David Hookstead
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It turns out speculation about “True Detective” season four being tied to the Dyatlov Pass incident is correct.
The plot of the fourth season – titled “True Detective: Night Country” – of the HBO saga is described as follows:
When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.
It didn’t take long for fans to speculate it might be inspired by the infamous incident where nine Soviet hikers were found dead without any obvious explanation.
“True Detective” season four takes inspiration from the Mary Celeste and Dyatlov Pass incident.
Turns out the 1959 incident definitely did play a role in the new season of “True Detective.” Creator Issa López revealed in a Vanity Fair profile the new season is inspired by not just the Dyatlov Pass incident but also the famous ship Mary Celeste.
The crew of the Mary Celeste disappeared without explanation in the 1870s. To this day, there’s not a single person alive who knows for sure what happened.
As for the Dyatlov Pass incident, many believe it was an avalanche, but Lopez doesn’t buy that explanation at all (neither do I for the record).
“An avalanche doesn’t explain a lot of the details I think. Even if it did, I prefer the strange, incomplete answer. I think there is a fascination with puzzles that are still missing a couple of pieces, and that obsess us, and make us angry, and make us not stop thinking about them,” Lopez explained to Vanity Fair.
“True Detective: Night Country” is tied to previous seasons.
The new season being inspired by two very famous unexplainable incidents isn’t the only intriguing aspect.
“There are Easter eggs throughout that you will find and there’s a big, big thing in episode six that you will discover in time. It is its own story, but it’s still connected. The spiral is there, the way that there are those dark and ancient gods (perhaps yes, perhaps not) working behind the scenes. It is the same universe,” Lopez explained at an HBO press event, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Keeping the seasons loosely connected isn’t a new trend. Marty and Rust were both referenced and briefly shown in a newspaper clipping in season three.
It sounds like whatever fans get in season four with Jodie Foster will at least remain loosely connected to previous seasons.
It’s been nearly four years since “True Detective” fans watched a very strong season three come to an end. Now, we get a six-episode fourth season starting January 14. I truly can’t wait, and I hope it lives up to the hype. Give me your predictions and thoughts to David.Hookstead@outkick.com. And make sure to keep checking back for the latest updates as we have them.
