Blood is thicker than ice.

The episode begins on December 31^st, the 14^th day of night, with Julia Navarro’s cremation. Her remains are gathered into an urn and presented to Evangeline, who cradles the urn in her arms.

Liz pays a visit to Otis Heiss, who is still in withdrawal, and asks if he knew Raymond Clark. Heiss confirms he knew about Tsalal, but not the men who worked there. Clark just wanted to know how Otis survived his injuries. Otis doesn’t recall talking about the Night Country while at the dredge, but he does remember Clark repeatedly saying “She’s awake” and that he needed to hide.

Liz asks what happened when Otis got his injuries…which was 30 years ago. Still, Otis explains that there was a cave-in, and men got trapped in the ice. Some went out for help, but there was a blizzard. Otis heard something screaming, and the other men followed the sound. Otis tried to go after them, and then…nothing. Otis woke up in the hospital with his eyes burned and his ears all gone to shit.

So Liz presents a map of the cave system that Otis worked, and Otis points out that the entrance is right at the end of Bear Creek. But Liz can’t go on her own because the caves collapse and the ice is like crawling on thin glass. Liz wants Otis to take him there, even though he’s in no condition to do so. She also won’t get him heroin to help him get better.

As if the people in this frigid town have ever seen heroin.

Evangeline picks up Liz who, seeing the urn buckled up in the backseat, asks if Evangeline wants to talk about it. She doesn’t.

Kayla packs up a bag for Peter and tells him to not come back tonight, though Peter tells that she can’t kick him out of his own family.

Seriously, this poor guy needs a new line of work.

On the drive to the cave, Liz tells Evangeline that Silver Sky owns the entire region, including the cave area. When asked about Leah, Liz simply says that she has a girlfriend. Evangeline’s had plenty of those, much to the surprise of nobody watching this show.

Liz just doesn’t like how Leah has become some crazy radical who splashes black paint all over the place. Evangeline doesn’t think it’s crazy. She believes the water is poisoning people.

The two eventually arrive at the cave entrance, which looks like it’s been blown shut. Evangeline storms off.

Speaking of black paint, Leah and Sheri, as well as many others, put that paint on their mouths as they prepare to take part in a demonstration that probably won’t end well for anyone.

Peter arrives outside Hank’s place in time overhear his father playing his guitar and singing a sad love song to himself. Peter calls Hank, who says that he’s doing some work on his truck. Peter explains that he and Kayla are on a break, so he needs a place to stay. Hank’s door is open for his son who, sitting outside, says he’s minutes away.

That song and its on-the-nose lyrics continue as Leah, Sheri, and that crowd protest outside of the mining company. At least their chant of “We were here before, gonna stay when you’re gone” is more clever than “Hey hey, ho ho, something something’s got to go.” As the workers head in, a scuffle breaks out between police and the protesters.

More troopers, Evangeline included, arrive to break up the protest. She has a brief vision of Annie K when something hits her helmet- thrown by Leah. For that, an officer drags her away and clubs her in the back of the head. Leah yells out to Sheri, who vanishes in the crowd. Evangeline engages in a fight with the officer who struck Leah.

Clearly, Evangeline still has some anger issues to work out.

As does Liz, who gets a call from Ted about how furious Kate McKittrick is over the protest and wants answers. Liz pulls the jurisdiction card, saying this is the responsibility of the troopers. Liz agrees to go to Kate’s office, where Ted will also be. Liz then answers a call from Navarro.

As in Navarro, who has Leah in her possession and who is actually starting to feel for Danvers. Leah isn’t going home- Liz wants Evangeline to take her in. Leah’s not a fan of police right now.

Liz asks Peter if he knew Leah would be at the protest. This is before Peter explains that Kayla kicked him out, and he’s not about to stay with Liz because that would fast track a divorce. Liz ignores Leah when Evangeline brings her in, and instead focuses on the documents Peter has. He explains that he followed the tax returns of the LLC that pays the grants that fund the station.

The returns trace back to Tuttle United, which happens to work with Norbank Securities, which is a founding partner of Silver Sky Mining. This is evidence that the mine bankrolls Tsalal, which pushes bogus pollution numbers.

Still not getting a thank you, Peter slips a Pepsi and some chips to Leah in her cell. Leah knows that Peter got kicked out and has the nerve to call him an asshole. She brings up that Kayla talked about her first falling in love with Peter, when he fell on his ass during a game. Peter got so much shit, but he still had a grin on his face. Then she found out that the dad of another play had a stroke.

Peter denies falling on purpose, but Kayla misses who he was, and Leah warns him not to let Liz ruin that guy, as she’s not good with people she’s cares about. I know Leah isn’t giving advice right now.

Liz explains to Evangeline that she’s keeping her in holding so she can see how vulnerable she’s making herself. She’s also not in the mood to have Evangeline lecturing her, given how she struck another trooper who is currently suspended. Liz prepares to meet with Connelly and Kate McKittrick about the protests. This, again, should be in the hands of the troopers, which is why Liz is going.

But Liz has something to discuss, so she’s glad she’s going. She hands Evangeline a folder and tells her to read through it.

Indeed, Liz heads to Silver Sky to meet with Kate and Ted and kicks it off by saying that what happened at the protests was due to the troopers running a shitty outfit. That’s not on APF or Liz.

Know what Liz is on? Silver Sky security camera footage, along with Evangeline. Kate explains that this came from cameras up north at 9:15 this morning during the lead-up to the riot. Kate asks why Liz and Evangeline are in a remote section of Silver Sky land. Liz explains that it’s police business relating to the Tsalal investigation. Okay, so what led her to that location?

Just some intel that Liz got about an abandoned cave, and she located an engineer who had information about Raymond Clark. Okay, so Kate asks who the engineer is. A simple question, right? Surprisingly, Liz comes right out and says that it’s Otis Heiss. But good news: this isn’t a murder case after all.

Why? Forensics from Anchorage came back and determined that it was a weather event- a slab avalanche, which is sudden and can move at 100 miles an hour. It was the last sunset before the long night, with the theory being that the scientists went out to watch it. The ruptured ear drums and damaged tissue happen to be common during a flash freeze. Oh, that’s nice. Also, fatal hypothermia causes hallucinations.

Well, it’s a relief to Kate that there’s not some killer on the loose. That’s convenient, as Liz points out that the mine bankrolls Tsalal. Kate doesn’t deny it. Silver Sky donates to many research projects, and Tsalal is in their backyard. Sounds nice, but the funding is for an independent outfit that verifies Silver Sky’s pollution numbers.

Sounds like a conflict of interest, but Kate doesn’t see the relation between that and a weather event. As Kate leaves, Liz brings up the Annie K case to Ted, saying that the cave is where she was killed, thus the two cases are linked.

Ted also brings up the past and talks about how three years ago, Liz and Evangeline responded to a domestic incident in Linden Village. You remember William Wheeler, right? It was a murder-suicide, except there was no suicide. Ted declares the case closed, but Liz reminds Ted that a woman was murdered. Still, Ted advises Liz to go home to her daughter.

Kate heads to a remote location to meet Hank, calling him Henry. Kate tells him that Danvers is looking for the location of where Annie K was killed, and Kate doesn’t want her finding that cave, as Otis Heiss could take her there. Hank suggests taking this to Connelly, who Kate calls a political animal.

Hank reminds Kate that he did something for her, and she broke her promise. Hank was paid well, but Kate promised him promised Chief of Police.

Then again, Kate couldn’t have known that Liz would be exiled here. This time, things are different. Hank says he’s no killer, but Kate didn’t say that. Otis Heiss is an addict, and they get lost all the time. She doesn’t need to know the details. Hank just has to follow Danvers, who will no doubt lead him to Heiss. Do this, and the job is Hank’s. He exits Kate’s vehicle as she departs.

Evangeline picks up some laundry at a laundromat where Kayla just happens to work.  Eddie then enters to give Evangeline the stone with the spiral symbol. With Eddie is Kenny, who says that his grandfather warned him to walk away when he saw something like that stone, as people would leave them as a warning for hunters- the kind of warning of places where the ice would swallow them whole.

Places like underground ice caves. Sometimes, kids would crack the ice just to enter the caves. Eddie’s grandmother didn’t like that and warned him that the Night Country would take him.

Also, Blair, played by Kathryn Wilder, the worker with the abusive boyfriend in episode 1, randomly enters. Just remember that.

Evangeline teleports to Liz’s office, telling her that she knows how to enter the caves- they just have to find the highest point on the cave maps. That’s how you get into an underground cave system. Find the place closest to the surface and you crack in. People call those caves “The Night Country.”

Liz angrily cuts off Evangeline, telling her that it’s over. She explains the forensics on the Tsalal and that it was a freak weather event that killed the men. Connelly has shut them down, and Liz reveals that he knows about Wheeler. This gets Evangeline’s attention, as she wants to know what Connelly said. He knows everything. Evangeline doesn’t care, and instead wants to know where Annie K died.

Also, Liz warns Evangeline against going to Otis because The Lighthouse won’t let her in after what she did. Imagine that. Liz implores Evangeline to let it go, but instead, Navarro says that Liz carries Annie K now, like she did all this time. Evangeline says that Liz is leaving Annie alone in that dark cave. Evangeline leaves Liz’s office, but before leaving the station altogether, she springs Leah.

Hank visits Peter to reminisce about the time Peter was nine years old and fell through the ice. He dreams of it often, saying he had to run ahead and break through with an ice axe. Hank kept hacking until he could pull out Peter. On the way to the hospital, Hank knew he had to keep his son awake. Hank leaves, leaving his son a bit confused.

So Evangeline enlists Rose to hack through the ice. Evangeline doesn’t even want Rose to stick around, but the weather’s getting worse to the point that they might get a Category 4. Oh, but this isn’t to enter a cave. Evangeline has brought Julia’s ashes, which she empties into the icy water.

Evangeline then hears a voice calling her name and telling her to listen. She walks into the darkness as the ice starts to crack under her, so Rose warns her to lie down and slowly crawl towards her. Rose tosses a bag that Evangline grabs so Rose can pull her over before asking why the fuck she was walking into the sea like that. Rose called Evangeline, but it’s like she couldn’t hear her.

Liz pops by Kayla and Peter’s home to see Leah, who Kayla says doesn’t want to see her. Kayla relents and Liz interrupts Leah’s bath to ask if she’s doing this to mess with her. When Liz brings up the Annie K case, Leah says that everyone Annie fought for is still happening. After all, there were nine stillbirths in the village in the past three months.

Anyway, Liz begs Leah to come home for New Year’s, but Leah simply tells her stepmother that she hasn’t given up on her.

I’m sorry, where did that come from?

Whatever. Liz leaves, seemingly unaware that Hank is following her, and heads to a makeshift funeral home where she learns it will be a few months before any more graves can be dug.

Liz heads back to the office, where Peter still is- because what else does he have to do? When she leaves the evidence room, Hank appears. He has no response when Liz asks if he talked to Connelly.

She summons Peter into her office and asks who he told about Connelly. He denies telling anyone, but Connelly knows because Hank knows. Peter unlocks his computer, with Liz correctly guessing that his password is Darwin’s birthday. Liz demands that Peter ask her the questions, and he finally does, starting off with how many times Liz and Evangeline went to the Wheeler household.

Ten times. Next question: did Liz know that Wheeler was left handed? She did not. Peter shows photo of Wheeler’s girlfriend and asks Liz what the directions the blows are in. The answer? Right to left. Peter brings up a high school yearbook of the girl and notes a birthmark- someone flipped every single photo in her file. Peter then brings up a bullet wound on Wheeler’s right-hand side.

All other materials from the case were lost in the flood. So, the question at hand: did Liz and Evangeline shoot William Navarro and make it look like a suicide? Liz reminds Peter when to stop asking questions and tells him that he can’t stay at Hank’s. Instead, she gives him a key to a shack at her home. Liz leaves, though Peter warns his father to keep away from him.

As Evangeline heads to Eddie’s and Peter settles in at the outdoor shack, Liz pays Otis Heiss another visit, imploring him to help guide her through the cave. Liz even brought Otis some heroin for his trouble. Otis wants the heroin now, but Liz won’t give it to him, and if he leaves, she’ll send him back to jail. Then again, if she did that, she’d probably never get through those caves on her own.

Liz calls Evangeline to meet at her place so they can go together to the place where Annie died. Eddie doesn’t stop Evangeline, but he does want her to come back.

At Liz’s home, Otis indicates the highest point on the map. He’s rewarded for his help and goes off to smoke in the bathroom.

Hank then pops by, telling Liz that Connelly wants him to bring in Otis for an outstanding warrant- apparently he skipped bail in Noatak. Liz wants to call Connelly, but then Otis enters. Liz says that Hank can walk out right now and everything will be okay, but Hank pulls Liz’s gun, saying he’ll take Otis the same way that she took William Wheeler. Plus, as far as he’s concerned, Liz turned Peter against him.

Hank fires two shots, killing Otis. Peter then enters as Hank orders his son to lower his weapon. He then confesses: he didn’t kill Annie K- he just moved her body. He reminds Peter that blood is blood, and as he slightly raises his gun, Peter fires, killing his father.

Evangeline later arrives and advises Liz against calling Connelly, who will bury every single one of them. Instead, Evangeline says that Peter was never here. He snatched and shot Otis, but he died in a car accident when he tried to get rid of the body.

Okay, how does that explain the bullet hole in his head?

Whatever. His truck will be there, but he’ll never be found. If Hank was sent to stop them, then Evangeline knows they must be very close. Plus, the storm will help cover their tracks, so they have to act now. Peter agrees, but says he’ll be the one to clean up since Evangeline can’t go into those caves alone. Evangeline tells Peter to take the bodies to Rose Agineau, who will take him to Julia.

Liz and Evangeline drive into the storm and head for the caves as the episode comes to a close.

For the second-to-last episode of the season, things would, of course, escalate. I can sort of see what Issa Lopez is trying to do, but after a pretty decent fourth episode, the penultimate episode left me feeling hollow for a few reasons.

Well, it’s more like one reason, and it’s that I don’t care for any of these characters. That’s not the ultimate factor in whether I enjoy a show or film, but I’d like to attach to someone or at least grasp where their point of view on things. My issue with this episode, and much of Night Country, is that these characters don’t know how to communicate.

This episode happens a few days after the previous one, and Evangeline is still processing Julia’s suicide. She frees her by releasing her ashes into the sea, yes, and then she blows off some steam by joining other troopers to quell a riot. Hey, good on her for putting the job first, but I’m surprised she’s not ordered to take any time off. I’m also surprised she’s not suspended for fighting another trooper.

Then a thought occurred to me…do we even know who Navarro’s superior is? She’s a state trooper, not a police officer. She’s just helping out with the investigation, but we don’t know who she reports to or who gives her orders. Sure, she may see Leah as a stand-in for Julia and wants to keep her safe, as seen when she lets her out of her cell, but she would still get a dressing down or lecture for striking a fellow trooper.

It doesn’t appear she’s fully gotten over whatever happened at the end of episode four. I can put aside Liz not asking why her ear was bleeding, or how quickly she healed up after getting the hell beaten out of her, but her seeing Julia’s ghost still had an impact on her. After all, she walks onto the ice and almost falls through, if not for Rose saving her life.

Could Evangeline be headed down the same path as her mother and sister? Possibly, though that would be a bit predictable…as would it be if she was the one to break the cycle. I think she could still get some closure by solving the Annie K case in addition to finding out what truly killed the scientists. Both that and the search for Raymond Clark seem like secondary objectives now.

By the way, Evangeline is much more loving towards Eddie this week, which is a rarity. Makes me wonder if him asking her to come back could bode bad for her.

The idea of the scientists dying due to a weather event isn’t impossible, but for that revelation to come now is a stretch for Liz. I agree that it feels like a cover-up, and as the episode progresses, we see there are forces above her trying to keep her from getting too close. The mine pushing bogus pollution numbers is an idea that’s introduced way too late, though.

Much like Evangeline, Liz doesn’t know how to talk to people. She still treats Peter like a doormat and accuses him of covering for Leah, who she also still doesn’t know how to talk with. I’m surprised that Leah hasn’t just up and run away.

Since her introduction, she’s been nothing but defiant. It wasn’t enough that Liz got her out of trouble last time, but now she gets involved in a riot, gets put in a cell, and runs to the Prior home again? Even after giving Liz the silent treatment, she says that she hasn’t given up on her? I don’t get it. I have no reason to believe that Leah has any hope in her stepmother, so this line feels forced.

Same goes for when she tells Peter that Liz isn’t good with people she cares about. No shit. We can see that for ourselves. If there was any indication that Leah held out hope for Liz, we haven’t seen it until now. Hell, Leah would probably be happier off with anyone else. She hates that she’s put into a holding cell, even though she assaulted an officer, but still has hope for Liz? Where did that come form?

Peter is a confusing character. For one, he’s the only one who seems to do any detective work. Well, offscreen, at least. Peter is a smart guy, but aside from him and Liz asking one another questions in episode 2, we don’t see his thought process. He just suddenly has the answers. He has information on Tuttle United, but we don’t see him doing any research or investigating. Is that a problem? Not entirely.

But otherwise, we’re not given any clue as to how Peter is so good at his job, while everyone else…isn’t. I also have an issue with his characterization. More to the point, he’s a doormat. He lets people walk all over him without putting up any resistance, except when it comes to Hank. He lets Leah lecture him on his relationship, even though he’s solving a murder case.

He doesn’t even put up a fight with his wife. Perhaps he doesn’t want to escalate things, but show some fighting spirit and stand up for yourself. It’s kind of pathetic that he just rolls over and lets people talk down to him. By episode’s end, we see he’s capable of making the hard decisions, so why can’t he at least be a bit more assertive?

If he doesn’t divorce Kayla, throw away his badge, and walk away from everything by the season finale, I’ll be disappointed. It doesn’t help that he’s now involved in covering up three deaths. Not just his dad and Otis, but he knows about William Wheeler and likely won’t say anything about it.

He’s as much a part of this secrecy as Liz and Evangeline are now. Though it’s a sloppy plan because, again, how do you explain the bullet hole if Hank just disappeared? And does Peter happen to have another cousin who knows how to get that blood off of the walls?

I don’t need to know the Whys of how come Liz and Evangeline lied about Wheeler, and I’m glad that’s not spelled out at least.

So Hank truly was in on it all along. Hey, credit to Lopez for this: she made me sympathize for the guy before taking him away. That I can at least admire. Hank seemed to know he was on borrowed time, what with him suddenly opening up to Peter about a memory from the past.

He tells Kate that he’s not a killer, but has no problem entering Liz’s home and holding Otis at gunpoint and killing him, rather than just apprehending him. It doesn’t devolve into a full cartoon villain plot, but it’s pretty close. Part of me wonders if Hank was ready to die. He doesn’t lower the gun when Peter has his own weapon trained on him, and he sings a sad love song to himself, as if it’s his swan song.

And again, Blair is…just there at the laundromat scene. Even though she doesn’t say a word to anyone, curious that she’s in this episode just as Eddie is telling Evangeline about the Night Country. It’s no accident that she of all people is in the scene.

Episode 5 of Night Country does not do a good job of making me excited for the season finale. The characterization is all over the place and motivations hamper what could be a really good mystery. But whether we get to the bottom of Annie K’s case or the Tsalal scientists, I can’t say I care that much.

Maybe things will pick up in the finale, but right now, this episode just left me feeling cold.