Is This True Detective Season 4’s Real Villain?

Warning: spoilers ahead for True Detective season 4’s episode 5.

Many details in True Detective: Night Country‘s episode 5 suggest that Silver Sky may be the season’s real villain. In its initial episodes, season 4 seemingly misguided viewers by drawing subtle references to True Detective season 1’s villains. These initial nods to season 1 made it hard not to believe that True Detective season 4 was going to reinstate the Tuttles as its primary antagonists. However, as the season progressed, it became obvious that it was following its own self-contained storyline where Silver Sky could be the big bad.

True Detective: Night Country‘s early episodes established that Ennis’ water was heavily contaminated, and the locals were convinced that the activities of the Silver Sky mine were polluting their waters. However, many details surrounding how the mine was connected to the Tsalal research facility and Annie’s murder remained a mystery. True Detective: Night Country‘s episode 5 has finally confirmed how Silver Sky potentially ties into the central murder mysteries and how the people running it may be the season’s main villains.

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What Silver Sky Does In True Detective: Night Country

Silver Sky is responsible for a long list of crimes in True Detective: Night Country

In True Detective: Night Country‘s episode 2, Peter traced the Tsalal research facility’s taxes and discovered they were indirectly being funded by Tuttle United. After diving deeper into Tuttle United and its connections with Ennis, Peter learns in episode 5 that it is the founding partner of the Silver Sky mine. This link between the mine and the Tsalal research facility makes Danvers deduce that the mine probably bankrolled Tsalal. In return, Tsalal was likely pushing bogus pollution numbers for them to ensure they could continue their operation without facing legal complications for breaking pollution laws.

While Tsalal kept covering up Silver Sky’s malicious actions, the people of Ennis suffered. The mine’s pollutants seeped into Ennis’ groundwater and ultimately started leading to stillbirths. Annie tried to expose the Silver Sky mine by finding the truth about how Tsalal was saving Silver Sky from facing legal repercussions for polluting Ennis’ water. However, before she could disclose what she had discovered, someone found out what she was up to and killed her. Therefore, the Silver Sky is not only responsible for polluting the water but also for Annie’s murder and the deaths of several stillborn children.

Silver Sky Has Corrupted The Police In True Detective Season 4

APF officers like Hank cover-up for Silver Sky’s authorities

A local hairdresser from Ennis, who knew about Raymond and Annie’s relationship, had reported everything about Annie to Hank after she was murdered. However, instead of using the information to get to the bottom of Annie’s death, Hank kept it to himself. Hank also tried to get Raymond Clark murdered by hiring civilian gunmen because he feared Hank would expose what he knew about Silver Sky. True Detective: Night Country‘s episode 5 reveals that Hank took these provisions because one of Silver Sky’s leading figures, Kate McKitterick, had bribed him.

As an interaction between Hank and Kate reveals, McKitterick promised him that she would help him become the chief of police if he helped her erase all evidence surrounding Annie’s murder case. Therefore, Hank moved Annie’s body to the main city to ensure that police detectives like Danvers and Navarro never discovered what Annie had found about Tsalal and Silver Sky in the ice caves. True Detective: Night Country‘s episode 5 also establishes that Silver Sky likely bribed authorities in Anchorage and made them conclude that the Tsalal researchers were not murdered.

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Is Silver Sky Really Behind Everything That’s Happened In True Detective: Night Country?

Silver Sky seems to be pulling all the strings in Ennis

After True Detective: Night Country’s episode 5, it looks like Silver Sky may be responsible for everything that has happened — from Annie’s murder to the water pollution. However, considering how the Tsalal researchers were also trying to discover the origins of life by sequencing an extinct organism’s DNA, the manipulation of pollution numbers may only be the tip of the iceberg of what Tsalal and Silver Sky were trying to achieve. The pollution could be a cover for something far more sinister. True Detective: Night Country‘s finale will likely provide more concrete answers to what the two organizations were doing.

True Detective

In this anthology series, each season follows a different detective or set of detectives as they forced to confront some horrific truths about their town and themselves. No matter the setting and characters, each detective must unravel lies and clues to solve the chilling mysteries around them.

Release Date

January 12, 2014

Cast

Matthew McConaughey , Woody Harrelson , Colin Farrell , Rachel McAdams , Taylor Kitsch , Mahershala Ali , Carmen Ejogo , Michelle Monaghan , Michael Potts , Ray Fisher , Jodie Foster

Seasons

4

Writers

Nic Pizzolatto

Network

HBO Max

Directors

Cary Fukunaga

Showrunner

Nic Pizzolatto

Where To Watch

Max