In True Detective: Night Country, the ghost of Travis Cohle not only pushes the show’s supernatural elements but shares a connection with season 1. Erling Eliasson plays Travis.
Travis Cohle is a fellow resident of Ennis who seems to have died a while back. Navarro discovered his body.
Travis was suffering from leukemia, and according to his lover, Rose Aguineau, he didn’t want to die because of that.
After spending quality time with Rose one last time, Travis walked into the ice to die on his terms.
Travis’ ghost
Since Travis’ death, his ghost has been haunting Rose Aguineau. He appears whenever he wants to. For the most part, he only comes when he wants something.
Following Travis’ ghost led Rose to the bodies of Tsalal men. The cops had been desperately looking for them, but it was something supernatural that located them.
Travis’ connection to season 1
In the first season of True Detective, Matthew McConaughey’s Rustin “Rust” Cohle talks about his past and his father, who is also named Travis.
Everything Rust mentions about his father hints that Travis in True Detective: Night Country is indeed his father. Even his father had leukemia and lived in Alaska.
So far, True Detective: Night Country has only been dropping hints that it is connected to the first season, with the return of the spiral sign and mention of Tuttle United.
Whether the story is set in the same universe as the first season remains a mystery.
However, at an HBO press event, showrunner Issa López mentioned that True Detective: Night Country is its own story but is still connected to the universe and that there will be easter eggs.
The show doesn’t confirm that Travis Cohle is Rust’s father, but so far, it has used the story from the past to push its supernatural elements.
Also Read: Is Ennis from True Detective: Night Country a real place?