A fresh and chilling atmosphere engulfs the latest season of True Detective, aptly dubbed ‘True Detective: Night Country’. Unveiling a haunting tale set in the desolate landscape of Alaska during its sunless period, the show makes a distinctive departure from its predecessors. As the arctic wind howls and darkness sweeps over the community, viewers are immediately aware that this season is carving a path unlike any other in the franchise. What lies ahead potentially marks the most frightening entry in True Detective’s anthology thus far.
The gripping narrative launched by writer-director Issa López takes place in the isolated town of Ennis, Alaska, thrown into turmoil by a bizarre and gruesome crime. Eight men have disappeared without a trace from a remote research station, leaving behind nothing but a ghastly severed tongue. As if the mystery weren’t perplexing enough, the plot turns grimmer when their frozen cadavers, referred to by internet onlookers as ‘corpsicles’, are discovered on the outskirts of town. Chief Liz Danvers, played by the seasoned Jodie Foster, grimly dubs it a “shitbowl case,” suggesting a puzzle that may never find its missing piece.
Indeed, López seems intent on presenting a mystery that defies straightforward solutions which may very well resonate with the atmospheric touchstones set by the series’ inaugural season. However, this installment avoids traversing the beaten path of shifting timelines—a common thread in its forebears. Instead of oscillating between past and present, ‘Night Country’ firmly anchors itself in the contemporary moment.
This choice situates the series within a similar context to acclaimed dramas like ‘Broadchurch’ and ‘Mare of Easttown’, where the fabric of a tight-knit community is frayed by a harrowing case. López’s storytelling craft transcends the personal tribulations of the detectives, extending into the community’s collective experience of the crime. We witness the implications through the eyes of another integral character, Trooper Evangeline Navarro, portrayed by Kali Reis. Navarro brings depth to the tale when she urges Danvers to revisit a cold case linked to the murder of an Iñupiat woman—bearing a startlingly similar mutilation to the recent victims.
As the storyline unfurls across the initial two episodes, López takes her time, meticulously weaving the narrative strands. With just four episodes remaining in the season, the danger looms that such narrative breadth might outstrip the available screen time, leaving potential plot points underexplored.
Case in point, the strained, almost hostile relationship developed between Danvers and Navarro could be a casualty of limited storytelling time. The characters’ discordant dynamic gears more towards tension rather than harmony, a relationship arc that stands to evolve significantly with the limited episodes ahead.
Yet, the show’s trajectory remains open to speculation with half the season waiting in the wings. The performances of Foster and Reis are masterfully icy, their characters moving through the frozen tableau with an air that exudes both mystery and foreboding. Coupled with the discerning cinematography of Florian Hoffmeister, whose recent work on ‘Tár’ drew acclaim, the visual narrative teases audiences with a sense of anticipation that is both chilling and enthralling.
The first two episodes of True Detective: Night Country are currently streaming, with the unfolding intrigue set to captivate viewers on a weekly basis. As darkness envelops the Alaskan town of Ennis, the series promises a brooding odyssey into the unknown—where the truth always seems just out of reach, obscured by the perpetual night.
With every Monday bringing a new episode, audiences are invited to peer into the depths of this latest True Detective mystery, where the cold heart of humanity is laid bare in an icy, tenebrous world. The story that began with such promise now waits to prove whether it can sustain the suspense and deliver a conclusion befitting its eerie and enigmatic opening.
