True Detective: Night Country Season 4 Episode 5 Review: Part 5

True Detective: Night Country Season 4 Episode 5, “Part 5,” finds Navarro and Danvers piecing together more elements of the two murder cases. Both find common threads between the separate investigations in this penultimate outing. However, as we round the corner toward next week’s season finale, is this enough to tie loose ends without delivering a rushed conclusion?

Part 5

“Part 5” is an improvement from last week’s episode, to be sure. That said, it suffers somewhat from the season’s most obvious flaw: juggling too many story beats.

For example, is the William Wheeler story relevant to the narrative? Yes, it reveals Navarro and Danvers dispatched a truly repulsive and murderous man, which is why they parted ways, but do we need to spend this much time on it? 

We only have six episodes to tell this story, so there’s not as much time to let it breathe. There’s also not as much room for too many supporting subplots. These might not get resolved by the end of episode six. 

True Detective: Night Country also remains unclear regarding the season’s supernatural aspects. There’s no sense of focus or clarity. While this is expected for mysteries in general, we’re too close to the wire to be still scratching our heads regarding what’s real and what has a natural explanation.

Silver Sky Mining and Hank Prior 

Now, we’re officially adding Silver Sky Mining into the mix. The shady company has been bankrolling Tsalal Station to fudge the town’s pollution numbers. Of course, Ennis’ Native population is no stranger to railing against those who poison their land. The protests beautifully showcase this and are incredibly relevant to real life. 

Then, we’ve got Hank Prior’s involvement in all this. Kate McKittrick, who owns the town’s ice rink and runs Silver Sky Mining, paid Hank to move Annie Kowtok’s body. She’s also paying him to dispose of Otis Heiss so Navarro and Danvers don’t find the ice caves. 

This culminates in Hank’s shocking death at the hands of his son — easily the most jaw-dropping moment in True Detective: Night Country thus far. John Hawkes doesn’t get enough screen time this season (this also applies to Fiona Shaw), but he works well with what he has. Hank is an abusive father and a textbook gaslighter/manipulator. He did not know how to show love or even approach his son. 

Who Do You Save? 

The moment before that trigger is pulled is quite stress-inducing. “Part 5” executes this successfully. We see Hank and Danvers try to reason with Pete before Hank trains his weapon on Danvers. Pete could’ve easily aimed for his father’s leg instead of his head, but it’s all for dramatic effect, right? Who else had “Pete commits patricide” on their 2024 bingo card? 

Much of this season has zeroed in on Pete’s relationship with Danvers. Whether they admit it or not, they harbor a mother-son dynamic. Danvers lost her young son, and Pete fills that void (we still don’t know what happened to her son, though). Jodie Foster and Finn Bennett gel well together. They boast an easygoing chemistry despite Danvers’ gruff, razor-edged personality. 

Performances 

Acting-wise, Kali Reis also has a standout moment. When Navarro tells Danvers that she “lives with” Annie now, Reis approaches it from an understated, calm, yet focused place. It allows the truth of her words to take center stage instead of her performance. While Reis isn’t quite as strong of a performer as seasoned vet Jodie Foster, choices like this show she has great potential and the instincts to match. 

As for Foster, this is easily her best episode yet.

It’s here that we see Danvers’ hardened shell start to crack. We see her fear regarding Leah and her participation in the protest. She knows what’s been happening to Indigenous women and girls. Additionally, we see how much she cares about Pete in the aftermath of his killing of Hank. It’s a potent, compelling moment for both characters as Danvers goes into mom mode, embracing Pete while he weeps. 

The Home Stretch 

Hank’s death seemingly kickstarts the home stretch as Danvers and Navarro race toward the ice caves. Given how much is still hanging in the air, it’s hard not to approach the finale with hesitation. “Part 5” is uneven in places, with occasionally clunky dialogue; however, the performances shine, and there are some glimmers of plot movement even amid Ennis’ unforgiving terrain.

Here’s hoping it all comes together in the end for True Detective: Night Country. 

Stray Observations: 

• It’s sweet of Danvers to offer a place for Pete to land, but the shed? Really? There’s a massive winter storm on the horizon on top of Ennis’ crappy weather. If you’re cold, he’s cold. Bring him inside. 
• Qavvik proves he’s the best man. He might be the only man that’s ever existed. (I kid, I kid.)
• Why didn’t Navarro take Leah to the hospital after the protest? The poor girl was bleeding from her head. 
• “She’s awake” has been uttered several times this season. My money is on the “she” being Annie. Perhaps that’s too on the nose, but any other explanation would be too complicated and shoehorned in with one episode remaining. 
• I loved the sequence with the protesters arriving at the mining company, wherein Hank’s singing/playing punctuates the action. Then, the music and mayhem intertwine, increasing in volume until we jump cut to Hank after he ends the song. That’s a neat little moment of filmmaking. 
• I’m not following why folks refer to the ice caves as “night country” besides it being a reason for the writers to acknowledge this season’s title. 
• I should’ve known Hank was a goner when he reminded Pete of a traumatic story from the latter’s childhood. 

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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