Small towns often have the biggest secrets. The first episode of True Detective: Night Country proved this point well. The brutal murder of an indigenous woman and the sudden disappearance of an Arctic research team were the main talking points. Two very different cases that Navarro (Kali Reis) believes are connected. While Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) initially shoots down the idea, new evidence leaves her thinking otherwise. And True Detective 4×02 finally provides the catalyst that sees the two feuding investigators team up.
Episode 1 ended with the discovery of the missing scientists—and what a scene it was. Clumped and frozen in the snow, they resemble a perverse human ice cube more than anything else. Issa López‘s horror background shines through, creating something so horrific you can’t look away. Dark exterior shots and seemingly ghostly guidance maintain True Detective: Night Country‘s icy, haunting vibe. A lot of the time, the case feels like it’s ripped straight from The X-Files, but just as it floats into supernatural territory, True Detective 4×02 quickly grounds itself in small-town politics.
True Detective 4×02 Gives Its Women Depth and Sexuality
Speaking of politics, Christopher Eccleston debuts as Ted Corsaro, Liz’s boss and on-and-off lover. Ted and Liz have tension. Part of it stems from her backhanded “promotion” to the Ennis force. Another part of it links to Liz’s difficult personality. As Navarro says earlier in the episode, “Take a look in the mirror, Liz. No one can stand you.” There are a lot of f-bombs thrown around as Liz and Ted decide who is trying to screw who, both figuratively and literally.
Women over 50 don’t often get on-screen sex scenes, so True Detective: Night Country deserves applause for that. Liz might be tough and no-nonsense on the job, but she’s still a woman with desires. The same can also be said about Navarro. And it’s nice to see writing that doesn’t sacrifice sexuality for the sake of feminism. Often, female characters are stripped of sexuality to dissuade sexualization. However, the result is usually unreleatable characters and frustrating storylines.
With López acting as writer and showrunner, the credit is hers. Many women, especially those in male-dominated fields, can relate to concealing their more “feminine” traits for fear of being perceived as weak. Navarro and Liz perfectly exemplify this. It’s a messy, complicated topic that López explores with care as Foster and Reis add nuance through their performances.
Fiona Shaw Shines
Fiona Shaw steps in as another compelling woman in a cast of many. While Harry Potter fans know Shaw as Petunia Dursley, her filmography extends far beyond the Wizarding World. While she first appears in Episode 1, it’s not until True Detective 4×02 that audiences really get time with her character, Rose.
So far, Rose has proved instrumental in the case. Her dead husband led her to the “corpsicle,” while her insights on the symbol uncovered at the crime scene give Navarro the link between cases she’s been searching for. Whether Rose can really talk to the dead is undecided. (Navarro seems to think she can.) Regardless, Rose is just as likely to wax poetic as she is to skin a deer or roll a joint. Sweet older lady or hardened survivalist? It doesn’t matter. Rose is likable regardless.
Some Subplots Excel, Others Clutter
Although True Detective 4×02 is heavy on the procedural, other subplots fill the gaps. One of the most compelling involves Liz’s adopted-maybe-not-adopted daughter, Leah (Isabella Star LaBlanc). LaBlanc starred in Pet Sematary: Bloodlines in September 2023 and was a bright spot in an otherwise lackluster movie (read that review here). Here, she plays a sixteen-year-old who wants to spend time with her girlfriend and learn about her indigenous culture. Liz takes a particular issue with the latter after discovering Leah wearing temporary Kakiniit, traditional tattoos worn by indigenous women in Alaska.
It’s one of the episode’s more intense scenes. It’s far from the first time Liz has come out swinging with racist remarks, and it’s difficult to watch. While their backstory hasn’t been fully revealed, comments Leah made in Episode 1 suggest Liz isn’t her biological mother, but her adoptive one. There’s a possibility Liz’s aggression comes from a place of fear. After all, they reside in a place where indigenous women have been violently murdered and a country where it’s all too frequent in general (the US Department of Interior Indian Affairs states 84.3% of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime). It certainly doesn’t excuse Liz’s behavior, but it works to make her character even more morally gray. Navarro was right when she said no one can stand Liz, the audience included.
Unlike previous seasons, Night Country has just six episodes to tell its story. The main case will surely be resolved, but the resolution of its other subplots remains questionable. Along with Leah and Liz’s tense relationship, there’s everything from polluted water in the village to Hank’s what-looks-a-lot-like-a-catfish girlfriend. Time will tell, but it could be like overstuffing a suitcase. Yes, you want to maximize what you bring, but the reality is you can’t fit everything. Hopefully, that won’t be the case, but right now, True Detective 4×02 has a lot of subplots in its metaphorical suitcase, and some probably won’t fit.
True Detective: Night Country airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO.
