Current:Home > My'True Detective: Night Country' Episode 5 unloads a stunning death. What happened and why?-InfoLens
'True Detective: Night Country' Episode 5 unloads a stunning death. What happened and why?
View Date:2024-12-23 14:19:58
Spoiler alert: We discuss the late, harrowing moments of HBO's "True Detective: Night Country" Episode 5. Don't read if you don't want to know what happens.
You always knew that the simmering conflict between flawed father and shady cop Hank Prior (John Hawkes) and his earnest son, rookie Officer Peter (Finn Bennett), was going to blow up at some point in HBO's "True Detective: Night Country."
But it was hard to imagine the explosive ending of Greek tragedy proportions between father and son in Episode 5 (now streaming on Max; airing Sunday on HBO at 9 EST/PST).
Peter has the bad fortune of walking into the house of Ennis, Alaska, police chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) to see his father aiming his gun at his department rival. Forced to choose between protecting Danvers, his acerbic mentor, or siding with his crooked pop, Peter fatally shoots his father in the head.
'True Detective' Jodie FosterKnew pro boxer Kali Reis was 'the one' to star in Season 4
The look of horror and shock on Danvers' face sums up the likely reaction of the viewers. But the familial break, however terrible, was inevitable.
"When you come from horror, sometimes you have to obliterate it to be able to move free," says "Night Country" writer, director and executive producer Issa López. "Therapy would've been a lot better, but Peter has terrible luck. Yet he truly becomes an adult in that moment and he will forever have to carry that weight."
Did Peter Prior need to kill his cop father in 'True Detective'?
Was the death necessary? Hank had already hunted down the heroin-addicted drifter Otto Heiss (Klaus Tange) at the behest of the local mines to stop him from revealing damaging information. Hank killed Otto in Danvers' house. With Danvers as a witness to the crime, and Hank pointing the gun at her, the situation looks dire when Peter walks in with his gun drawn. He ignores his father's urgent attempts to help cover up the crime.
"Blood is blood, remember that," Hank says, almost in resignation, before raising his gun at Danvers.
López says Hank is essentially ending his life after realizing that he will face consequences for killing Otto and the central death of Inupiaq activist Annie K.
Peter drops his dad with a single shot, but misses a key detail in the heat of the moment.
"If you look carefully, Hank's finger is not in the gun trigger, (but) Peter doesn't have the state of mind to register that," says López. "Hank knows it's over for him. He raises his gun not with the intention of killing Danvers, but with the intention to die."
What's the impact of the 'True Detective: Night Country' death?
Hank is dead, and Peter's life instantly changes forever. But the death sparks a revolution of sorts as the whip-smart Danvers can't come up with a decent plan. It's left to investigating partner, trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis), who arrives to find two dead bodies in Danvers' house, to plan the cover-up and way forward. Sure, this involves Peter having to clean up the crime scene and dispose of his father's body. But the focused Peter convinces Danvers it's the best option.
"Danvers, the bossiest of bosses, gets to the point that the other two are telling her what to do," says López. "It's a major role reversal. Danvers' two pupils graduate in Episode 5."
Who plays Peter Prior in 'True Detective: Night Country'?
Filming the harrowing, fast-moving events was "the hardest performance scene I've ever done," says López.
Foster agrees that filming the pivotal scene "that changes everything" was "the bane of our existence. We couldn't quite nail it down until it came together the day we shot it."
The episode is a showcase for Bennett, 24, who turns in a stellar performance as the sensitive, former high school hockey star who becomes a police officer with a heart. Bennett is a British breakout actor maintaining a spot-on accent.
"Not only is he British, but he stayed in character with the American accent the whole time filming," says Foster. "Occasionally on weekends, Finn would slip up and become British. After that fourth beer at the pub, it was like, now there's the British accent."
veryGood! (39)
Related
- ‘Maybe Happy Ending’ review: Darren Criss shines in one of the best musicals in years
- World's first wooden satellite built by Japanese researchers
- Fire destroys part of Legoland theme park in western Denmark, melting replicas of famed buildings
- Gabby Douglas withdraws from national championships, ending bid for Paris Olympics
- Judge extends the time to indict the driver accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother
- 'Evening the match': Melinda French Gates to give $1 billion to women's rights groups
- Nissan issues urgent warning over exploding Takata airbag inflators on 84,000 older vehicles
- Bird flu updates: 4.2M infected chickens to be culled in Iowa, cases detected in alpacas
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
- RFK Jr. files FEC complaint over June 27 presidential debate criteria
Ranking
- Where you retire could affect your tax bill. Here's how.
- China to impose controls on exports of aviation and aerospace equipment
- 6th house in 4 years collapses into Atlantic Ocean along North Carolina's Outer Banks
- North Korea flies hundreds of balloons full of trash over South Korea
- Teachers in 3 Massachusetts communities continue strike over pay, paid parental leave
- An Iceland volcano spews red streams of lava toward an evacuated town
- Qatar’s offer to build 3 power plants to ease Lebanon’s electricity crisis is blocked
- Feds take down one of world's largest malicious botnets and arrest its administrator
Recommendation
-
Republican Scott Baugh concedes to Democrat Dave Min in critical California House race
-
Palestinian prime minister visits Madrid after Spain, Norway and Ireland recognize Palestinian state
-
Nelly Korda makes a 10 and faces uphill climb at Women’s Open
-
From 'Bring It On' to 'Backspot,' these cheerleader movies are at the top of the pyramid
-
'I know how to do math': New Red Lobster CEO says endless shrimp deal is not coming back
-
Not-so-happy meal: As fast food prices surge, many Americans say it's become a luxury
-
Amazon Prime members will get extended Grubhub+ benefits, can order for free in Amazon app
-
Edmunds: The best used vehicles for young drivers under $20,000