True Detective: Night Country Season 4 Episode 2 Review: Part 2

True Detective: Night Country Season 4 Episode 2, “Part 2,” digs deeper into the dark mystery unfolding before us, bridging the gap between the current case and an older one. The episode is an action-packed outing that struggles on the pacing front, but it’s entertaining nonetheless. 

The Story Goes

It’s always a challenge to pack in as much story as possible and tie all narrative loose ends when you only have six episodes. Sure, that’s two episodes less than the preceding three seasons. Still, when you’ve got several plot threads flapping in the breeze like in True Detective: Night Country, the fear of an abrupt, rushed ending with no satisfaction as a viewer is all too real. 

Last week’s premiere introduced a chilling mystery and exciting characters, with the frozen, brutal Alaskan backdrop contributing as a leading player. The stage is set, and “Part 2” builds on that foundation by adding surprising movement to the Annie/Tsalal Station investigation. It makes one wonder if our detectives will eventually encounter a stumbling block, derailing everything they’ve discovered in this case. 

“Part 2” dives into more parallels between Danvers and Navarro in a bid to bring them together organically. It’s abundantly clear in both episodes that neither is well-liked in Ennis. Both have short fuses and refuse to put up with anyone’s crap. They don’t allow men to walk all over them. They’re also incredibly horny. To this reviewer, these aren’t negative traits, but, societally, they adhere to our cookie-cutter patriarchy. 

Spot the Difference

True Detective: Night Country is embracing the “unlikability” of its leads (although Navarro is an objectively kinder person than Danvers). If you want complex, messy, undeniably human women, this is your season. “Part 2” also cleverly touches on Navarro and Danvers’ respective traumas — the deep internal wounds they carry that shaped them. 

Throughout the episode, we learn that despite Danvers’ abhorrently racist remarks and “Karen” energy, she and Navarro aren’t that much different. Their unwavering ambition finds them on the same side again. We even get a breadcrumb regarding what initially drove them apart: “the Wheelers.” It’s cryptic enough to keep one invested. Here’s hoping the payoff is worth that investment. 

“Part 2” finds Danvers’ daughter, Leah, exploring her Native roots after receiving a temporary Kakiniit, a traditional Inuit tattoo, on her chin. Danvers seemingly reacts out of ignorance, ordering her to remove said tattoo. While Danvers’ behavior is as over the top as it is misplaced anger, one wonders if there’s something else beneath it: fear. 

The Fear

Danvers is well aware of the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls in Alaska and beyond. Could she simply worry that if her daughter embraces her identity, she might wind up like Annie? Perhaps this reviewer is giving Danvers too much credit; however, it would be no surprise if True Detective: Night Country tries to humanize and redeem her somehow. 

Jodie Foster and Isabella Star LeBlanc are perfect in their roles as Danvers and Leah. LeBlanc injects Leah with depth, teen angst, and the expected feeling of unsteadiness accompanying the adolescent years. She also imbues Leah with a keen awareness of how society unfairly treats Indigenous folks and the LGBTQ+ community. It’s heartbreaking. 

Fiona Shaw doesn’t get nearly enough screen time, but her character is quite the enigma even after watching her scenes with Kali Reis’ Navarro. Rose’s ability to communicate with the spirit of her dead partner, Travis, is intriguing, especially when connecting her with Navarro’s younger sister, Julia, who also sees the dead. Then, Rose mentioning that Ennis is a hotbed of supernatural phenomena is another reminder that the setting is a character. 

Why?

Will we learn why Ennis is the way that it is? Did it influence Rose’s power to see Travis? Is it all a metaphor for grief and how it warps our perception (probably)? “Part 2” introduces the spiral design that binds the two cases. Annie and Clark tattooed it on their bodies. One of the scientists had it on his frozen forehead. Could there be power in this symbol, too?

True Detective: Night Country isn’t heavy on the answers, nor should we want it to be. “Part 2” answers a few questions while presenting twice as many new queries worth exploring. 

The relationships between these characters, notably Danvers and her bond with Pete Prior, are fun to watch. Danvers is brusque with everyone around her, save Pete (and sometimes her daughter). She views him like a son, and he fills the void her own young boy left behind. (Now we know why Danvers loathes “Twist and Shout.”)

The Ties That Bind

Additionally, she might also know about Hank’s abuse and tries to give the young man the guidance and care he needs. Even Pete doesn’t seem to acknowledge Hank as his father, calling him by his first name when in conversation with Leah. It presents an interesting dichotomy between Danvers’ relationship with Pete and her relationship with Leah. Leah and Pete boast a sweet, endearing friendship, though. 

Another seemingly healthy bond is Navarro and Julia, and it’s through this that we see the softer side of Navarro (not Sears). Navarro treats Qavvik like a toy most of the time. Speaking of boy toys, Danvers getting it on with her boss is an unsurprising but amusing development. Christopher Eccleston’s detective from Anchorage is inscrutable while being the epitome of the gruff, aggressive white man used to getting everything he wants. His American accent is also pretty damn flawless. 

Like last week, Foster leads the charge with a nuanced, potent performance. We’re slowly peeling away Danvers’ mystifying layers. Reis isn’t given much to do acting-wise in “Part 2,” so here’s hoping she gets more meaty material to work with. That said, she cuts quite the imposing, formidable figure as Navarro. She doesn’t mince words, which is refreshing. Other episodic highlights include Eccleston, LeBlanc, and Shaw. 

Supernatural Horror

“Part 2” incorporates horror elements into the narrative alongside the show’s inherently supernatural tone, which plays well with the snowy, unforgiving Alaskan landscape. More horror movies should take place in the wintertime. Hats off to the creatives behind the startlingly lifelike molds of the scientists’ corpses. They’re intricately crafted and, let’s face it, terrifying. 

True Detective: Night Country chugs forward in “Part 2,” for better or worse. While the pacing suffers somewhat as the series endeavors to juggle several plotlines, the facets that make this season captivating remain. It’s a character-driven drama that, when it leans into its innate genre aspects, digs deep into how trauma reshapes us and how the darkest parts of ourselves can’t stay hidden, even in semi-permanent night. 

TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY Season 4 Episode 2 — Part 2 — Pictured: Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, and Finn Bennet (Photograph by Michele K. Short / HBO)

Stray Observations: 

• “Seven Devils” is the perfect track for a show like this. In fact, make it the theme song. I’ve always inexplicably associated it with autumn, but it’s still applicable here. 
• Speaking of tunes, I loved hearing not one but two Agnes Obel songs in “Part 2.” I’m digging this season’s soundtrack. 
• This is such a weird Doctor Who episode. Now we know the Doctor enjoys pleasures of the flesh … well, at least his alias does. 
• While the season seems to lean heavily into the “Clark killed Annie” theory, which feels especially emphasized with the revelation that he’s alive, I’m unsure he’s the culprit. This feels like a red herring. We’re still early-ish in the season. 
• Can you imagine being a bystander while a truck pulling a frozen pile of naked corpses passes through town? 
• We’re all in agreement that Hank’s “bride” is only with him for money, right? 
• I adore Navarro and Julia’s sisterly bond. Navarro calling Julia “baby girl” gives me massive Wynonna Earp vibes. Wynonna called Waverly that, too.

What did you think of this episode of True Detective: Night Country? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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True Detective: Night Country airs Sundays at 9/8c on Max. 

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