True Detective: Night Country Review: Is it worth watching?

After its highly praised first season was followed up by a couple of duds, True Detective is back to its roots with a standout fourth outing that is both chilling and intriguing in equal measures.

This iteration of the crime anthology series sees Jodie Foster take the lead as detective chief Liz Danvers in an investigation that starts with a severed tongue and becomes gratifyingly darker as the story unfolds.

The disappearance of a group of men from a research station is entangled with the cold-case murder of Annie, an Alaskan Native climate activist.

State trooper Evangeline ‘Angie’ Navarro (Kali Reis) also gets drawn into this tangled web thanks to the connection to Annie, a case she has not been able to shake in the years that have followed.

Finding strong female leads in both Foster and Reis, writer and director Issa López’s Night Country is the polar opposite to its peers with their male-centred narratives that have served as an exploration of masculinity (with varying degrees of success).

While Night Country’s dark cop tale is filtered through a femme prism it doesn’t bash viewers over the head with this fact.

Foster’s Liz has an authoritative, no-nonsense attitude that is layered by her experience as a mother, by her past trauma and by her current relationships – all of which add up to this complicated woman.

On the other side, her dynamic-duo counterpart, Angie, is a refreshing break from the stereotypical image of the television cop.

On top of being a Native American woman, her facial piercings and tattoos that trail up the neck all signal an individual who is far from the type of person usually inhabiting this role. And yet what you get from Reis is a toughness that yields to fragility and strength but also sensuality.

She is the kind of character that 10 years ago would be unheard of – and how sorely we would have missed out if this were still the case.

The exploration of the Alaskan Native culture also allows for complex storylines pertaining to race to develop. In turn they complement the deeply eerie goings-on, made spookier by apt cinematography.

True Detective: Night Country is set in Ennis, Alaska during the polar night season (a period each winter where there is no light).

López uses this natural phenomenon to shroud the unnerving, ever-developing mystery in thick gloom.

Night Country’s use of dark hues against artificial light and a general overcast creates a sense of foreboding that lends itself to a rich viewing experience. Alongside the mystery are the relationships, which have so many layers to them that they become their own mystery simply by being so complex.

No spoilers here but chief Liz Danvers’ family dynamic is a therapist’s playground with its myriad of hurt and love that trickles down the family tree.

Foster and Reis also are a gratifying match; Liz is cynicism up against Angie’s pained hope is full of nuance and grit. These ladies carry the show and they do it exquisitely well.

True Detective: Night Country debuts on 15^th January on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW

January 2024 gift ideas and deals

TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since.  For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing.  She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.