True Detective Season 4 Review

True Detective Season 4 – Night Country Review

Since it debuted in 2014, ‘True Detective’ has remained one of the best dramas on television. The show is HBO firing on all cylinders. Season 1 saw the stars align with one of the most impressive cast and crew ensembles I have ever seen.  The first season of the show, we have Matthew McConaughey in the midst of the McConaissance as Rust Cole, Woody Harrelson at the height of his powers, post oscar-nomination for ‘The Messenger’, as Marty, Cary Joji Fukunaga (No Time To Die) with directing duties, and Nic Pizzolatto’s amazing teleplay. The season ranks among my favourites in tv history if not my favourite. The following year, season 2 arrived with yet another amazing ensemble, with the likes of Vince Vaughn, Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams, Taylor Kitsch, and Kelly Reilly rounding out the talented cast. Season 3 arrived after a 4-year hiatus, with Mahershala Ali and Stephen Dorf pairing as detectives over 3 distinctly different time periods. Now, another 5 years on from Season 3, the fourth instalment arrives in 2024, titled True detective: Night Country’.

True Detective: Night Country is a departure from the previous seasons with a linear approach to the storytelling and delving a little more into the spiritual side of things, harkening back to the shows first season with these themes. Issa López takes over directing and writing duties here, with Jodie Foster lending her expertise both in front of and behind the screen, as an Executive Producer and the shows co-lead Liz Danvers, across from Kali Reis as Evangeline Navarro. The season follows Danvers and Navarro as they investigate the mysterious deaths of researchers at a remote, research facility in Alaska, during their 30 days of night in the dead of winter. As the plot unravels, we get to see the characters get drawn further into the mystery, and their psyches’ start to break. Night Country is an intense, unnerving, claustrophobic, and frightening entry in the True Detective world.

Night Country’s real strengths lie in the cold, stark and dower Alaskan setting. The atmosphere generated from this setting creates some of the more terrifying and memorable sequences in the True Detective series to date. The constant darkness during the show, creates an exhausting and insomniac feel, as the characters get more tired as the show progresses. It’s akin to Christopher Nolan’s underrated masterpiece ‘Insomnia’. You feel every snowflake. I watched the show in the middle of summer, and still found myself reaching for the blankets! The core mystery at the centre of the season is also very intriguing, gripping you from the very first frame until the show’s ultimate conclusion. It’s quite frightening and the tension the show builds is palpable. I found myself discussing with friends also watching the show every week, trying to work out what was going on and what the resolution might be. The tell-tale signs of good writing and gripping television.

The other strengths of the show lie in its two lead performances. Jodie Foster as Danvers and Kali Reis as Nevarro, knock it well and truly out of the park. For one, their characters are written superbly by Issa López. She captures their flaws, their dark backstories, and their conflicting personalities superbly. It creates conflict within the characters, but also with one another. Foster and Reis know exactly how to play it as well, with their chemistry with one another playing out on screen spectacularly. They have great chemistry here and make every scene they share with one another on screen count. Foster has delivered back-to-back, powerhouse performances with her oscar-nominated role in 2023s ‘Nyad’, and now ‘True Detective: Night Country’ could see the actress follow that up with an Emmy nomination. The pair here are great. Special shout outs to the incredible supporting cast as well, Christopher Eccelston, John Hawkes, Isabella LaBlanc, Finn Bennett, and Fiona Shaw.

‘True Detective: Night Country’ is one of the best seasons of TV this year so far. The show oozes atmosphere, due to its incredible setting and compelling mystery.  Jodie Foster as Danvers and Kali Reis as Nevarro crush it in their roles here, showcasing their incredible acting chops. Overall, the show is well worth the watch, and I can’t wait to see what writer/director Issa López does next, with López already confirmed to be writing and directing Season 5 as well. Be sure to secure your copy of Season 4 today on DVD or Blu-Ray, you won’t want to miss it, especially with awesome extras including: featurettes, commentary and cast interviews.

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Christopher Pattison wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here