Night Country Reveals Another Possible Explanation For The Spiral

Throughout “Night Country,” one recurring line spoken by Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) has been about asking the “right” questions. On the face of it, this is meant to encourage fellow officers like Peter Prior (Finn Bennett) or Navarro to think outside the box and follow the right leads that will (theoretically) lead to the ultimate solution. But viewers can certainly interpret it as a challenge issued directly through the fourth wall, daring us to figure out the evidence worth paying attention to versus the dead-ends leading nowhere. Now, the trouble is figuring out which side of the divide this clue about the spiral belongs.

Back in episode 3, a car-ride conversation between Navarro and Danvers (which hearkened back to a beloved season 1 trope) laid out their differing views on science and faith. In one of the show’s highlights of dialogue, Danvers hilariously refers to any of her partner’s beliefs in the supernatural as “‘voodoo, ET, cosmic, chupa-lupa bulls***” that simply isn’t worth pursuing. So, with this awfully grounded explanation for the spiral, did “Night Country” showrunner Issa López just throw down the gauntlet and foreshadow that Danvers’ worldview will, in fact, be proven to be the correct one? That seems to be the direction episode 5 is heading in … right up until the moment when Prior is forced to kill his father Hank (John Hawkes), allowing Navarro and Danvers to follow this lead to, well, wherever it leads.

Ultimately, there’s reason to believe the spiral, Annie K.’s murder, and the fate of the Tsalal Station scientists are all rooted in something disturbingly human. But since when was “True Detective” ever as straightforward as that? The finale may just shake things up all over again.

“True Detective: Night Country” is currently streaming on Max.