New details connecting True Detective Season 4 to the almighty Season 1 have fans convinced that a major character from the first outing will cameo.
Season 4 Episode 2 of True Detective, officially titled Night Country, premiered last night, expanding on the mystery of the dead Tsalal researchers and their connection to the cold murder case of Annie K.
We also got to learn more about the troubled backgrounds of both Detective Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Navarro (Kali Reis), who are just as at odds as Season 1’s Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson).
But this isn’t the only reason these two True Detective seasons are connected, leading some to believe a major Season 1 character will cameo or at least be referenced in Night Country. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
True Detective fans convinced major Season 1 character will cameo
True Detective Season 4 features numerous ties to Season 1 in its first two episodes, including a mention of Tuttle United and a man named Travis Cohle, aka Rust’s father. As such, many believe Rust Cohle will come up at some point in Night Country.
“Rust will 100% come into play somewhere if just a phone call or his name mentioned,” wrote one viewer on Reddit, to which another pointed out that Rust “grew up in Alaska with his dad, who might be Travis Cohle from S04. And also Rust said he went back to Alaska and was a fisherman for a while after he quit Louisiana State Police when the case went bad.”
Although there’s plenty of excitement about the idea of McConaughey reprising his role for Season 4, with the actor previously stating that he’d return to the crime anthology series if it was “the right context,” it’s unlikely given there’s been no news or even a tease of it happening.
However, there may be a mention of him down the line given all of the connections to his character. Travis first shows up in Season 4 Episode 1 as a ghost, guiding Rose (Fiona Shaw) towards the bodies of the Tsalal researchers.
As a wiry man with long hair and a flannel shirt, he already resembles his son Rust, and soon viewers were connecting the dots – specifically, Rust revealed in Season 1 that he grew up in Alaska before moving back to Texas, and that his dad’s name was Travis.
Episode 2 only confirms our suspicions, as Rose explains to Navarro that Travis came to visit her before he died of leukemia – the same disease Rust said his dad was dying of. Although it was a detail he used to perform some unofficial investigating, it looks like he was telling the truth.
“Just realized that I guess Rust wasn’t quite lying when he said he went back to Alaska because his dad was dying of leukemia,” said one Redditor.
Rose reveals that Travis killed himself as he didn’t want the cancer to get him first, and Navarro found the body, to which Rose says, “One last gift from Travis Cohle – I got to meet you.”
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This isn’t the only connection to Season 1, as Episode 2 also sees Peter Prior (Finn Bennett) explaining to Danvers that the Tsalal Research Center was being funded by a shell company called NC Global Strategies – which in turn belongs to Tuttle United.
If the word “Tuttle” sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the name of the family behind the evil sex cult Rust and Marty were investigating in Season 1. And if that weren’t enough, Claire appears in Episodes 1 and 2 as a worker at the local crab factory, named Blue King – which some believe is tied to the enigmatic Yellow King, the deity worshiped by the Tuttles in Season 1.
She may be connected to the case, especially following Episode 2. Danvers heads back to the factory to ask the red-headed woman about the spiral symbol that Annie K and Raymond Clark had tattooed on them, and was drawn onto the foreheads of the Tsalal researchers.
Although she denies having ever seen the symbol before, she looks suspicious as she walks away from Danvers. Additionally, when Danvers and Navarro find Clark’s old trailer, there are photos of what appears to be a red-headed woman – could she somehow be connected to the case, and how does the Tuttle cult play into this?
That’s for us to find out, but until then, it’s sparked a busy discussion. On Reddit, one wrote: “A lot of the photos on the wall are NOT of Annie K. The other woman has lighter skin and reddish hair. But there are also photos of Annie K as well.”
Another replied, “After she appeared in this episode, I’m sure the redheaded woman is involved somehow. The Blue King sign above her head, the camera focuses on her as she walks away after seeing the picture of the spiral, her missing fingers a la Sedna. Now these pictures.”
While speaking about Tuttle United, a third speculated: “Probably just the Yellow King exerting influence through the Tuttles trying to bring about darkness.” While a fourth mentioned the Tsalal researchers’ goal – to find an ancient microorganism that could stop cellular decay. As Peter said, they were attempting to find the “origin of life.”
“I’m guessing the Tuttles are trying to find a ‘key to life’ if you will,” they wrote. “Seems like they are using all avenues from conventional faith to the occult and science.”
True Detective: Night Country Episodes 1-2 are available to stream on Max now, which you can sign up for here.
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