True Detective: Night Country Showrunner Clarifies Navarro's Fate

The season finale of True Detective: Night Country resolves the season's larger mystery regarding what happened to the TSALAL scientists and who killed Annie K. but left viewers with a final mystery of sorts when it came to the ultimate fate of Trooper Evangeline Navarro. The last moments of the episode saw Navarro walk out into the cold and while we see her again, a voiceover from Chief Liz Danvers says Navarro likely won't be seen again.

The ambiguous ending had many fans wondering if Navarro was alive, dead, a ghost, or if there was something more going on and now, creator Issa López is clarifying that there is an answer in the episode — you just have to pay very careful attention.

"I think that if you look very carefully, very carefully at the show and follow the lines very carefully, there's an answer to what we saw at the end," López said during Deadline's TV Contenders panel. "But again, there's a space for where your heart wants to live… and what you need to get out of it."

López has previously been fairly ambiguous about Navarro's fate, saying that the ending was "an ink blot test" for viewers to discover for themselves.

"I'm not saying that she's alive, and I'm certainly not saying that she's dead," López told Deadline in an interview about the finale. "I very carefully crafted this as an ink blot test for you to discover yourself as an audience member. I do love that Navarro states very early in the series that she has this impulse to just walk away and leave everything behind. On the other hand, the entire series is an exploration of the fact that she feels a calling to the beyond. 

"In the climax of the finale, and instead of fighting it and going in with pain and fear, she surrenders to it. And in doing it, she receives a piece of herself. So that call that she was afraid of is solved. The Aboriginal people in Australia go and walk about, find themselves and then come back, which I think is what Kali [Reis] embraced [for the character]. However, there is a chance that she is also going to be with the women before her visit to them. You can read it both ways and it's up to you to interpret which one fulfills your heart."

True Detective Has Been Renewed for Season 5

Following the success of Night Country, HBO has already renewed True Detective for a fifth season with López returning.

"Issa López is that one-of-a-kind, rare talent that speaks directly to HBO's creative spirit," said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films. "She helmed True Detective: Night Country from start to finish, never once faltering from her own commendable vision, and inspiring us with her resilience both on the page and behind the camera. Alongside Jodie and Kali's impeccable performances, she's made this installation of the franchise a massive success, we are so lucky to have her as part of our family."

"From conception to release, Night Country has been the most beautiful collaboration and adventure of my entire creative life," said Issa López, Showrunner, Writer, and Executive Producer. "HBO trusted my vision all the way, and the idea of bringing to life a new incarnation of True Detective with Casey, Francesca and the whole team is a dream come true. I can't wait to go again."

What is True Detective: Night Country about?

The official description of True Detective: Night Country reads, "When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice. The season stars Jodie Foster, Kali Reis, Finn Bennett, Fiona Shaw, with Christopher Eccleston, Isabella Star LaBlanc, and John Hawkes. Guest stars include Anna Lambe, Aka Niviâna, and Joel D. Montgrand."

What do you think Navarro's fate was in True Detective: Night Country? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.