Featuring expansive views of a windswept tundra and a skyline adorned with rugged mountain peaks, the initial scene in the first episode of True Detective Season 4 establishes an imposing atmosphere.
We first see a startled hunter raising a rifle and pointing it at a herd of stampeding reindeer as the viewer is transported to a realm that feels more exotic and archaic than 21st-century America. The scene maintains an otherworldly quality, challenging preconceptions and immersing the audience in a setting that transcends the typical boundaries of time and place.
Entering the Tsalas Research Station just outside Ennis, Alaska, we find a well-lit facility that, despite its brightness, emanates an unsettling vibe. It could be the stark contrast of this modern structure against the surrounding snowy darkness, or perhaps it's our heightened awareness that we're in the realm of a True Detective episode.
Regardless, our sense of impending unease materializes swiftly. A visibly stressed individual stationed at the facility, judging by his appearance, urgently murmurs, "She's awake," mere moments before the lights extinguish.
Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) is enduring a thoroughly challenging day. Her daughter is in trouble for filming herself with her girlfriend. Then n close call with a drunk driver on the way home not only stirred up traumatic memories of her husband and son's tragic deaths, presumably caused by another intoxicated driver, but also heightened her stress levels. Hank (John Hawkes), the previous captain she succeeded, is throwing obstacles in their investigative path. The only dependable deputy she has is Hank's son, Pete (Finn Bennet). To add to her troubles, her fantasy football team is in disarray, and on top of it all, a group of scientists has gone missing, discovered frozen to death in the frigid darkness of an Alaskan night.
Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) is also grappling with a challenging day. Her initial radio call involves ensuring that her best friend didn't accidentally harm a man known for domestic abuse. Later, a concerned colleague alerts her about her sister, who, plagued by recurring visions, lives in constant fear of inheriting their mother's mental health struggles. While she finds some solace in her casual relationship with Qavvik (Joel D. Montgrand), a Spongebob toothbrush souvenir hardly compensates for the racial discrimination she endures from her former partner Danvers. Moreover, can it ease the burden of her relentless obsession with an unsolved six-year-old murder case or provide comfort after encountering the frozen bodies of scientists in the unforgiving Alaskan terrain?
Danvers and Navarro, whose character names bring a touch of normalcy to a series known for unconventional choices, emerge as the most captivating elements in Episode 1. The captain showcases not only her detective skills but also reveals her prowess as a Subway sandwich artist. She calmly corrects Hank's timeline, crafted from the "fresh" cold cuts left on the kitchen counter, asserting that the scientists have been missing for at least 48 hours. With a touch of sass, she remarks, "Ham on the sandwich may seem fresh, but the mayo's like syrup, and mayo doesn't go runny until a couple of days out of the fridge... The things you learn when your kid leaves their lunch in the backseat of the car." While playfully ribbing Hank for not making sandwiches for his kids, she rightfully pushes back against his misguided attempt to mansplain, especially when he's unequivocally wrong.
Later on, it becomes evident that her sharp observational skills extend beyond assessing expired food items. She identifies a coat worn by one of the scientists as the same one donned by Annie K, a woman murdered in the area six years ago, with her killer still at large. Navarro, already pondering Annie K's case upon hearing about a disembodied tongue in the vacant research lab (echoing Annie's tragic fate), eagerly seizes on Danvers' insightful connection. Despite their thorough search of the station, it yields no results.
The one who stumbles upon the deceased scientists is Rose Aguineau (Fiona Shaw), assisted by an otherworldly presence. While gutting a wolf outdoors, dressed only in a sweater and covered in blood, Rose spots a distant figure she recognizes as Travis. "Hello Travis," she greets before following him onto the icy terrain. When Navarro questions how Rose discovered the bodies in such a remote location, Rose nonchalantly replies, "Travis showed me." Despite Navarro's insistence that Travis is dead, Rose calmly acknowledges, "I know," and walks away.
Certainly, forming definitive judgments about a True Detective season is contingent on gaining a clearer understanding of the unfolding mystery.
Undoubtedly, Part 1 skillfully crafted an atmosphere of impending doom and encroaching darkness, a departure that is perhaps more literal than in seasons past. It's crucial to acknowledge that the second and third seasons of the show also adeptly established a tone, and it would be an understatement to say those installments faced challenges in delivering a satisfactory resolution.
Should the intricate interplay of twists, turns, surreal visions, and encounters with the shadowy unknown converge into a satisfying whodunnit, striking a balance between unraveling the killer's identity and delving into the inner lives of the central characters, then the potential for another contemporary classic in the vein of True Detective Season 1 becomes a tangible prospect.
