“True Detective: Night Country”
Michele K. Short/HBO
It’s Raymond Clark (Owen McDonnell), the heartbroken killer of “True Detective: Night Country,” who gets the famous line from the series (and its beloved first season): “Time is a flat circle.”
He’s talking about a lot of things — most explicitly, the spirit of Annie K. (Nivi Pederson) that he believes lives in the ice caves around them — but he’s also talking about “True Detective” and the very nature of episodic storytelling itself. Stories are told and retold and repackaged and remixed, genres interwoven, resolutions reached.
And “True Detective: Night Country” did a damn good job with all of that.
Following now-deleted comments from series creator Nic Pizzolatto on social media, audiences learned early on that not only did Pizzolatto not actually have a hand in the creation of the fourth season of the HBO series, but he didn’t particularly care for the direction it took (he has since returned to social media to repost negative comments about the finale).
Meanwhile, “Night Country” showrunner Issa López has spoken freely about inspirations and connections between her season and the show’s origins, telling IndieWire: “We can get the same feeling and emotion by telling a completely different story that you haven’t seen. It will feel like new and it will give you what you crave. … [Seasons 1 and 4 are] complimentary pieces.”
And López’s creative choices pay off in spades. By highlighting from the outset that this is a story driven by women, she doled out hints at how the season would conclude — not in a tragic female death meant to drive male-focused stories, but in an act of collective female rage and vigilante justice that even officers Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Navarro (Kali Reis) end up allowing. Those responsible for the Tsalal scientists’ deaths hide in plain sight, overlooked and underestimated, just as Annie was — just as the entire Native community of Ennis is while those in power profit off their suffering and the toxic mine that is the root of so much of it.
TV has always loved a good murder mystery, but “Night Country” upped the ante from start with two: the frozen scientists and Annie’s unsolved case from six years earlier. The show also pulled off a masterful balancing act by weaving in just enough of the supernatural — resulting in maximum suspense and moments of pure horror (IndieWire’s Ben Travers has already cited a scientist waking up from the corpsicle, while I’m going with any of the classic ghostly jump scares). The eerie Alaska night setting gives everything a baseline sense of dread, probing at the ubiquitous fear of dark that everyone must overcome — but never forgets.
“True Detective: Night Country”Courtesy of Michele K. Short / HBO
None of this works without strong characters, which are everywhere in “Night Country.” Even in the less-formed storylines — Peter’s work/life balance and relationship with his father, that whole mail-order bride situation — everyone feels understandable and lived in; peripheral figures like Fiona Shaw’s Rose or Joel Montgrand’s Qavvik still have desires and backstories while they serve the greater arc or more central figures. No matter how much or how little screen time a character has, none of them are mere props.
And while mileage may vary on “Night Country” between the type of feedback Pizzolatto reposted and high praise like IndieWire’s B+ review of the finale, it’s unlikely that the show will return to Pizzolatto’s jurisdiction and vision ever again.
Time might be a flat circle, but it also moves inexorably forward — and so does television. “Night Country” showed how to push boundaries and broaden the scope of an existing property, a mystery that still seems to elude so many Hollywood creators.
News
Our prayers go out to the great singer Reba McEntire and her family…
A real country diva is Reba McEntire. She became a fan favorite loved by millions from the time she stepped on the stage in the late 1970s. She had two marriages during her lifetime and one son, Shelby. Reba lost…
Four-Chair Turn Tanner Frick Abruptly Leaves The Voice After Being Stolen by Michael Bublé
Tanner Frick. Photo: Casey Durkin/NBC via Getty Tanner Frick will no longer compete on The Voice. On a Monday, Nov. 11 episode of the NBC singing competition series, host Carson Daly told Michael Bublé that his contestant had left the competition and wouldn’t compete in the Knockouts. “Michael, Tanner [Frick]…
Keanu Reeves leaves fans in disbelief as he reveals his real age
Keanu Reeves leaves fans in disbelief as he reveals his real age Love him or hate him (although let’s face it, no one hates him), it’s impossible to deny that Keanu Reeves is aging like a fine wine. The Matrix star has become…
The Surprising Reason Why Keanu Reeves Never Talks About His Personal Life!
Keanu Reeves’ personal life remained a mystery due to past tragedies, including losing his girlfriend and their child, shaping his quiet, humble nature. (Photo Credit – Facebook) Keanu Reeves is a legend, no doubt, but his personal life? Total mystery. He’s…
Leonardo DiCaprio at 50 and Keanu Reeves at 60: How It Feels When Our Teen Crushes Get Old
One minute you’re doodling his name on your Geography textbook, and the next you’re wondering if he takes a cod liver oil supplement yet. Leonardo DiCaprio turned 50 this week, celebrating his big day with a huge, star-studded party in Los Angeles, and…
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes Reportedly Involved in New FBI Investigation
The FBI is now reportedly involved with the break-ins at Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes’ homes last month. The federal agency reportedly joined the investigations after Mahomes’ property in Belton, Mo., was burglarized around midnight on Oct. 6, while just the tight end’s Leawood, Kan., home was hit just a…
End of content
No more pages to load