Night Country’s Polar Bear Isn’t The Season’s Only Major Parallel With Lost

Early on in “Lost,” shocking visuals of the polar bear in the jungle quickly turned into shorthand among fans, neatly summing up the overall mystery-minded M.O. of creators Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse. Even if it ultimately turned out that they were writing checks they couldn’t cash, stringing viewers along with a series of dizzyingly mounting questions that couldn’t possibly be answered in any satisfactory way, the initial power of this approach taught an invaluable storytelling lesson. For several seasons, “Lost” proved that the journey is far more important than the destination. By balancing out all those lore-heavy teases with an impressive focus on character, “Lost” in its prime boasted the best of both worlds — and its enduring influence, even after a final season largely considered a disappointing mess, speaks for itself.

“True Detective: Night Country” may only be three episodes in — and, as a murder-mystery, fans surely (and rightfully) expect an ending that lives up to the potential thus far — but the overarching framework, tone, and atmosphere all feel perfectly reminiscent of “Lost” at its peak. There are plenty of plot-based details that will inevitably catch the eye, of course. The opening scene in the premiere of Tsalal Station researchers going about their day, a famous pop song blaring in the background just before things go horribly wrong, had to have reminded you of the unforgettable Desmond sequence that kicked off “Lost” season 2, no? How about the prominence of a “ghost” materializing in the wilderness, sharing knowledge that can’t be explained naturally? And if that horrific “corpsicle” reveal didn’t bring back memories of the eerie, “Guys, where are we?” jaw-dropper in “Lost,” nothing will.

Yet all that said, the thematic similarities between “Night Country” and “Lost” are most striking of all.