Travis Cohle in True Detective: Is he related to Rust Cohle in season 1?

Here's what you need to know about Travis Cohle in True Detective: Night Country, the mysterious ghost with links to season 1.

True Detective: Night Country is Sky and HBO's latest series that is delighting fans who have long awaited this magnificent crime drama's return. Many want to know more about where True Detective: Night Country is filmed and whether True Detective season 4 is a supernatural show, but some are more curious about the show's mysterious character: Travis Cohle.

Here's what you need to know about Travis Cohle, the ghost who Rose speaks to in the series who may have a surprising link to season 1 of the show...

In the first episode of True Detective: Night Country viewers saw Rose (Fiona Shaw) call out to a figure on the ice whom she called Travis. In the second episode, the character reveals to Evangeline Navarro that she speaks to Travis, her dead lover who has visited her as a spirit since his death by suicide after choosing to walk out onto the ice rather than succumb to leukaemia. Rose said that he only comes to her from time to time and added, "Death didn't change him. Fucker only comes when he wants something." 

On social media fans were quick to comment that they had worked out who Travis Cohle was and how he was connected to season 1 of the show. "It’s all starting to come together and it’s only been 2 episodes. Travis COHLE!!! Rust's dad with leukemia. The guys whose cousin bought a trailer with cash, whose name was Rust! Rust Cohle being in Alaska. Holy shit! I’m hooked! #TrueDetectiveNightCountry #TrueDetective," said one fan.

"Catching up on the new True Detective and Travis COHLE???? Tell me that ain't who I think it is," said another.

"The Reddit heads are working overtime for True Detective Night Country. Travis Cohle (s4) is Rust’s Dad from (s1) Tsalal research station is funded by The Tuttle Family," said another viewer.

Although fans who haven't seen season 1 of True Detective may be unaware, Travis is mentioned in the first series of the show and is the father of Rustin Cohle, played by Matthew McConaughey.

In season one of the show, Rust said that he used to live in Alaska with his survivalist father. Rust had a strained relationship with his father and revealed in the series that he was dying of leukaemia. The second episode of the show confirmed that the ghost's full name as Travis Cohle, meaning the characters in the first and fourth seasons are more closely linked than fans had thought!

This was then confirmed by HBO who released a video of the Travis Cohle mentions in both season one and season four of the show.

Fans are now hopeful that the connection to the first season could mean that Matthew McConaughey could be set to return to the series as the character Rust. While this hasn't been confirmed by the producers of the show, Travis's appearance confirms that the seasons exist in the same universe, and there may be more connections than it seemed at first...