HBO’s ‘True Detective: Night Country’ Episode 4 Review - It’s Christmas Eve

Take a shot every time someone says, "Christmas," and you will be in a lighter mood while watching this fourth episode. Given how tragic the atmosphere is here, an unserious mood will help you to easily take in all the events. There is a warm scene between Julia and Navarro when the former is checked in at a facility. This moment, though, contains an undercurrent of agony that comes to the surface in one of the most chilling (literally) shots you will see in True Detective: Night Country. Julia takes off her clothes and walks into the night. It's already tough for me to watch this show during the cold mornings. Such scenes only make my senses more chilly.

But Navarro is not the only character in anguish. Hank experiences heartbreak when his "fiancée" doesn't arrive at the Ennis airport. I felt so sorry for him that I almost felt guilty for enjoying that scene from the previous episode where Liz threw a drink at him. Hank's sadness leaps out of the screen and affects you viscerally. I wanted to give him a hug. I wanted to have a hot cup of coffee with him to ease his mind. Things once again become tense between Leah and Liz, leaving the latter alone in her house on Christmas Eve. In True Detective: Night Country, Christmas doesn't look very Christmassy. Instead of joy, laughter, and ecstasy, characters face bitterness, pain, and grief.

And so, you warm your hands with lighthearted scenes like the one where Liz hides from a wife (she had slept with her husband). "Is there anyone in this town you haven't fucked?" asks a shocked Navarro. Speaking of Liz, you hate her wholeheartedly when she sends Prior on a mission with Navarro, which expectedly increases the tension between him and his wife. Prior, with a face drained of color and life, makes you feel as if he will snap at any moment. Will his domestic life collapse under the weight of his professional duties? Probably.

Remember how an orange made its way back to Navarro in the last episode? Something similar happens with Julia in this episode. Navarro reveals to Liz that her family is cursed ("Something calls us, and we follow"). What this means is that the influence of supernatural forces is heavy this time. There are many ghost sightings. That final shot, with Navarro sitting in front of a Christmas tree, is a bit disconcerting and extremely exciting. This is the best episode so far in this series.

Final Score - [8.5/10]