True Detective - Season 4

Winter Alaska is dark, unfriendly and unforgiving, just like the people who live there. The mysterious death of several scientists rocks a mining town. Ennis is a mining town in Alaska. Far removed from civilization, existence is harsh. Above the Arctic Circle, the winter polar night lasts more than two months. Not a minute of sunlight in the 65 days from November to January. This has a noticeable effect on the people who have built a life there in the bitter cold.

On the first day of the long polar night, a group of scientists die under terrifying circumstances. How did they die? Who or what drove them into the icy cold? Who or what killed them and why? Chief Danvers is at a loss. And it just keeps getting weirder.

The atmosphere is dark, harshly realistic and surreal at the same time.

There is little love lost between the miners and the original inhabitants. The cold and hard existence do not allow friendliness in daily contacts. Superstition and disbelief about inexplicable events provide ample fuel for discussions and rituals. And in between, memories of tragic memories and a growing concern about the future of the population play a role.

We follow Danvers and her ex-colleague Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis, Black Flies) in their abrasive and unwanted collaboration to solve this mystery. There are issues from the past between them, but we only discover what exactly late in the series. Meanwhile, Danvers seems to want to antagonize everything and everyone. Including her teenage daughter who seems to know better what is really going on in the town than her foster mother.

This is not a dime a dozen series. The name of Jodie Foster (in the role of Chief Liz Danvers) is the first signal that the budget and production quality are good. The script digs deep into the human psyche, something that characterizes the True Detective series. Furthermore, the interaction between Danvers and Navarro is almost palpable.

The first episode of the beloved first season of True Detective had a strange, foreboding atmosphere that remained throughout that entire season. You can multiply that ominous feeling by ten for this new season. The writers seem to have had a supernatural cause for the events in Ennis, Alaska in mind for this script. This season is special for that reason alone.

Is this a good season? Yes and no, I would say.

It starts off as a cross between The Thing and something from The Twilight Zone. The atmosphere is dark, harshly realistic and surreal at the same time. Ennis is not an existing place and that is a good thing. Strange things happen there during the polar night. People who have been dead for a long time are sometimes still around. Unexplained events are not rare. And everyone seems to think it's normal.

Is this a good season? Yes and no, I would say. Elements of the original inhabitants and their culture play an important role in Ennis. I can certainly appreciate that, just like their fight against white, money-hungry strangers.

I had a great time during the six episodes, although I unconsciously turned up the heat a little higher than usual. Still, I expected more from the finale and the explanation of all events. That is of course personal, so go and see for yourself. My favorite True Detectives, however, remain Rust Cohle and Mary Hart from the first season.