IR TV Review: TRUE DETECTIVE - NIGHT COUNTRY - EPISODE 5 [HBO/Max]

The aspect of consequence continues to permeate the path of those in Ennis inside "True Detective: Night Country". Episode 5 starts to explore more of the essence of the dark motivations behind the scenes that have only been simmering. Granted the next episode is the Season Finale so the build is making its crescendo point. This season could definitely have run longer with the characterizations being presented but with what the characters go through is enough (and as the episode shows in certain cases - pretty finite). The underlying motivations of certain characters and what might have been done come to light but the reasoning and the strategy of it is still unclear.

Chief Danvers (Jodie Foster) keeps pushing on different elements though she knows it is in her best interest not to. Trooper Navarro (Kali Reis) after experiencing a huge loss but also a sighting of her own is moving in another direction as well. But what happened to her in the derrick is not very clear as far as its ramifications and the beginning of this episode slightly glosses over it (perhaps on purpose). The play out as the two women get closer to an answer is compounded by the actions of others (specifically Danver's daughter). The one great thing that the episode continues to show is Navarro's empathy while her sense of duty starts to stray. The final moments of the episode are brutal but it all works in tandem to reaction and what the consequence is. Now the question is just how redeemable the situation can actually be. B+

By Tim Wassberg