The second episode of True Detective: Night Country is out, and I thoroughly enjoy this one. While I believe the premiere does a good job of setting up the main mysteries of the season, I do find a few of the scenes a bit cheesy and forced. This week, however, I'm more invested as the investigation of the dead researchers and how they're connected to Annie's murder continues. Jodie Foster and Kali Reis are great in the show and complement one another as enemies forced to work together to solve a crime. I'm definitely looking forward to the third episode — but first, let's discuss tonight's.
Warning: MAJOR spoilers for True Detective: Night Country episode 2 below.
Now that they've found the dead bodies of the scientists, who are frozen and naked with self-inflicted wounds, the investigation is more important than ever. Danvers continues to work hard — and makes sure Peter (Finn Bennett) is working overtime, too — to try to figure out how these men were connected to Annie. There's a strange symbol of one of the men's foreheads, one that was also found on Annie's dead body. Creepy. Now, Danvers and Navarro (Reis) are one hundred percent aligned that whoever killed Annie has something to do with the team of researchers, but they don't know how yet.
True Detective: Night Country episode 2 ending explained
As expected, the second episode of True Detective: Night Country ends in another cliffhanger as the team realizes not all of the researchers are accounted for. They had believed they were all frozen in the ice, but as the ice begins to thaw, they learn that's not the case. And they're convinced one of the men, who they know knew Annie, is still alive. The episode ends as the team of investigators, including Danvers and Navarro, start to come to terms with this realization. They seemingly have someone on the run, someone who might've killed Annie, and they need to find him.
In episode 2, the investigators begin to look more into one of the men, named Raymond Clark, who they learn had (or has) that same symbol tattooed on his chest. Danvers is able to contact the tattoo shop he got the ink at, and the artist sends her a photo of the tattoo after it was done, along with the photo Clark gave her as inspiration. When she gets the photo, Danvers is shocked to see it's Annie with the same tattoo. Clearly, Clark and Annie had some type of relationship, which is very alarming. While Danvers is investigating, Navarro asks around to some of the neighborhood men, showing a photo of Clark to see if anyone knows him. One man tells her that he sold a trailer to him.
Towards the end of the episode, Navarro finds the trailer and calls Danvers to come take a look. Inside, the place is trashed, with animal bones scattered on the table. They also find a cell phone, which Navarro says is Annie's. All signs point to Clark knowing what happened to Annie — and potentially even being involved in her murder.
While we wait for the third episode of True Detective: Night Country to premiere next week, we're left with a list of more questions. Think you know the answers to any of these? We'll take your theories!
What does the symbol in True Detective: Night Country mean?
One of my most pressing questions I'm sure we'll find out the answer to in the coming episodes is what the sign even means. Is it a cult? Is it from a movie or show? It very clearly has significance to Clark and Annie, and possibly others. It looks like a squiggle drawing; nothing particularly special about it at all. I wonder if they had some type of pact that led to Annie's death, or if it represents something way bigger than just the two of them.
Why did the researchers leave the station in the first place?
As Peter and Danvers discuss the case in tonight's episode, the question of why the men even left the station comes up. And more importantly, why were they naked? What would cause them to leave the station without clothes in the freezing Alaska cold? Peter questions if a polar bear could've gotten in and they had to run away from it, but they don't seem convinced by that possibility. Something must have scared them though, that's for sure. Did someone come in to murder them? Was it one of their own, like Clark? On the night of their disappearance, one of the men has a seizure. Could he have been poisoned? All of these questions are major parts of the investigation.
What happened to Leah's dad?
I'm also very curious about Danvers' personal life. We know she's the stepmother of Leah, who she lives with and cares for. But what happened to Danvers' husband, a.k.a. Leah's dad? Did he die, or did he leave them? There are flashbacks of Danvers and her husband dancing together and seeming to be very happy, so what changed? The show has been primarily focusing on the investigation, but we've been getting to know the characters in their personal lives as well, little by little.
Another scene in episode 2 teases Danvers might've had a son. As she brings out Christmas tree decorations, she finds an old, dirty polar bear stuffed animal that brings back memories. In her memory, she's playing with a small boy. This clearly makes her upset as she continues on getting the decorations out. I need to know more!
What happened between Danvers and Navarro in the past?
And speaking of Danvers' personal life, I also have questions about her relationship with Navarro. They very clearly dislike each other, which is established early on in the first episode, and they have a past. I want to know what happened to make them enemies. They worked together years ago, and Danvers even knows her way around Navarro's kitchen pretty well, signaling they've spent a lot of time together before. Navarro tries to bring something up from their past in episode 2, but Danvers dismisses her. She doesn't want to talk about it. What is it that she doesn't want to relive?
It's not difficult to see Danvers has difficulties processing her trauma and working through negative parts of her past. She represses those memories and feelings, but facing them is sometimes inevitable, like when she unexpectedly finds the old polar bear toy. I'm sure this case will bring up more memories, and we'll get to the bottom of what happened between her and Navarro eventually.
Don't miss the third episode of True Detective: Night Country next week, which will afterward mark the halfway point of the season. New episodes are released every Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET on HBO and Max. Keep checking in with us at Hidden Remote for our continued coverage of the latest installment!