NAfter a few seconds you know: This time it will work. The beginning is already a force: the last sunset before the long polar night in Alaska, the warm breath of the reindeer as they run away in alarm. Their antlers are subtly reminiscent of the signs that once led detectives Rust Cohle and Marty Hart to the Yellow King (who was then just a ritual murderer), which has since become a hallmark of this even now mythical HBO series. Then the concentrated zoom in on an arctic research station with a cozy sound of “Twist and Shout”, where horror sets in.
For the third time, a “True Detective” season attempts to follow Nic Pizzolatto’s iconic first season from 2014. It set standards for the genre both narratively and aesthetically. The nightmarishly uncanny nature often remained a secret, but was suggestively grounded in a harsh, painful reality. For example, the sudden redness of the sky could either be explained as supernatural or as a delusion of the drug-loving Cohle.
Designed as an anthology series, the seasons each take place with new personnel in new locations. Pizzolatto himself was unable to meet expectations twice. The overly complex but boring second season, set in corrupt Los Angeles, was downright hated by fans. In fact, all magic was missing from her. The third season, set in Arkansas with the brilliant solo lead Mahershala Ali, made up for a lot, but felt strained in its attempt to revive the old noir vibe. Pizzolatto copied the first season's successful narrative recipe of telling stories across multiple time levels. Still, the hero and plot didn't seem nearly as hypnotic as they did in the “True Detective” opening in Louisiana.
Demon Encounters in Northern Alaska
The fourth season, entirely in women's hands, can finally keep up with the atmosphere again, also because Issa López, who was responsible for the idea, direction and script, did not feel tied to the fulfillment of a legacy. This time the story is told roughly chronologically. López has included a few references – so the famous spiral symbol once again plays a central role; there is a lot of driving again; There is also an after-the-fact questioning as part of an internal investigation – but in such an overly clear way, as if she was actually saying that people should pay attention to what was added. For example, there is the wonderful setting. In the hostile remoteness of northern Alaska at the time of the long night, in which the sun does not appear for many days and the temperatures are well below zero – during filming, Keflavík in Iceland stood in for the fictional small town of Ennis – dream dreams seem almost natural. Totemism, religious tattoos and ghost legends also have a cultural roots among the indigenous peoples of the Arctic. So there is no need for any narrative twists when, in this ice-cold loneliness, memories of the deceased take the form of encounters with demons.
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