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True Detective Fans Aren't Happy About Season 4 Plot Holes and Other Things That Make No Sense

True Detective

By Connie Lee

Published Feb 19, 2024

Highlights

True Detective season 4 finale sparks mixed reviews, with fans on Reddit dissecting plot holes and shortcomings.
Fans question unrealistic plot points like silent ladder climbing and mysterious deaths in True Detective season 4.
Dissatisfied viewers crave closure and answers as they await a potential True Detective season 5 after the Night Country finale.

The True Detective season 4 finale premiered last night on HBO, resulting in mixed reviews, and some are more pessimistic than others. Today, after the show’s dramatic conclusion, fans of the anthology series aren’t holding back on what bothered them about the show this season.

Since the premiere of season 1 in 2014, True Detective has received rave reviews and gained a huge fanbase because of its enticing, complex narratives, the creators' genius ability to weave multiple storylines together, and the many layers of mystery. However, after True Detective season 4's finale, super fans have been discussing the plot holes and other show shortcomings that have been present throughout, revealing that this season may have been clunkier than its legendary predecessors.

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A thread started by u/Baby_Eaglet earlier this morning regarding nine things off the top of their head that didn’t make sense in True Detective season 4 has already garnered dozens of responses. Many other commenters also go into the same level of depth as the original poster, which has triggered deeper conversations about everything that went wrong in True Detective season 4. Redditor u/lucidgroove wrote:

Why didn't they check for fingerprints around Tsalal during the initial murder investigation? Why didn't the scientists get rid of the murder weapon? Why didn't they empty out the bloody mop bucket?

How did Raymond Clark manage to scale up a 50-ft metal ladder without making any noise when he was being pursued? Why didn't he just barricade the hatch when they followed behind him to trap them downstairs? Why did Clark decide to drag Navarro's body? If his intention was to kill her why didn't he just finish the job on the spot?

How the hell did Lund survive for three days naked out on it ice? Why did he just freak out and speak cryptically in the hospital instead of just telling them it was the cleaning ladies?

Why was Danvers initially cool with Navarro shooting Clark, and then freaked out when she let him commit suicide? Why would Navarro not immediately just show her the confession she recorded?

Why was pollution necessary to melt ice? Couldn't they just have used heat? Dumping massive amounts of pollution in a town's water supply seems to be a terrible strategy when you're trying to hide your super secret research.

I also hated that the show remained super vague about what the secret DNA being studied at Tsalal was and why it would "save the world."

Other Redditors were more concise with their dislikes, primarily tying them back to rationality within the True Detective season 4 script. However, they didn’t shy away from using colorful language as part of their reasoning. “The fact a cleaning lady accidentally spills a bucket of water, finds a hidden ice lab, looks at a scientific instrument, pulls it off the machine, [knows[ it pertains to a [6-year-old cold] murder case, knows someone who works in the police station, that person is able to get access to the Annie K files to find out she was murdered by something with a star shape... then the women of the village are able to deduct that murder weapon from 6 years ago for the Annie k case was THIS PIECE OF METAL in particular," Redditor u/straight_lurkin wrote. "OH! And they all knew somehow that ALL the scientists were responsible for the murder and thus all guilty. Sorry I pulled my back reaching so hard... what absolutely [s**t] writing.”

Additionally, other Redditors continued to state obvious plot issues that would’ve stood out to viewers, even if they weren't True Detective fans. Redditor u/alicerox07789 wrote about the mysterious deaths of scientists in True Detective season 4 on the Tsalal research station: “Why did the vet say they didn’t freeze to death when it’s confirmed they ran out and froze to death?”

Between this Reddit thread and the response to the True Detective season 4 finale, it seems that fans are dissatisfied not only with the conclusion but also because many of their questions are left unanswered. While this season has generally been praised, and there are hopes for a True Detective season 5, the super fans will want closure before they move on to something new. Whether they will get it is as up in the air as the plot holes they’re discussing.

True Detective: Night County can be streamed on HBO.

True Detective

Taking inspiration from the hard-boiled mystery genre, True Detective has told four different stories about complicated men and women getting to the bottom of intense cases while uncovering the darker sides of humanity. The latest season, Night Country, stars Jodie Foster and Kali Reis and takes place in chilling Alaska.