WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the finale of “True Detective: Night Country.”
“True Detective: Night Country” concluded in mid-February, and while a lot of people really didn’t like this fourth installment of the series, it was actually really good.
I completely understand why most men didn’t like the fourth season of “True Detective,” set in the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, during the 40 days of night that occur every winter. It was a strong female-led cast with Jodie Foster and Kali Reis at the helm, and pretty much all of the male characters were pathetic betas. There really wasn’t a lot for men to hold onto in this season, but I feel like that was kind of the point. And it landed excellently … if you could be bothered to keep up with the intricate and sometimes messy writing of Issa Lopez.
The story weaved in season four follows Foster and Reis’ characters as they try to figure out how the murder of a young Native woman and the mysteriously brutal deaths of a group of male research scientists are intertwined. We learned the truth in the finale, that the research scientists killed the young Native woman (watch the season to find out why).
Screen Rant argued that the biggest mystery of the whole show was ignored in this conclusion: How did the men end up in such a brutal death scene, their hands gnawed, eyes burned? Well, you might have to be a woman to work this one out or to even begin to understand the truth. But the answers are in there, despite the “sloppiest writing,” as the Guardian described.
When the other Native women of Ennis figured out that the research scientists killed their kin, these absolutely legendary women did exactly what they wanted to: They beat the men before making them walk out onto the ice during a hellish storm (or, at least, that’s the story they tell themselves).
And once the scientists were on the ice, the women let spirit finish the job. No mortal violence was needed to give those monsters what they deserved. This is probably why secular or even religious reviewers didn’t understand this aspect of the plot. In fact, it’s pretty much impossible to understand this nuanced part of the story unless you have first-hand experience with such things or come from a culture that embraces it.
To the lucky ones, those of you who cannot see beyond the veil, all of this season must just seem like paranormal activity. Perhaps this ignorance is why Forbes said the finale was “truly embarrassing,” and “fans” had a mental breakdown over positive reviews, according to FandomWire. (RELATED: ‘I Would Sooner Have Put My Hands In A Food Blender’: Christopher Eccleston Accuses Actress Of Heinous On-Set Behavior)
So, I’m not surprised a lot of people didn’t like this season, giving it a 57% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes: Tough female leads, a deep spirituality that most people can’t grasp due to lack of first-hand experience and a group of monsters of men being massacred by a group of old ladies … yeah, that isn’t exactly what most men would enjoy as a form of escapism. But me? I absolutely loved it.
It was really great to finally see tough women being tough without crying, asking for forgiveness or being shown their weakness by men. I’ll definitely be giving it another watch, even if Foster’s character is one of the most aggravating ever written for television.