The first two installments of “Night Country” saw Jodie Foster’s Police Chief Liz Danvers and Kali Reis’ State Trooper Evangeline Navarro form a shaky alliance as they investigate the deaths of the Tsalal research station workers. Much like in season 1, these two leads have already revealed significant depth after just a couple of episodes. In one of the best lines of the series so far, for example, Navarro reveals an incongruously pessimistic personal faith in God. When told by Ryan, the brother of the murdered Annie K, that it “must be nice, knowing we’re not alone,” Navarro answers with “No, we’re alone. God, too.”
But it’s not until episode 3 of “Night Country” that Navarro gets to put her bleak yet firm belief in the transcendent up against Danvers’ inflexible rationalism in what is a full-on revival of a classic season 1 trope. As the detective duo travels back to Ennis after questioning Annie’s friend, Susan, they engage in a full existential debate over the existence of God, pitting their competing worldviews against one another in a conversation that sees Danvers say outright “There’s no magic, there’s a real explanation for this,” before laughing at her colleague for praying in her spare time.
This recalls the thorny start to Rust and Marty’s relationship, as demonstrated in that now famous car ride scene from season 1’s pilot episode in which the pair clash over their differing beliefs. As it turns out, this echoing of a classic scene was entirely intentional on Issa López’s part, and adds another element to the argument as to why she’s the perfect fit for “True Detective.”