True Detective: Night Country Gives Us A Perfect Christmas Cameo (And Maybe A New Suspect?)
This article contains spoilers for "True Detective: Night Country."
"True Detective: Night Country" is a fantastic detective show, bringing a compelling mystery to a great location filled with interesting characters and then adding a healthy dose of body horror to boot.
Issa López not only crafts a good mystery with the horrific death of a group of scientists working in a remote Alaskan outpost, but the season also keeps audiences on the edge by constantly toying with the line between reality and the supernatural. Were the scientists killed by an eldritch monster? By an ancient parasite like in "Fortitude?" Was it a conspiracy by the mine workers?
The latest episode of the show poses a different alternative — one that fits the episode's Christmas-y setting. In the episode, Christmas Eve turns out to be a rather bad holiday for the people of Ennis, Alaska. Everyone is miserable and having a bad time, but there is some comfort in the episode showing not one but two completely separate characters letting some steam off by watching the same Christmas classic: "Elf."
This is partly a fun and not obvious choice for "Night Country," in part a bit of corporate synergy (as Warner Bros. owns "Elf"). But there's a lot of thematic resonance between the movie and the season, which is all about rocky relationships between parents and kids — much like "Elf" is about a man trying to reconnect with the father he never knew existed and struggling with a culture clash.
But there is a darker alternative. Nothing in this show is a coincidence, so why should this choice of Christmas movie be any different? What if there's a reason we see Will Ferrell's Buddy the Elf in the episode? What if the killer came from the North Pole all along?
Christmas horror
The 2003 Christmas modern classic (and surprise box office hit) Jon Favreau joint "Elf" follows Buddy, a human raised by elves in the North Pole. When he discovers he is not a very tall elf but a human, he travels to New York City, eats spaghetti, works in a shiny mailroom, meets his biological father, and eventually saves Christmas. How could cheerful Christmas icon Buddy be the killer? Let's look at the evidence.
For starters, he is from the North Pole, so he has easy access to Alaska. We know he's capable of walking all the way to New York from the far North, so he can easily navigate the dark and cold Alaskan landscape. As for murdering skills, "Elf" shows Buddy being able to throw snowballs extremely fast, making them as strong and dangerous as bullets. We know the scientists died outside in the snow, so Buddy could have gotten to them.
But what about the scientists' missing clothes? Well, Buddy is — shall we say — peculiar, but also quite persuasive. He also loves to sing, so he could easily sing his way into somehow convincing the scientists to remove their clothes. Maybe he was offering them elf costumes? If you see a tall man claiming to be an elf from the North Pole who offers you a uniform, you'd be forgiven for giving him the benefit of the doubt if he's as charming as Ferrell.
A very festive killer
The biggest clue to Buddy the Elf being the killer is in the latest episode, which focuses on the final video Annie Kowtok shot before her death (from inside an ice cave with a giant whale skeleton trapped in the ice). What if that isn't a whale, but a narwhal skeleton — specifically Mr. Narwhal from "Elf?" He could have been killed by the mine workers for protesting the pollution in Ennis, throwing Buddy on a violent, bloodthirsty rampage to avenge the death of his friend. Now we have motive, means, and opportunity.
What's more, in the same episode, Jodie Foster's Chief Liz Danvers learns that one of the suspects she is looking for was spotted in the snow, the photo taken looking like the classic image of Bigfoot casually strolling in the woods. That same image is referenced in "Elf" when a news broadcast mentions sightings of a man dressed as an elf in Central Park.
If you're somehow still unconvinced, may I suggest the smoking gun? A central image in this season of "True Detective" is that of the spiral, which may be supernatural in nature but is definitely connected to the murders. Do you know what else has a spiral pattern? A swirly candy cane, and that is one of the four food groups in the North Pole, according to Buddy.
Does this make sense? Of course it does. Besides, the idea of Jodie Foster and Kali Reis facing down against Will Ferrell in an elf costume is just too funny to pass up.
New episodes of "True Detective: Night Country" premiere on Sundays at 9 pm EST on HBO and Max.