The gruesome discovery of the missing researchers at the end of the True Detective: Night Country premiere is an active crime scene raising far more questions than answers.
In "Part Two," Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) immediately gets to work on piecing what they have together while also fending off Captain Connelly (Christopher Eccleston), who wants to move the case to Anchorage.
More is revealed about the ghosts that haunt this location; past trauma that casts a long shadow over this community and interpersonal relationships. Plus, a solid link between a Tsalal researcher and the murdered Annie K is uncovered, bringing Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) and Danvers back into each other's orbit.
Digging out the frozen bodies
The Ellis police team processes the icy crime scene. Initial assessments of the injuries include ruptured eardrums, ice burns and self-inflicted wounds like scratching their eyes out. One of them has a symbol drawn on his forehead. The men are naked and some clothes are neatly piled up nearby. "This case is gonna be a s*** bowl," says Danvers.
When the police officers stop goofing around, one accidentally pulls off the arm of a scientist, who then begins to scream in agony. Yes, one of the men is still alive. Danvers won't get to interview him anytime soon though, as (unsurprisingly) he is put into an induced coma.
In the meantime, Danvers heads to the local high school to ask geology teacher Bryce (Donnie Keshawarz) about what the Tsalal station does. She has a romantic history with Bryce, who is wary of talking to Danvers until he realizes it is about work.
Bryce calls the researchers "mad men," saying no one goes in or out of the station. However, he also mentions their work could be an "absolute game changer" that could find the cure for cancer. Bryce says they are trying to sequence DNA from an extinct microorganism, which is incredibly difficult due to the permafrost.
Seeing ghosts
Navarro visits Rose (Fiona Shaw) at her isolated home to ask about the ghost who led Rose to the bodies. Rose says the only times she sees Travis (Erling Eliasson) is "when that f***er wants something." Navarro met Rose as the officer assigned to tell her Travis had walked out on the ice to die, as he didn't want to wait for his leukemia to kill him instead. Travis is the first ghost Rose sees, but she explains spirits are common in Ennis.
"The thing about the dead is that some of them come because they miss you; some come because they need to tell you something that you need to hear and some of them want to take you with them," says Rose. "You need to know the difference."
Navarro tells Rose about her sister's breakdowns and that her "dead mother is calling her." Rose is sympathetic but warns Navarro not to "confuse the spirit world with mental health issues." Unfortunately, Jules (Aka Niviâna) had an awful experience in a mental health facility and doesn't want to go back.
Before Navarro leaves, Rose brings up the symbol, which Navarro recognizes. Rose warns that it is ancient.
Asking the right questions
Despite Captain Connelly's plans to move the bodies to Anchorage, Danvers digs her heels in to keep the bodies in Ennis until they thaw. She emphasizes that its proper protocol and not just retribution to Connelly for sticking her in Ennis. They decide to put the "corpsical" at the local ice rink for it to thaw.
Logically, they go through the injuries and what could have caused their demise. Danvers wants Peter (Finn Bennett) to ask the right questions, such as why they went outside and what made them undress.
Navarro also wants to work with Liz and mentions the symbol link, as she remembered Annie K had a tattoo of this symbol. Liz tells her to "f*** off," but when Peter interviews the Tsalal delivery guy, they discover that Clark had this same image tattooed on his chest.
Tattoos and trailers
Navarro finds a crucifix necklace in her car on the drive to find information and flashes back to what appears to be her mother's mental spiral, with Navarro protecting her sister. She doesn't let this distract her, finding a solid lead: researcher Raymond Clark (Owen McDonnell) bought a trailer from one of the miner's cousins.
Meanwhile, Danvers argues with stepdaughter Leah (Isabella Star LeBlanc) about the temporary version of a traditional Indigenous face tattoo she gets drawn on. It speaks to Liz's prejudices that we have seen in interactions with Navarro.
Liz's own past continues to haunt her, including a flashback showing her with what appears to be her son while "Twist and Shout" plays. Leah tells Peter that Danvers used to dance with her dad, which sounds unlike the woman we see now.
Another layer of Danvers is peeled back as a romantic relationship with Captain Connelly has gone on for 19 years. After sleeping together, they argue whether Danvers should keep the case, making her even more determined to solve it.
Danvers finds that Clark's accounts reveal he got the tattoo four days after Annie's death. The tattooist emails Danvers the inspiration image, while an intimate photo shows the tattoo on Annie's back. With this, Danvers agrees to investigate with Navarro, but they still have tension regarding another case.
Navarro talks through the evidence with Qavvik (Joel Montgrand), the guy she is dating and who owns the local bar. Navarro echoes Liz that they aren't asking the right question. She then realizes the trailer helped keep Annie's relationship with Clark secret, and there is only one place where the trailer would be.
Danvers, meanwhile, goes through Clark's work, finding disturbing handwritten notes like "her eyes, her face." Navarro calls to tell her she has found the trailer with similar creepy writing and additional fabric dolls. They discover Annie K's phone and photos of Annie everywhere.
"Cheif, we have a problem," Peter calls to say. When they get to the ice rink, the ice has thawed, but there are only six scientists (one is in the hospital), with Clark missing. Did Clark murder his co-workers and Annie?
Watch True Detective season 4 Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO and streaming on Max in the US; airing on Sky Atlantic Mondays in the UK.
