From Dusk till Yawn

It took me about five episodes to figure out which male actor Jodie Foster reminded me of in the recent “True Detective” season. By this point it was also the only mystery I was invested in.

The first episode started strong. It set up its main mystery and introduced its cast of characters as it is wont to do. We get a no-bullshit chief of police played by Foster, an even less-bullshit, demoted, native cop played by Kali Reis (who I just learned is/was a boxer), some trouble in the past, and a corpsicle of research scientists that went FKK-ing in the arctic ice. Some standard fare, but it’s obvious that the cast is enjoying themselves.

Though, over the course of the next four episodes it telenovela-d its way around any kind of mystery and only on a few occasions did it feel like I was watching a detective-show. We get mail-order brides and one too many disgruntled wife instead.

Considering the subtitle –  “Night Country” – and the constant reminder via overlays that it has been x days since the sun set, neither darkness nor snow are used to much effect. I still have one episode to go, but I don’t expect anything good like the snowstorm shootout scene from Fargo’s first season. A rehash of the night vision goggles scene from “Silence of the Lambs” perhaps, but I hope somebody vetoed this.

To solve our initial mystery: The actor Jodie Foster resembled, not just physically but also in her mannerisms, is Michael J. Fox. Looks like I’m not the only one who noticed this.

Appendix: The 75 minute finale was okay with spotty but fine resolutions on the major cases. The heroes’ journeys completed once more.