True Detective
Warning : Contains SPOILERS for rightful Detective : Night Country instalment 1 .
Summary
True Detective : Night Countrytells a new tale unconnected from the previous three seasons of the show , but one possibility let on that the father of Rust Cohle appears in the show . True Detectiveseason 4 is a fresh start in some way . The show ’s first run of young episodes in five years , it has a new showrunner ( Issa López in blank space of Nic Pizzolatto ) , and even a subtitle to show that this is n’t precisely the same matter as before , while the setting trade the sweltering sun of places like Louisiana and California for the interminable shadow and cold of Alaska .
For all the changes , though , Night Countryis still recognizablyTrue Detective . In special , it hark back to time of year 1 with the collocation between its two co - leads , and the hints of a mystery that sit somewhere between the worst of humanity and the supernatural . Travis ( played by Erling Eliasson ) , who appears to Fiona Shaw ’s Rose Aguineau , is a central part of that puzzle . He ’s immediately puzzling , and there ’s sure more than meet the eye … but does that let in him being associate to Rust Cohle ?
True Detective has never retake the trick of its first time of year . However , time of year 4 looks set to be a return to descriptor for the franchise .
Evidence Travis Is Rust Cohle’s Dad In True Detective: Night Country
Season 4 has some compelling clues and connections.
Travis is quickly established as one of the most occult figures amongTrue Detective : Night Country ’s castof characters . That would ’ve been true ground on his strange actions , movement , and ostensible knowledge of consequence even before it was reassert that , well , he is stagnant . The way his oddness and otherness stands out , clash with the the likes of of Jodie Foster ’s straight - tied Liz Danvers , emphatically evokes memories of Rust Cohle . There ’s something of a resemblance too , with his magniloquent , skinny material body and retentive , dirty blonde hair call to mindMatthew McConaughey ’s appearance inTrue Detectiveseason 1 .
Then there ’s the fact thatTrue Detectiveseason 1 , episode 4 , “ Who Goes There ? ” reassert two apposite details about Cohle ’s father : he ’s called Travis , and he lived in Alaska . Now , sure , over 700,000 people be in Alaska , so odds are there ’s more than one Travis . But is there more than one Travis who would make horse sense to be so connected to a execution secret , who looks like he could be interrelate to Rust , and who may even be something supernatural ? InTrue Detectiveseason 1 ’s ending , Rust noted that he felt his dad while unconscious . Could that be a pinch his father , patently dead ( and Travis is dead here ) , is able to make contact with the mortal world ?
True Detective : Night Countryepisode 1 has other connection to time of year 1 too . Tellingly , Lone Star beer , the favor stigma of Rust , appears in the research output . Then there are recurring symbols and motif of apparent importance , such as antler and spiral , which were heavily used in season 1 . Are they just part of world edifice , or a hint to something bully ? It ’s all circumstantial , but it ’s also compelling evidence thatNight Country ’s Travis is indeed TravisCohle .
Why True Detective Season 4 Might Include Rust Cohle’s Father
Could Night Country benefit from connecting back to True Detective season 1?
True Detectiveseason 4 ’s connective to season 1were already teased long ago , and it ’s something the show has done previously too . truthful Detectiveseason 3 used photos of McConaughey and Woody Harrelson , linking back to their own case , so it ’s not outside the kingdom of possibility . While each time of year stands alone , there ’s also a horse sense of wanting this to be a shared universe , soNight Countrydoing the same thing would make common sense . It could give the show a rating boost , too , if there were such a tangible connexion to what remains its best and most popular time of year .
True Detective : Night Countryepisode 1 does evoke that Travis is going to be of picky importance , regardless of whether he ’s a vision , a ghost , or something else completely . If that ’s to be the case , then connect him to Rust Cohle would have some logical system . Time is a flat circle , after all , so it would n’t be too surprising if it were to curl back around to McConaughey ’s graphic symbol .
The Problems With Travis Being Rust Cohle’s Dad
Matthew McConaughey’s character could distract from True Detective: Night Country’s story.
As fun as the theory thatTrue Detective : Night Country ’s Travis is Rust Cohle ’s father is , there are a span of consequence with it . The first come from time of year 1 itself , which mentioned thatno one in Alaska had listen from Travis Cohle in 30 years . Night Countryis even further on in the timeline , and while it ’s not unacceptable that he either resurfaced or was just hidden away in the small township of Ennis , it is sure enough a counterargument against the theme .
Then there ’s also the issue of McConaughey himself . Unless HBO has manage to keep an all-powerful secret , he wo n’t be back in season 4 . Introducing Rust Cohle ’s male parent could be a cool connection , but also risks overshadowing the show ’s central enigma , and being a letdown when the man himself does n’t appear . That ’s not somethingTrue tec : Night Countryneeds , particularly with the focus of Travis seemingly his connection to Rose , but time will narrate if it ’s something the show is intent on doing .
True Detective : Night Countryreleases Modern episodes Sundays at 9 promethium ET on HBO .
