The first look at “True Detective: Night Country” has arrived with a new mystery that may actually tie back to the story from season 1…
“This is Ennis … some questions just don’t have answers.”
That’s a warning from Detective Liz Danvers — as played by Academy Award winner Jodie Foster — in the upcoming season of “True Detective: Night Country” that will shift the story to the coldest and darkest part of Alaska where the sun doesn’t rise for days.
The newest installment of the long running anthology series will serve as the first season without the involvement of original creator Nic Pizzolatto with Issa Lopez (“Tigers are Not Afraid”) taking over as showrunner, writer and director for the upcoming season.
Here’s the official synopsis for “True Detective: Night Country” that will debut on HBO later this year, although an exact release date has not been revealed just yet:
“When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.”
Now the trailer doesn’t reveal too much but there is one very interesting moment that might catch the attention of veteran “True Detective” fans.
A flashlight shines on an image of a spiral pattern that seems to appear at the station where the eight men have gone missing. Savvy fans will recognize that’s the same exact symbol that represented the cult at the heart of “True Detective” season 1 when Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) were investigating a series of brutal murders that actually had ties back to one of the most prominent families in all of Louisiana.
That spiral pattern was seen throughout the first season of “True Detective” — including the one placed on the back of murder victim Dora Lange — and it was even tattooed on the back of Reggie Ledoux, who was one of the original killers in the case being investigated by Rust and Marty. Reggie is the one who says “time is a flat circle” and that seems to tie back to that same spiral pattern that’s used by this cult.
Now it remains to be seen if that spiral pattern plays a part in the new season of “True Detective” but it is worth noting that in the original season, Rust Cohle actually lived in Alaska for several years working on ships alongside his father.
It’s also worth noting that there were teases in “True Detective” season 3 about that same cult being attached to a years long mystery at the heart of that show but it ultimately went nowhere and really had no bearing on the actual case.
Could this brief glimpse of that same spiral pattern mean “True Detective: Night Country” will somehow tie back to that original season? It’s safe to say “True Detective” season 1 was by far the most well received and loved season of the show so it’s entirely possible that the two seasons could potentially come together for this particular mystery.
And just to throw this out there — both McConaughey and Harrelson remain producers on “True Detective” even ahead of the upcoming fourth season.
Let your imagination run wild but for now enjoy the new trailer for “True Detective: Night Country” as we await word on when the show will debut in 2023.
