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Wondering how to watch the NFL Playoffs? Here are your best options: Most affordable Sling TV Orange Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month (save $20 ) Get Deal BEST FOR SINGLE GAME FuboTV Pro 7-day free trial, then $79.99/month Get Deal

The Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are scheduled to meet in the opening weekend of the 2024 NFL Playoffs at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on Monday, Jan. 15. The game is scheduled to start at 8:15 p.m. ET. 

Philadelphia enters the matchup with an 11-6 record after finishing second in the NFC East Division. Most recently, the New York Giants beat the Eagles 27-10 on Jan. 7. Jalen Hurts is the Eagles starting quarterback, and this season, he has thrown for 3,858 yards and 23 touchdowns. 

The Tampa Bay Bucs come into the contest with a 9-8 record after finishing first in the NFC South Division. On Jan. 7, the Buccaneers defeated the Carolina Panthers 9-0. As the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield has thrown for 4,044 yards and 28 touchdowns this season.

SEE ALSO: How to watch NFL games without cable

Nick Sirianni is the Philadelphia Eagles head coach. Todd Bowles is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach. 

NFL Playoffs: Eagles vs. Buccaneers kickoff time and network

The Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Bucs game is scheduled to be broadcast on ABC and ESPN at 8:15 p.m. ET on Monday, Jan. 15. The ABC/ESPN broadcasters are scheduled to be Joe Buck (play-by-play) and Troy Aikman (analyst). 

Catch the excitement of Monday’s game without cable or satellite TV by choosing an online live streaming option such as FuboTV or Sling. 

Best streaming services for the Buccaneers vs. Eagles game

Without cable or satellite TV, you can still enjoy the NFL Playoffs by opting for a streaming service. To dive into Monday’s game between the Tampa Bay Bucs and Philadelphia Eagles teams, consider these streaming options. 

Most affordable: Sling TV Opens in a new window Credit: Sling Sling Orange Plan $20 for the first month, then $40/month Get Deal

At $55 per month, Sling TV’s Orange & Blue Plan provides 46 channels, including ESPN3 that simulcasts ABC games such as Eagles vs. Buccaneers. You can get an introductory offer of $27.50 for the first month of the Orange & Blue Plan. 

If you’re primarily interested in Monday’s game then you can go for the Orange Plan, with an introductory offer of $20 for the first month and then a standard charge of $40/month.

Sling TV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, Fox, FS1, FS2, NBC, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network and SEC Network.

Best for single game: FuboTV Opens in a new window Credit: FuboTV FuboTV Pro 7-day free trial, then $79.99/month Get Deal

FuboTV offers a complimentary seven-day trial that includes access to more than 250 live TV channels and 10-screen viewing. With the free trial, NFL fans can access channels like ABC and ESPN for Eagles vs. Buccaneers in the playoffs. If you want to keep FuboTV’s Pro plan, the rate is $79.99 per month. 

FuboTV’s sports channel offerings include ABC, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, Fox, FS1, FS2, Golf Network, Marquee Sports Network, Monumental Sports, NBC, NBCSN, NFL Network, Pac-12 Network, and SEC Network. 

TL;DR: A three-year subscription to a Windscribe VPN Pro Plan is on sale for £69.88, saving you 57% on list price.

Just as you lock your front door and look both ways before crossing the street, it’s important to safeguard your digital presence. VPNs offer one solution for online privacy and security, and Windscribe allows you to connect unlimited devices with added perks like an ad blocker.

With this limited-time deal, a three-year subscription to Windscribe VPN Pro is down to £69.88. That’s a best-on-web price.

SEE ALSO: The best VPN deals in January 2024

How do VPNs bring enhanced privacy and security? Essentially, they create a secure tunnel between your device and your chosen network while encrypting your data, making it difficult for third parties to intercept your online activities and location. Plus, while connecting to networks in other countries, you may be able to access websites or content on your streaming services that are normally blocked.

When shopping for VPNs, you should consider: How many servers or locations they offer, device compatibility and limits, level of encryption, and other benefits. Here’s what you’ll get with Windscribe Pro:

• Server locations in 69 countries and 112 cities

• Compatibility with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, and Android devices

• Connect an unlimited number of devices

• AES-256 cipher encryption

Other perks include access to the desktop app or web browser extension with built-in ad blocking, double hop proxy for connecting two servers simultaneously, and split tunneling to choose which apps do and don’t use the VPN.

A three-year subscription to Windscribe VPN Pro is on sale for £69.88 — no coupon is needed.

Opens in a new window Credit: Windscribe VPN Windscribe VPN Pro Plan (3-Year Subscription) £69.88 at the Mashable Shop Get Deal

If you love to yarn-wall a show, True Detective: Night Country gives plenty of reason to dust off the pushpins. With the premiere episode, HBO/Max has resurrected the dormant crime anthology series, offering a fresh mystery deep in the icy Alaskan terrain. Jodie Foster and Kali Reis star as this season's titular detectives determined to crack the case(s) of Season 4. And similar to Season 1, there are spirals and other surreal imagery that hints at the supernatural. 

Fans still debate on how much (and how well) Nic Pizzolatto's first season of True Detective paid off in terms of its dabbling in cosmic horror. But Night Country isn't playing by Pizzolatto's rules; while he has an executive producer credit, this season has an entirely different showrunner, writer, and director in horror indie darling Issa López. For fans of this Mexican filmmaker's breakout 2017 film Tigers Are Not Afraid, her authorship could be a crucial clue in unraveling the mystery of the missing scientists and the murder of activist Annie K. 

What's Tigers Are Not Afraid about? 

Tigers Are Not Afraid is a modern fairy tale — but not the kind Disney would dare adapt. Set in a Mexican City plagued by a vicious human trafficking cartel known as the Huascas, its "princess" is a young girl named Estrella (Paola Lara), who is granted three wishes by a magical piece of chalk. But in this critically heralded horror film written and directed by López, kids have to be very careful what they wish for. 

Estrella's story begins bleakly. After surviving a drive-by shooting at school, Estrella comes home to find her mother missing. Like the Tsalal research facility in True Detective: Night Country, the TV blares, as if her mother left without warning. But a big difference here is that a seemingly sentient trail of blood invades this humble home and blooms on a dress her mother has neatly hung up, a morbid omen. 

On a quest to find her missing mother, Estrella instead discovers some churlish Lost Boys, a quartet of orphans living in a garbage dump. Reluctantly, they team up to seek vengeance for their family members who were murdered by the Huascas. This young gang is led by the scarred Shine (Juan Ramón López), who carries a grudge as heavy as the gun he lifted from a cartel member. But Estrella is led by the voices of the dead who appear to her, grisly, wrapped in plastic and hissing instructions. 

Childlike wonder creeps into the horror through graffiti that comes to life in animation, as well as a toy tiger that becomes a bittersweet beacon. López mixes fantasy elements like ghosts and magic with real-world mayhem to create a sensational thriller that's as emotionally riveting as it is horrifically unnerving. You can watch it now on Shudder, and you should. 

How does Tigers Are Not Afraid connect to True Detective: Night Country? Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO

Canonically, López's film and her TV season aren't linked. However, even within episode one, it's impossible to ignore thematic similarities. Both stories center on heroines pushed to solve a murder mystery that hits close to home. And episode 1 suggests that like in Tigers Are Not Afraid, Night Country will deal with ghosts who act as guides. 

In this first ep, both Navarro (Reis) and Danvers (Foster) hear disembodied voices proclaiming, "She is awake!" And like Estrella and the trail of blood, Danvers receives this message from a dearly departed loved one — a child's hand reaches over her as she sleeps. Meanwhile, local eccentric Rose (Fiona Shaw) is led to the remains of the Tsalal scientists by what appears to be a ghost named Travis, who walks through the unforgiving ice with no shoes. 

Both stories also involve a ferocious predator as an enigmatic element. In Tigers Are Not Afraid, the orphaned children tell stories of tigers, fearsome and brave, as a means of comforting themselves against the cruel world of kidnapping and murder. In Night Country, it's a polar bear with one eye that appears in two forms: a child's plush toy and a stalking beast in the night. 

Could Tigers Are Not Afraid be the key to True Detective: Night Country's case?  Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO

The first episode leaves us with burning questions, like who is the "she" that is awake? Is it possibly the vengeful spirit of murdered activist Annie K? Notably, in Tigers Are Not Afraid, the vicious kingpin is not brought down by the scrappy orphans but by the wrathful spirits of those he murdered. Could it be that Annie K's back and on the hunt for those who hurt her? Could it be justice won't be provided by this series' heroes, but by the dead?

Notably, the original Spanish title for Tigers Are Not Afraid is Vuelven, which loosely translates to They Come Back. And what is it that the Tsalal scientist says in terror before the lights go out at the research facility? "She's back." 

While it's too soon to be sure what happened to the scientists found in the snow at the end of episode 1, it seems Season 4 of True Detective will delve into the supernatural deeper than the wildly popular first season. Tigers Are Not Afraid proves that López can create captivating drama, gut-wrenching twists, and haunting conclusions in such a space. So, for anyone looking to get the most of Night Country, this horror gem should be essential viewing. 

How to watch: Tigers Are Not Afraid is streaming now on Shudder.

True Detective airs Sunday nights on HBO/Max at 9 p.m ET/PT.

True Detective has always been a dark show, but Night Country really ups the stakes.

Set in the fictional Alaskan town of Ennis, located "150 miles north of the Arctic Circle", the HBO show opens on Dec. 17 — an important date, we're informed, as it's "the last sunset of the year". The action itself kicks off a few days later, when police chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) arrives at the Tsalal Arctic Research Station to investigate some missing scientists. One of the first things fellow officer Hank Prior (John Hawkes) says to her after she arrives on the scene?

"Just the third day of darkness and it's already getting weird."

But what's the deal with this long night of darkness, anyway? Is it a fictional device, or something that actually exists in real life?

SEE ALSO: 'True Detective: Night Country' review: A can't-miss mystery with ghostly bite What is "the long night"?

That opening caption about "the last sunset of the year" pretty much says it all. The idea is that Ennis is a town so far north in Alaska that it experiences extreme seasonal versions of night and day. It's essentially a very brutal version of the nights getting longer in winter — only in Ennis, they get so long that residents experience them as one continuous nighttime. The sun doesn't properly rise or set. In the depths of winter, it's dark all the time.

It's a long, dark night in Ennis. Credit: Michele K. Short/HBO Is "the long night" a real thing?

The short answer is yes. There are a number of very northern and southern places in the world that experience what's commonly known as a Polar Night, which is a period of darkness lasting more than 24 hours. The closer to the Earth's poles you go, the more dramatic this effect is due to the tilt of its axis. There are a number of remote locations where the effect is so extreme that the sun isn't visible in winter for months on end. Svalbard, an archipelago north of Norway, is one of them. Northern Alaska is another.

"In Barrow, the northernmost village in the state, there is no daylight for 64 days in the heart of the winter," reads the official Alaska government site. "The sun does not rise above the horizon." Barrow, now called by its Iñupiaq name, Utqiagvik, is a little further north than good ol' Ennis is said to be in the show – it's a whopping 350 miles north of the Arctic Circle – but the effect is the same. For weeks at a time in winter, the only hint of the sun that's visible in Utqiagvik is a faint twilight.

True Detective airs Sunday nights on HBO/Max at 9 p.m ET/PT.

True Detective Season 4 is off to a chilling start. Detectives Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) are investigating the curious case of the missing research team, who seem to have disappeared en masse from the nearby Tsalal Arctic Research Station. 

Episode 1 ended with the shocking revelation of three scientists' corpses in the snow, each mouth frozen in an eternal silent scream. However, what happened to them is still very much a mystery. As the trailer for episode 2 has teased, more clues will be revealed next Sunday. But the Mashable team has seen the whole season, so we want to issue you one warning about the next episode — albeit one without any spoilers. 

Do not watch episode 2 of True Detective Season 4 while eating. 

If you thought the end of episode 1 was unnerving, you ain't seen nothing yet. 

Sure, this crime-centered franchise is known for some pretty disturbing visuals. Maybe you've got an iron stomach and aren't faint-hearted. Cool. Still, trust us and saving the snacking for after. Plan dinner before watching the episode, or hours later. And maybe brew a calming cup of tea before bed, to chase away any would-be nightmares. 

Take the advice we wish we'd had. 

True Detective airs Sunday nights on HBO/Max at 9 p.m ET/PT. 

True Detective: Night Country is a terrifying tale of things gone awry at a research station in the icy wilderness. And in its very first episode, it pays tribute to an iconic horror story with a similar setting: John Carpenter's The Thing.

As Night Country opens, a group of eight scientists have gone missing from the Tsalal Arctic Research Station, located 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle. Police chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) heads up to Tsalal to investigate, along with two of her subordinates: Hank Prior (John Hawkes) and his son Peter (Finn Bennett).

SEE ALSO: 'True Detective: Night Country' review: A can't-miss mystery with ghostly bite

While the trio look around the station, we get glimpses of what the scientists' lives looked like, including the movies they may have watched in their spare time. The Tsalal common area is lined with shelves of board games and DVDs. The collection is eclectic, with Kangaroo Jack, License to Wed, American Beauty, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy all taking up prime real estate on the entertainment center's shelves. But the most prominent DVD case featured is The Thing, which appears on a shelf behind Danvers as she's talking to Peter.

In a small continuity error, The Thing actually moves up a shelf between shots, even turning outward so we can get a better look at the film's title and cover art: a man in a winter coat with light shining cryptically from his face. Basically, Night Country really wants us to see this small background detail.

SEE ALSO: Watching 'True Detective: Night Country'? Chase it with this 'X-Files' episode.

That's because the entire setup of the season feels like an homage to The Thing. Not only do we have the isolated research station (Night Country's is in the Arctic, while The Thing's is in Antarctica), but we also have hints that something supernatural may have played a part in the deaths of the scientists living there. Tsalal's scientists turn up frozen solid miles out on the ice. What could have gotten them all the way out there? And what did one of the scientists mean by, "she's back" in the moments before the station's power cut out?

I'm not saying that the answer to True Detective: Night Country's biggest mystery is a shapeshifting alien organism like in The Thing. But in paying tribute to John Carpenter's horror classic, creator Issa López may be drawing a connection between whatever the scientists at Tsalal are researching and the work of the researchers at The Thing's Thule Station, which unearthed the Thing itself. As to what the Tsalal scientists were doing, Peter hypothesizes they were searching for "the origin of life." And then Danvers replies sardonically with, "Oh. That thing." Tell me that doesn't sound like it could have massive — maybe even supernatural — consequences.

Given that Night Country's very first episode hints at ghosts and spirits beyond our real-world comprehension, it's clear the season will be playing fast and loose with reality. Could that mean the Tsalal scientists uncovered some ancient, deadly being in their attempts to play God? Like the dwarves of Moria in The Lord of the Rings (also on the DVD shelf!), did they delve too greedily and too deep beneath the ice?

True Detective airs Sunday nights on HBO/Max at 9 p.m ET/PT.

Lost called, it wants its polar bear back.

One of the many mysteries of True Detective: Night Country is embodied by one of the cutest and deadliest animals on the planet: the majestic and terrifying polar bear.

In the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle, this enormous pagophilic carnivore turns up again and again. It wanders through town in very real form; it appears in characters' homes in plush toy form; images of it flash at us during the opening credits. While these bears don't have anything to do with their island-dwelling kin in Lost, they strike the same chord of mystery in True Detective.

SEE ALSO: 'True Detective: Night Country' review: A can't-miss mystery with ghostly bite

What's the deal with the polar bears and why are they important to the story? Each week, we're tracking the polar bears of Night Country, tracing their appearances to pull this whole thing together with red yarn.

Opening credits bears

In the True Detective: Night Country opening credits, we see a rocking chair perched on the side of the icy road. A plush polar bear sits on the chair, with a close-up revealing it's missing an eye. Seconds later, a polar bear wanders onto the road, and another close-up shows it, too, is missing an eye. The plush polar bear is clearly important, as it appears later in the credits, floating in icy dark water. And of course, it turns up in the show from the very first episode.

The plush polar bear

In episode 1, Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) is woken up in the middle of the night to a fervent whisper declaring, "She's awake." It comes after what seems to be a memory or a dream for Danvers, involving a child whose identity remains unknown — in her dream, a child's hand touches her shoulder. Bleary-eyed, Danvers then finds a plush polar bear toy on the floor in her room. It's missing an eye, and Danvers holds it looking pretty unsettled. It's definitely the plush bear from the credits, but as to who it belongs to, we're going to have to wait to find out.

The polar bear in the middle of town

As Detective Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) investigates leads in town in Ennis in episode 1, she's driving around, calling potential witnesses and contacts, when her phone stops working. A voice whispers the same hissing "she's awake" message Danvers heard in her dream and Navarro hits the brakes. A large polar bear stands in the road, blocking her path and notably missing an eye. Standing its ground with a growl, the bear then retreats. As there are no other witnesses to this bear, it's unclear whether Navarro is looking at a real polar pal or not — but if it's not real, what does it mean?

What do the polar bears mean in True Detective?

As far as episode 1, it's still unclear what role the polar bears have to play in the series other than indicating a sinister presence in the story or suggesting a memory for Danvers. Are the polar bears connected to the research the scientists were conducting at the remote Tsalal Arctic Research Station? Is it a commentary on climate change? Does it connect to the reindeer that throw themselves over the cliff in the show's opening sequence? Is the polar bear Navarro saw in town real? Why do both the real polar bear and the plush toy have only one eye?

We'll be updating this piece every week with any new polar bears per episode — we have a feeling they're not done.

True Detective: Night Country is now streaming on Max.

Somewhere in northern Alaska, in the remote halls of a scientific research facility, on a bitter winter night, two TV shows spun similarly chilling mysteries two decades apart. And for both, it was bad, bad news for scientists.

In 2024, True Detective: Night Country sends you to a station on the snowy outskirts of the fictional town of Ennis, where an entire team of biologists and geologists suddenly vanishes. In 1993, The X-Files sent us to a similar outpost in Icy Cape, where a team of geophysicists met a grim end.

SEE ALSO: 'True Detective: Night Country' trailer teases Jodie Foster and Kali Reis hunting a serial killer

If you're watching the fourth season of the HBO series and want a thematic chaser between episodes, of course, hit up John Carpenter's The Thing, and then join Scully and Mulder for a cold, cold case.

The best. Credit: Merrick Morton / 20th Century Fox / Kobal / Shutterstock What happens in The X-Files episode "Ice"?

Here's the set-up in "Ice," Season 1, episode 8 of The X-Files.

Everyone's favourite hot FBI agents who regularly dabble in the unexplainable find themselves with a humdinger of case on their desk. This time, the truth is way out there, in Icy Cape, Alaska, at a research facility 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle. The members of the Arctic Ice Core Project, responsible for drilling into the ice sheets to extract cylinders of ice for climate analysis (kind of like the scientists in True Detective), have been found strewn about the halls, brutally killed.

A bloody lone survivor has left a message. "We're not who we are," he broadcasts. "It goes no further than this. It stops right here, right now." The ever-excellent Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) and Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) are called in to investigate with a small team of project consultants, and their time in the Icy Cape is about as relaxing as you'd expect. What exactly did the team extract in those ice cores? And what's affecting the members of the investigation team one by one?

Featured Video For You Who Are the UAP Whistleblowers and What Are They Telling Congress?

The episode shares a lot with True Detective's first episode, including the remoteness of the location, scientists scrambling to unpack the mystery of the outpost's fate, and the self-recorded videos of the team goofing around before their untimely demise. I'm not going to ruin the ending, but this is The X-Files, so while the answer to real-life space questions is never aliens, in this show, it's almost always aliens.

Ultimately, The X-Files is paying its real homage to The Thing, and all the shape-shifting extraterrestrial possibility that screenwriters love to imagine lurking beneath the ice — that's millions of years of life under there. But it's the perfect TV pairing for True Detective fans, if you're feeling comfortable out in all that sinister ice.

How to watch: True Detective: Night Country is now streaming on Max, and The X-Files is now streaming on Hulu.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for Jan. 15's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

Not the day you're after? Here's the Wordle answer for Jan. 14.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles used to be available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it. Unfortunately, it has since been taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Food during a break.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no letters that appear twice.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter L.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. What's the answer to Wordle today?

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to Wordle #940 is...

LUNCH.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Reporting by Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

True Detective has always been a show full of strange symbols and half-hidden clues, and it looks like Night Country will be no exception.

Putting aside the spirals and the Lost-style polar bear sightings, though, there's that Billie Eilish-backed opening sequence. As always with Nic Pizzolatto's show, the opener features a jumble of imagery that's relevant to the series, this time themed around an appropriately dark and snowy drive along a rural road as Eilish's 2019 atmospheric hit "bury a friend" plays.

SEE ALSO: 'True Detective: Night Country' review: A can't-miss mystery with ghostly bite

So, while we're thinking over our post-ep burning questions, let's break down those images. What glimpses do we get in those 90 seconds, and how might they be relevant to the story?

True Detective: Night Country's opening sequence: Possible clues

A full bathtub.

This is the first thing we see at the side of that snowy road, and it's got a dark liquid sloshing around inside it. Water or blood? Like many of the things on this list, it's tricky to know if the tub is a sign of something to come – does someone die in a bath, for instance? – or just a metaphor for something.

An orange

There's an orange rolling along the road! That's a bit odd, isn't it? The same orange pops back up in peel form later on in the sequence, floating underwater. We're filing this one under "may be significant further down the line."

A stuffed polar bear with one eye sitting on a rocking chair, and a real polar bear with one eye.

One-eyed polar bears are a bit of a theme here, aren't they? In episode 1, Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) finds a stuffed toy version in her house that she seems to connect with an unsettling memory, while Detective Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis) sees a real-looking polar bear while driving through town. You can see both in the opening credits.

Dead, frozen figures emerging from the ice.

These are presumably the same dead figures we glimpse at the end of the first episode.

A Tsalal Arctic Research Station sign reading "operation in progress".

The Tsalal Arctic Research Station is the show's first main setting — the place where Danvers begins her investigation into a team of missing scientists. The rest of the episode takes place around the fictional Alaskan town of Ennis, but the research station's mention in the main credits (plus the fact the station itself is shown) could mean it has a larger part to play.

Nothing creepier than an abandoned research station. Credit: Michele K. Short/HBO

A woman sinking under the ice.

Foreshadowing for something that will happen in the show, or just a metaphor? Tricky to say at this stage, but we can hazard a guess as to who the woman is — she's wearing a coat with an APF (Alaska Police Force) patch on the shoulder, so it seems likely she's with the police. Danvers?

A deer skull floating underwater.

Could this be a reference to the poor animals that go thundering off the edge of that ice cliff in episode 1's very first scene, seemingly driven to madness by the oncoming long night?

Bloody clothes on a washing line.

It's difficult to say exactly what this image means, but washing bloody clothes could be a reference to trying to clean up a crime scene.

A smashed car windscreen.

We see a brief shot through a splintered windscreen of a house with a car beside it. There's not much we can glean from the house, but the broken windscreen could be significant. Will one of the characters get in a car accident on the snowy roads? Or have they had an accident in the past?

Lots of tubes stacked on shelves.

These are the cylindrical tubes that Danvers finds at the research station. Perhaps the research being undertaken by the scientists will be significant down the line?

Grave markers.

Shortly after the evidence tubes we see multiple crucifixes with dates marked on each. These are presumably graves, but the real striking detail is the date: Each cross is marked with the year 2023.

A protest sign.

We see a brief glimpse of two protest signs in one shot, and the phrase "protect our water" is clear on one. Ennis is clearly in the midst of an environmental struggle.

The laboratory is a key location. Credit: Michele K. Short/HBO

A laboratory.

Presumably this is part of the Tsalal Arctic Research Station.

A curved archway on the side of the road.

Are those...bones?

A deer.

There's a deer with glowing eyes! Could this be the living version of the poor beast whose remains are floating underwater?

Orange peel floating underwater.

We'll put this in the "one-eyed stuffed bear" category, in that it's presumably something that will have greater significance further down the line.

A circular hatch floating underwater.

No idea, but it seems likely this is connected to the research station.

The inside of an ice cave.

One of the final shots is a quick trip through an icy, underground tunnel, shown after a quick flash of skeletons embedded in the ice. A real location in the show, or just an atmospheric tracking shot? Like many of the potential clues on this list, we'll have to wait to find out...

How to watch: True Detective airs Sunday nights on HBO/Max at 9 p.m ET/PT.

True Detective is back, and there are some standards we have come to expect: A gnarly mystery, a pair of captivating detectives at odds, and twists that will leave us drop-jawed and hungry for more. 

Season 4 takes a major departure, as it's the first not written by creator Nic Pizzolatto. Instead, writer/director Issa López (Tigers Are Not Afraid) helms and co-writes this arc of the anthropology series, which is set in rural Alaska during the polar night — meaning daylight is weeks away. 

Episode 1 introduces us to Ennis Police Chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and her former partner, disgraced trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis). The pair are thrown together when a local scientific facility, Tsalal Arctic Research Station, is found abandoned, as if the men working there ran off into the endless night without warning. What's become of these men is just the beginning of this season's mystery, which Navarro believes is related to a cold case from her past: the unsolved murder of an Iñupiaq activist named Annie K.

SEE ALSO: Missing Black and Indigenous people don’t get the same attention as missing white women

All season long, Mashable will run down the clues. Here's our round of burning questions from episode 1. 

Where are the missing scientists?  Jodie Foster and John Hawkes play cops in in "True Detective" Season 4. Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO

The Ennis police are called when a deliveryman comes to Tsalal Arctic Research Station with provisions and finds the place abandoned. Ferris Bueller's Day Off plays loudly on the television in a loop. A beer and popcorn have been left behind, as have their phones and a sandwich that seems recently made. "It's like they went to take a leak and never came back," Danvers notes as she surveys the scene.  

Runny mayonnaise and smelly, wet laundry suggests they've been gone for at least two days. But where? By episode's end, some of the scientists are found in the ice, frozen solid. What brought them there? 

The research facility is investigating geology, biology, and the impacts of climate change, seeking the origin of life. (Or, as Danvers refers to it, "Oh. That thing.") Could it be some controversial or cursed discovery that led to their disappearance? Or could the tongue found in the kitchen be a clue that this mystery has something to do with the murder of Annie K? 

Who killed Annie K?  Finn Bennett and Jodie Foster go over evidence in "True Detective" Season 4. Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO

Six years ago, Annie Masu Kowtok (also known as Annie K) was found dead on the edge of the village. She was stabbed 32 times by an unidentified murder weapon that left star-shaped wounds. Her tongue was cut out but not found. After she was dumped, she was kicked until her ribs and teeth broke. Navarro was first on the scene. Working under then-Police Chief Hank Prior (John Hawkes), she became obsessed with the case but couldn't close it. 

Annie had been protesting against the Silver Sky mines and their possible environmental impact, but as the mines provided much-needed employment to Ennis, her activism was far from welcome.

Catching young Peter Prior (Finn Bennett) up on the cold case, Danvers suggests there are too many suspects to crack it. "This one was never going to be solved," she explains. "Ennis killed Annie. This fucking place. No killer was ever going to be found."

Whose tongue was found?  Isabella Star LaBlanc stars as Leah in "True Detective" Season 4. Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO

At the research facility, Danvers notes the tongue belongs to a Native woman, based on the scarring that would come from a traditional practice for prepping nets.

Hearing about the recovered tongue, Navarro assumes it's Annie's. But Annie was murdered six years ago, while this one seems two days rotted by Danvers' estimation. So, is it the tongue of another ill-fated Iñupiaq woman? Or is it Annie's, because (as we learned in season one) "Time is a flat circle"? 

Who is "she"?  Jodie Foster and Kali Reis in "True Detective" Season 4. Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO

In the cold open, one scared scientist cries out, "She's back!" Then the lights shut off.

Later, Danvers is asleep when a child's voice calls, "Mommy, she's awake." Then in the very next scene, as Navarro comes upon a one-eyed polar bear, a voice hisses over her radio, "She's awake." 

Is this mysterious "she" Annie, perhaps resurrected as a vengeful spirit? That's our working theory. Sure, it'd be a change-up for True Detective to go so explicitly supernatural — but it'd be true to Lopez's work. (See her beautifully surreal horror film Tigers Are Not Afraid, now streaming on Shudder.)

Why was Hank hiding the Annie K files?  John Hawkes plays Hank in "True Detective" Season 4. Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO

Some time ago the Ennis police station was flooded, so Hank took some evidence boxes home for safekeeping. But within his crowded home office, Hank's son Prior finds the case files tucked away in a drawer. Prior steals the files so Hank won't know that they're missing. Why don't Prior and Danvers trust that Hank would hand the files over? Is he obstructing the Annie K case? What does he have to gain from denying justice?

What does the spiral mean?  Who you gonna call? Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO

In Season 1 of True Detective, spirals were a creepy recurring symbol tied to the Yellow King and his mystical murder spree. In Season 4, the first spiral appears when Danvers is sorting out Annie K evidence, arranging the files around her in a spiral. Is this purely an aesthetic throughline, or will this spiral serve as a bigger bind between Seasons 1 and 4? We'll be tracking that.

Who is Travis?  Fiona Shaw is haunted. Credit: Michele K. Short / HBO

Rose Aguineau (Fiona Shaw) is cleaning the catch of her hunt when, over a nearby radio, a man's voice squawks, "Is anybody there?" She turns to see a man standing nearby who's wearing nothing but a flannel shirt and long johns — he's not even wearing shoes. She calls him Travis and asks, "What do you want?" Silent but focused, he walks out into the icy landscape.

Dressed for the weather in a full parka, hat, gloves, and boots, and armed with a flashlight, Rose follows him. Eventually, he stops and does a dance, haunting and strange. He mimes screaming and rending his clothes. Then he points, and following his direction is how Rose finds the remains of the Tsalal scientists. 

When Navarro arrives on the scene, she's surprised when the old woman explains Travis led her here. "Travis is dead, Rose," the trooper says, to which Rose replies calmly, "I know." 

So, Travis may be a ghost. But who is he to Ennis? To Rose? And what does he know about the men in the snow? 

True Detective Season 4 debuts on HBO and Max Jan. 14.

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for January 15's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer. If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hit about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Ways to submit a vote

• Green: Force fields

• Blue: Ways to take your medicine

• Purple: Types of peas

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: List of Candidates

• Green: Protective Barrier

• Blue: Medicine Formats

• Purple: Pea___

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for December 28

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to Connections #218 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• List of Candidates: BALLOT, ROSTER, SLATE, TICKET

• Protective Barrier: BUFFER, CUSHION, PAD, SHIELD

• Medicine Formats: CAPSULE, CREAM, SYRUP, TABLET

• Pea___: COAT, GREEN, POD, SOUP

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Is this not the Connections game you were looking for? Here are the hints and answers to yesterday's Connections.