True Detective: Night Country takes us to an entirely new place, Alaska above the Arctic Circle, just after darkness falls for an entire month. A mass death event ignites the storyline and we are carried along for the ride shared between Jodie Foster’s gruff and intolerant police chief Liz Danvers and Trooper Evangeline Navarro played by Kali Reis. Both women are tough and complex leading to an excellent dynamic as events unfold and the truth behind current events and an old case file become entangled.
In addition to a compelling story and excellent acting, the focus on Indigenous inclusion and realistic portrayal of remote Alaskan communities here is extremely well-crafted. We see bits of Iñupiat culture (a real Alaskan Indigenous group) interspersed with Western culture and how the two mesh, discussions and focuses on missing and murdered indigenous women (MMIW). For those unaware, this is a huge issue in Indigenous communities, especially in the northern US and Canada with hundreds of women going missing and frequently found murdered. Showing both contemporary depictions of Indigenous culture and highlighting major issues is rare in mainstream media and True Detective: Night Country manages to pull it off effectively in a way that doesn’t come off as preachy or high-handed.
The True Detective: Night Country blu-ray release is simple but effective. The season comes in a single-disc style case with a cardboard sleeve. Inside the case, the two discs of the season are on each side of the case and the back of the insert lists the episodes and extras behind disc 2. While there are no additional inserts or other physical extras in this release, they aren’t really necessary because the real gem here is the blu-ray set itself. In fact, the only thing missing from the blu-ray release is a digital copy of the show, something that is becoming more scarce with physical releases.
Upon loading up either disc , you’ll find a surprisingly fast boot cycle, skipping most of the standard warnings and time-wasters that are present on many blu-ray series. The main menu is simple with the cover image from the series, options to play all episodes, select individual ones, change audio and subtitle options, and view special features. But it’s not just the simple and easy-to-utilize layout that is appealing here. Instead it’s the optimization. The menu is noticeably responsive and fast and that counts for a lot on a blu-ray menu system where some discs simply lag when selections are made. Everything is fast and tidy here, making for a much nicer overall viewing experience. A delay of only a handful of seconds after selecting options is a pleasant shift from some releases where there is almost tangible hesitation on menus.
Naturally, the visuals are excellent here. While this isn’t a 4K release, the 1080p transfer is clean and bright, even for how dark the content itself is. Much of the show takes place in low light environments but it is never difficult to make out anything going on and there is no significant artifacting or other visual glitches that the average viewer would ever notice. The excellent cinematography here steals the show as much due to the blu-ray transfer as to the content itself. This is a consistently excellent-looking season and some of the more disturbing elements end up particularly gruesome. The end result is a more immersive experience than standard DVD releases or even potentially than on streaming depending on bandwidth limitations.
The audio keeps pace with the video here as well. True Detective: Night Country is mastered in DTS-HD Master Audio, somewhat standard these days and is presented in 5.1. Regardless of your setup however, the show simply sounds good and even on a decent 2.1 system, highs and lows are exceptionally clear. There are a number of quiet talking scenes throughout the show and despite the low volume levels of the actors, the audio mastering makes it easy to hear even quiet dialogue, something of a rarity in this age of muddled sound where subtitles are becoming more and more the norm for viewers. This is an excellent audio mix job and combined with the solid soundtrack and acting dialogue, makes for a great audio experience.
Speaking of subtitles and audio, there are multiple options here for international viewers, including audio tracks in English, French, German, and Czech. Subtitles are even more inclusive, with English, French, German, and Czech as well as Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Swedish, and Norwegian. Having these extra options is absolutely fantastic in terms of reaching wider audiences, but for a region 1 release that is only intended for the US and Canada, it’s a bit surprising. One would assume there will also be a region 2 release of True Detective: Night Country and it was easier to simply include the extra languages than it was to change the disc setup and remove things. Oddly, there are no Spanish options whatsoever on this release though, so be aware if you are a Spanish speaker/reader.
There are five extra featurettes on True Detective: Night Country as well, two on the first disc, three on the second. These are only a few minutes long, each providing small insights into the show, filming, characters etc. It’s a bit disappointing that there’s nothing deeper going into lore and culture used in the show and other details, but you’re here for the show, not the extras and it’s nice to have a bit of additional content included, even if it’s a bit fluffy. Also included in the extras are the recaps from the broadcast version of True Detective: Night Country. These do not automatically play but if you need a refresher because you aren’t a binge watcher (some of us aren’t) then it’s nice to have the option to get the quick rundown and see the key scenes before you jump back into the show. While this isn’t a bare bones release, there are definitely only a handful of bonuses here so hard-core cinemaphiles might be slightly disappointed, though not by the quality of the overall release.
True Detective: Night Country is an outstanding show that keeps you hooked right through the last episode and it’s a solid release that challenges the first season for primacy. This is one release you’re going to want in your blu-ray collection and at $29.98, it’s definitely worth picking up as Warner Bros. and HBO have done a fantastic job on the transfer and menu system here. While it’s only a six-episode season, True Detective: Night Country is an experience that stays with you much longer, powered by the strength of performances by Jodi Foster and Kali Reis. Don’t miss out on it!
This review is based on a physical copy of True Detective: Night Country provided by the publisher. It was viewed on a 55” 1080p Sony TV using a Sony blu-ray player. True Detective: Night Country is available at major retailers and is also available digitally on Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, and other digital services. All screenshots are taken directly from the blu-ray release of True Detective: Night Country.
Nate Van Lindt has been a gamer since the days of yore (aka Commodore 64), and has played a bit of virtually everything out there. He's also an avid comic book collector, both vintage and current, and reads a fair amount of sci-fi and fantasy. On top of that, he watches a fair number of movies and TV shows as well. Oh, and he has a family, a full-time job, and lives somewhere in the urban wilds of Southwestern Ontario, Canada, foraging for old video cables and forgotten game soundtracks.