We review the first episode of True Detective: Night Country

The first landmark season of True Detective is considered by many, including yours truly, to be one of the best seasons of television in many, many years. Not only did it kickstart creator Nic Pizzolatto's career and become one of HBO's biggest original hits, it was also the start of what some call "The McConaissance".

But as beloved as the first season ended up being, just as disappointing and destructive to the show's reputation was the follow-up second season, which, despite a star-studded cast, disappointed on all fronts. This ultimately caused Pizzolatto and company to back off and slow down the development of future seasons. In 10 years, we've only been served three seasons of True Detective - that in itself is pretty crazy.

"It's happening again," says the giant of Twin Peaks, because we've now embarked on another season, a long-awaited one called "Night Country," and the Twin Peaks reference is actually in the structure itself, at least for now.

Jodie Foster plays Liz Danvers, a colourful investigator working in a small town called Ennis in the Alaskan night country, where it's dark for a good two months of the year. We're on the cusp of the beginning of this period and the central mystery becomes clear. A dozen scientists from a private facility outside of town all disappear at the same time under mysterious circumstances, and Liz, along with her former partner Navarro, begins an investigation that already in the first episode has supernatural undertones and will apparently delve deep into the town's morally murky past.

The premise is solid. It suits True Detective to keep the focus on a single town, Twin Peaks-style, and fortunately, there are enough mysteries and open questions to establish a central sense of wonder in the viewer, which may end up being one of the most crucial elements. Similarly, the central cast, consisting primarily of Foster, John Hawkes, Kali Reis' Evangeline Navarro and Finn Bennett's Peter Prior, deliver some pretty solid performances that, while not on par with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey, certainly anchor the narrative here in the first chapter.

Likewise, Ennis, and perhaps more simply Alaska, is a rock-solid backdrop for creepy, involved and cosy-depressive storytelling, and there are glimpses of effective cinematography here and there to help flesh out the universe, as well as some pretty cool music throughout.

It's not that all the key beats land. The subtle references to "she's awake" are worrying enough, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding the scientists' disappearance are also intriguing throughout the first hour. But there are also bits and pieces that are clumsily put together and don't quite have the gravitas, presence and, perhaps most crucially, flair that made the first season so memorable.

Perhaps what's missing right now is a bit of distinctiveness, a bit of finesse, a way of manifesting the weird, the bizarre and the incoherent in a more direct way. Speaking of David Lynch, who also wanted to explore the upper layer of a densely packed community, and then the layers below, it was a strange zoom on a dripping tap, or lingering with the camera fixated on the ceiling fan at Laura Palmer's house for a little too long. There's a bit of this, but not enough, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Night Country not only solves its central case, but manages to build more simmering creepiness and unease before it's all over.

For now, it's enough to say that it's nice that True Detective is back. There's something here that just works, and it works this time too. Whether I can say the same when the end credits roll, well, that will be exciting to find out over the next few weeks.