Lost called, it wants its polar bear back.
One of the many mysteries of True Detective: Night Country is embodied by one of the cutest and deadliest animals on the planet: the majestic and terrifying polar bear.
In the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle, this enormous pagophilic carnivore turns up again and again. It wanders through town in very real form; it appears in characters’ homes in plush toy form; images of it flash at us during the opening credits. While these bears don’t have anything to do with their island-dwelling kin in Lost, they strike the same chord of mystery in True Detective.
What’s the deal with the polar bears and why are they important to the story? Each week, we’re tracking the polar bears of Night Country, tracing their appearances to pull this whole thing together with red yarn.
Opening credits bears
In the True Detective: Night Country opening credits, we see a rocking chair perched on the side of the icy road. A plush polar bear sits on the chair, with a close-up revealing it’s missing an eye. Seconds later, a polar bear wanders onto the road, and another close-up shows it, too, is missing an eye. The plush polar bear is clearly important, as it appears later in the credits, floating in icy dark water. And of course, it turns up in the show from the very first episode.
The plush polar bear
In episode 1, Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) is woken up in the middle of the night to a fervent whisper declaring, “She’s awake.” It comes after what seems to be a memory or a dream for Danvers, involving a child whose identity remains unknown — in her dream, a child’s hand touches her shoulder. Bleary-eyed, Danvers then finds a plush polar bear toy on the floor in her room. It’s missing an eye, and Danvers holds it looking pretty unsettled. It’s definitely the plush bear from the credits, but as to who it belongs to, we’re going to have to wait to find out.
The polar bear in the middle of town
As Detective Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) investigates leads in town in Ennis in episode 1, she’s driving around, calling potential witnesses and contacts, when her phone stops working. A voice whispers the same hissing “she’s awake” message Danvers heard in her dream and Navarro hits the brakes. A large polar bear stands in the road, blocking her path and notably missing an eye. Standing its ground with a growl, the bear then retreats. As there are no other witnesses to this bear, it’s unclear whether Navarro is looking at a real polar pal or not — but if it’s not real, what does it mean?
What do the polar bears mean in True Detective?
As far as episode 1, it’s still unclear what role the polar bears have to play in the series other than indicating a sinister presence in the story or suggesting a memory for Danvers. Are the polar bears connected to the research the scientists were conducting at the remote Tsalal Arctic Research Station? Is it a commentary on climate change? Does it connect to the reindeer that throw themselves over the cliff in the show’s opening sequence? Is the polar bear Navarro saw in town real? Why do both the real polar bear and the plush toy have only one eye?
We’ll be updating this piece every week with any new polar bears per episode — we have a feeling they’re not done.
True Detective: Night Country is now streaming on Max.
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Let’s track the polar bears in HBO’s “True Detective: Night Country”: What do they mean?
