I have written about True Detective before. In fact, I have talked about seasons 1-3 separately. In summary, Season 1 is a masterpiece of modern television, Season 2 is alright but weak compared to Season 1 and Season 3 is better than Season 2 but not nearly as good as Season 1.
One of the things that made Season 1 so good, beside, well, everything, was the possibility of a supernatural presence. It is not confirmed and there is a functional rational explanation, but it could also be cosmic horror. Seasons 2 and 3 really do not have this and I think it is a big reason why they aren't as good as Season 1.
On to Season 4! Today we're looking at the first three episodes out of six. As of writing, I haven't yet seen the last three episodes, and I know nothing about what will happen in them.
This is the setup; we are in the fictional mining town of Ennis, Alaska, north of the polar circle. It is the end of December and the long night has set in. In other words, it will be pitch black for approximately two months. Snow, freezing cold and complete darkness makes for a grim setting and this is felt throughout the show.
Outside the town is the Tsalal research station. The scientists there drill deep into the ancient ice looking for new ways to understand cellular biology. Something happens and they are all found naked and dead on the ice. Investigating this mystery is Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and her police department. She is aided by State Trooper Navarro (Kali Reis), and lets just say they don't get along very well. In fact, Chief Danvers don't get along well with anyone. If you want to be more exact, most characters don't get along with each other. This is a central motif in the season, the struggle to live in such a hard environment, the local mine possibly poisoning the local water, the cruel winter and so on. Ennis is a tough and nasty place to live, whether you are a native Alaskan or not.
So far, a few characters have mentioned “She has awakened”, which together with what happened to the scientists an a few other smaller things, infers a supernatural presence. Of course, this does not mean that there isn't a natural solution, but time will tell. One character sees dead people to use the old meme, but it feels more like Twin Peaks than a straight horror production. Being only at the half way point means that anything could happen. I like what I've seen so far even though the constant arguing, yelling and negative attitudes grates on the nerves after a while.
The show is very nicely filmed, with multiple great shots throughout. The actors are good and the effects are fine. I have no complaints from a technical perspective, and only watching the last three episodes will set the seasons place in the overall show.
That's that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great week!
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