True Detective: Night Country - Season Four

In Simi Valley during our Road Trip, Sharon and I finished watching season four of True Detective on HBO on the AppleTV. It premiered on January 14, 2024. We watched season one almost ten years ago in 2014 and season three in 2019. We watched about three episodes of season three, but never finished it.

The season is set in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska. It follows the investigation behind the disappearance of eight men from a research station. The season stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis as Detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro.

The show establishes that Ennis is 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The setting was influenced by areas like Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), located in the North Slope Borough, the northernmost region of Alaska. This area aligns with the show's portrayal of a remote, desolate town with a harsh environment.

The show takes some creative liberties for dramatic effect. Locations as far north do experience extended periods of darkness in the winter and extended periods of sunlight in the summer. However, they wouldn't experience complete darkness all day as portrayed in True Detective: Night Country.

I enjoyed the series and recommend it. I was happy that the ending didn't go "Twin Peaks" with a supernatural ending to the crimes. I do appreciate Sharon's observations that it is possible that some people are more sensitive to a spirit world, but I was glad that this wasn't driving force behind the conclusion. Jodie Foster is very good in the series. It is hard to imagine living in the environment depicted in the series.