'True Detective: Night Country' Episode 4 Takeaway: Liz Danvers sets out on a mission to find Otis Heiss
Contains spoilers for 'True Detective: Night Country'
ENNIS, ALASKA: Episode 4 of 'True Detective: Night Country' has confirmed the elements of horror while introducing more mysteries to the already twisted plot.
Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) are currently trying to find a connection between the Annie Kowtok murder case and the mysterious deaths of the researchers at Tsalal station.
So far, they have listed Oliver Tagaq and Raymond Clark (Owen McDonnell) as the suspects with no solid pieces of evidence.
Who is Otis Heiss and how is he connected to the current investigation?
The Ennis Police Department hasn't made any significant progress in the murder case of Tsalal researchers and therefore, they are exploring all possibilities, including the supernatural angle. In Episode 4, Liz Danvers issues a lookout notice for Otis Heiss.
His name is discovered when Peter Prior (Finn Bennett) manages to track down his medical records. He is a German national who has similar injuries to the researchers: burns on both corneas, ruptured eardrums, and self-inflicted bites, with no explanation of the cause of the accident.
However, Otis has no employment records, registered address, or social security number. He appears to be a snow ghost but a person of interest in the Tsalal case.
While investigating Annie Kowtok's video, Danvers and Navarro visit Adam Bryce, who tells about the sighting of whale bones in the video. He mentions that the video was probably shot in Ice caves bordering the Brooks Range. With several accidents reported in the past, Adam calls the caves 'death trap'.
As Danvers expresses her interest in going up there, Adam says that Otis Heiss, who mapped the caves could be helpful.
Why is Otis Heiss hiding in the dredge?
Navarro and Danvers rush to an old gold-dredging machine after a man wearing Annie's pink parka is sighted. Danvers follows the man and manages to corner him. She who earlier assumed him to be Clark, is shocked to see that it is Otis instead.
Otis mentions that Raymond “went back down to hide” in the night country. In a mysterious tone, he adds, “We’re all in the night country now."
Mystery builds up as Danvers finds Navarro quietly sitting beside a well-decorated Christmas tree in the abandoned dredge.
Navarro follows the vision of a dead woman down to the lower levels of the dredge and the mysterious footsteps lead her to the Christmas tree. After encountering a ghost, she sits beside the tree, seemingly possessed suffering a bloody, ruptured eardrum.
How will Danvers help herself and Navarro escape the horrors? Will the discovery of Otis help her climb up to the ice caves?
Four episodes of 'True Detective: Night Country' are streaming on HBO.
