The first and fourth seasons of True Detective are connected in subtle yet significant ways. Many viewers might not realize it, but keen fans have quickly picked up on the references. Night Country unexpectedly continues the narrative from the first season, which follows Rust and Marty.
In the new episodes, there’s a quote from The King in Yellow, the book that inspired the cult in season one. The spiral, the symbol of ritualistic murders, also makes a return, but now it appears differently. Most notably, the ghost of Travis Cole, Rust’s father, resurfaces in the plot. He guided the characters toward the missing scientists.
The Tattle United company name also comes up — possibly a new iteration of the Tuttle family. And in the finale, the phrase "Time is a flat circle" is heard once again.
While season one creator Nic Pizzolatto criticized the idea of a continuation, for viewers, Night Country is a chilling echo from the past. And it seems that the circle has indeed closed.
