The season takes place in Ennis, Alaska, and follows detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro as they investigate the disappearance of eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station and vanish without a trace.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 0.602 million household viewers and gained a 0.11 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.
Seven years prior, Navarro (Kali Reis) attempts to arrest Anne for trespassing and destruction of property at the Silver Sky mining factory.
Danvers (Jodie Foster) is informed that Anders Lund, the Tsalal worker that authorities found alive, had his remaining limb amputated.
Danvers and Navarro visit Oliver (Lance Kramer) at a nomad camp, but he refuses to cooperate and threatens them with a shotgun after learning of the scientists' deaths.
When Danvers leaves to break up a fight in the hallway, a heavily sedated Lund suddenly rises and addresses Navarro in a demonic voice.
[1] López felt that it would work better for the story in slowly revealing the past of Danvers and Navarro, particularly in the cases of Anne and William Wheeler.
"[2] For the scene where Lund speaks with Navarro, Kali Reis commented on the prosthetics, "The special effects team, they just did such a great job.
The site's consensus states: "Light on fresh leads but heavy on nightmare fuel imagery, Night Country's third installment finally throws Jodie Foster and Kali Reis together in a partnership that generates compelling friction.
Club gave the episode an "A–" grade and wrote, "At the halfway point of True Detective: Night Country, we're left with far more questions than answers.
"[6] Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote, "the more that Issa López and company keep throwing out these hints of the otherworldly, the harder it may be for the mystery to be resolved in a wholly rational way.
"[10] Amanda Whiting of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "If 'we were here before,' then maybe Matthew McConaughey's Rust was right in season one, too: 'Everything we have done or will do, we will do over and over and over again forever.'
"[12] Scott Tobias of The New York Times wrote, "In perhaps the season's strongest hour to date, the episode moves the procedural elements forward as expected, but the one common thread is the tug Annie and the town’s Indigenous population has on the consciences of our two lead characters.
"[13] Tyler Johnson of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4.2 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Against all odds, this multi-pronged approach has yielded compelling results thus far.
But the show is reaching the point where it will need to stop introducing new wrinkles to the case and instead begin the process of gathering the existing elements into something more comprehensible.