case, and now it seemed like they were no closer to catching the killer than they had been at the start. He started to spiral into a deep depression, which was only worsened when he learned that Gacy had gone on to kill many more victims after their investigation had ended.

As Zuley struggled to come to terms with his failure, he received a call from a woman who claimed to have information about the killer. The woman, who was a psychic, told Zuley that she had a vision of the killer's next victim, and that he would be caught soon after.

Zuley was skeptical, but desperate for any leads. He followed the woman's information to an abandoned building, where he discovered the killer's lair. Inside, he found evidence that linked Gacy to all of the murders.

The episode ends with Zuley talking about the toll that the case took on him, both personally and professionally. He retired from the police force not long after, and now spends his days speaking out against the death penalty and advocating for mental health resources for law enforcement.

"Darkness" is a haunting and powerful episode that delves deep into the mind of a detective who was pushed to his limits by a horrific case. Zuley's story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of getting too invested in an investigation, and the toll that obsession can take on even the strongest and most resilient of individuals.