“Time is a flat circle.” This quote from Detective Rust Cohle was one of the most memorable lines from the highly regarded first season of TRUE DETECTIVE. Many viewers have interpreted this to mean that people keep repeating the same mistakes repeatedly because they can’t see past themselves. Thus far in NIGHT COUNTRY, many of the characters are on the path to repeat previous mistakes. Detective Hank was abused as a child and possibly by his now-deceased wife and now takes out his anger on his son, Officer Prior. Detective Danvers and Officer Navarro put aside their differences for the greater good in solving the case but knowing the journey will further damage their previous friendship. Time is indeed a flat circle in the TRUE DECTIVE realm, and for some, this is true in reality.
“Part 2” opens with Danvers, Peter, Hank, and the forensics team examining the frozen corpses. The bodies are naked, have ruptured eardrums and their eyes have been burned. Law Enforcement has dubbed the ice-bound bodies the ‘corpsicle.’ Each body has a spiral symbol on its forehead, the same spiral symbol seen on some of the homicide victims of the Tuttle murders from Season One. Unexpectedly, one of the men screeches, coughing up blood and scaring the shit out of the law enforcement team and myself. The man is taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Seeking outside expertise in microbial research, Danvers visits Bryce, a friend (and former flame) who is a science teacher at an Ennis high school. Bryce explains that the Tsalal scientists were researching methods to cure diseases and curtail cancer. Byrce warns that although the scientists are competent and that their research is noble, he believes that their efforts are futile due to other case studies he has peer-reviewed.
The spiral is not the only connection to TRUE DETECTIVE S1. Rose, the woman who discovered the bodies and who is hallucinating (or is she?) about a mysterious man named Travis, receives a visit from Detective Navarro. The two converse about the Tsalal incident and the Anne case, which is certainly connected to the current mystery. Through Rose’s flashbacks, we learn that Travis is Travis Cohle, the father of S1’s Rust Cohle! Rose claims that the spiral is not only older than Ennis, but it might be older than the ice of Alaska itself.
Danvers has the corpsicle relocated to an ice rink, an arena where her daughter plays hockey. While the bodies thaw, Peter unlocks a phone by using the frozen face of one of the victims. This and further detective work reveal that a non-governmental organization funds Tsalal, and the investors point to a shell corporation named NC Global Strategies, which is owned by Tuttle United. Yes…the same Tuttle business from S1. Instead of commending his son on his stellar police work, Hank strikes his son while examining the bodies. Hank is vexed that Peter took a police file from his home. We have yet to learn why Hank hoards old police files.
Danvers is revealed to have been in a 19-year affair with Police Captain Connely (Christopher Eccleston). Connelly attempts to force Danvers to pass the case to the Anchorage Police Department. Sensing time running out to solve the case, Danvers visits Navarro to divulge everything she knows about the case. When Danvers asks if Navarro still keeps grocery items in a certain location, we are aware these too were close in the past. What happened in the Anne case that destroyed their friendship? The duo finds an abandoned RV that belongs to Clark, one of the research scientists. The RV contains animal bones, Anne’s phone, and a shrine devoted to Anne. They go to the ice rink when Peter calls them, informing them that the corpsicle is melting. There are only six bodies, and Navarro deduces that Clark is still alive.
The connections to S1 do not feel like fan service. The writing and directing has S4 stand on its own yet honors the original source material. I am looking forward to the third entry of this mystery which airs on January 28, 2024 at 9PM ET on HBO.
