Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 13 Orpheus Descending

I'm still out of town, but I did have some time to watch TV, so I'll have a few reviews soon.

In the middle of "Orpheus Descending," with every shred of evidence pointing to Richmond as the killer, I told myself: "If the writers pull another fast one on us, I'll call the show trash." So, without further ado, The Killing is trash.

It was supposed to be a serious show, AMC's foray into the realm of crime solving, humanizing the elements of single murder into a 13-episode season. Instead, it turned into a big joke, a season long pursuit of red herrings which ultimately resulted in nothing. The episode gives us twenty different reasons why Richmond is the killer, but just as everything seemed over, the writers did it again--albeit later in the episode--showing us that Richmond was actually the fall guy for something bigger. And, oh yeah, Holder is dirty and unafraid to let Linden find out. Now The Killing is in mediocre 24 territory, wacky plot twists with none of the action. I would be fine with Richmond taking the fall, despite the cliche of the dirty politician with lots of secrets. But this, the writers yanking us down another wrong path for the nth time, is just too much.

The most telling quote from showrunner Veena Sud shows how doomed the show was from the beginning:

So there were a lot of discussions about, “We’re definitely not going to do the 45-minute procedural.” Then we stepped back and said, “Should we do a murder a season? But is that not creating yet another formula, and yet another expectation, and yet another way to put a bow on a gift and wrap it up really easily?” So then we very organically [concluded that] the [Rosie murder] story still had other possibilities after 13 hours, after 13 days, so that’s where we went. It was risky, it was brave, it was bold – that’s what AMC is known for.

Excuse me, but isn't The Killing formulaic in its own way? Linden and Holder find a clue, do further investigation, narrow down a suspect, believe this suspect is the murderer, bring him/her in for questioning, and the episode ends. It looks like a slam dunk, but the suspect is soon found to be innocent. Is that not an "expectation", that every suspect isn't actually the murderer? This red herring formula has now been extended to the entire season and nothing has changed.

Even though The Killing largely turned into something not worth watching, I'm curious to see the second season. After an entire season of uselessly burning through suspects, how will the writers proceed? Will they continue to go through a new list of suspects, oblivious to the obvious formula? I really want to know what Veena Sud is thinking.

Score: 7.0/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 12 Beau Soleil

Because the first season has 13 episodes, something had to happen in "Beau Soleil." The plot advanced forward and we finally got pertinent facts about Rosie and what was was doing. Unfortunately, though, Rosie being part of an escort service is nothing shocking, and has been done on television plenty of times before. Furthermore, I hardly care about her as a character and this new revelation doesn't do anything for me.

On the plus side, it looks like Linden and Holder are finally on the right track and get the name Orpheus. The final scene was the most frightening ending to any episode, putting Linden alone in the direct path of the potential killer. But we also have to remember that every time it seemed clear the killer was found, it turned out to be wrong. Unless the writers finally changed their pattern after 12 episodes, it's doubtful Richmond is the killer, and there will probably be an easy excuse. Then again, Richmond could actually be the killer and dramatically change things up.

Remember my prediction back at the beginning that Jamie was the killer? Here's my scenario: Jamie knew Richmond was sleeping with Rosie, so he killed her to keep her quiet.

Score: 8.3/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 11 Missing

For a show which has spent the first 10 episodes of a 13 episode season trying to figure out who killed a girl, "Missing" is very random. It focuses on only Linden and Holder and aside from the beginning and end, stays away from Rosie Larsen. We learn a lot more about Linden and Holder in the process, but I have to wonder why this episode couldn't come earlier, preferably before the show burned several episodes pointlessly pursuing Bennet. In the grand scheme of things, the episode probably won't matter much, and the writers could have put the details of Linden and Holder's pasts into the middle of previous episodes (like Game of Thrones does effectively), but it's a serviceable episode of television.

I don't think what we learned in the episode is important enough to recap, though I greatly appreciate that we finally learn who Reggie is--but the interaction between Linden and Holder was the strongest its been and following them around for an entire episode while learning about them wasn't bad. Again, the writers tried to lead us on, this time with the possibility of Jack dying, but it didn't happen in the end. If it did, that would surely be a twist to remember.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 10 I'll Let You Know When I Get There

While the progression of The Killing has been far from optimal, "I'll Let You Know When I Get There" seems to steer the show in the right direction. With Bennet beaten and Stan turning himself in, Linden and Holder finally departed from their inquiry of Bennet and the mosque, which spanned a majority of the season and garnered zero leads. It's a shame the show had to go down this path, stringing the viewers along for a journey with no reward, but on the bright side, now we're close to the end of the season. Yeah, maybe this is the optimistic way at looking at the show. The show get only get better from this point on, right?

"I'll Let You Know When I Get There" again revisits the tried and true format, introducing Belko as the potential killer before moving on. What makes this better than the Bennet stuff is that there is actually a great interrogation scene and Belko is determined not to be the killer before the end of the episode.

Best of all, the episode has some momentum. It isn't much but it's suitable. There is a photo of Richmond with Rosie, and Gwen is troubled, though this may be another mislead. Terry is certainly another person who should be looked at closer. And there is a new lead in the investigation, Rosie going to an Indian casino. We'll learn the truth soon enough, so we'll just have to stick around just a bit longer.

Score: 8.6/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 9 Undertow

The Killing is really starting to test my patience. I wouldn't say the show is bad, but my expectations have certainly decreased and I no longer eagerly await the next episode. "Undertow" spends a great deal of time trying to convince the viewers that Bennet and Muhammad are Rosie's killers, and then nullifies everything.

There are reasons why it had to be this way, chiefly the fact that there are still four episodes after this. But the way in which this is done is nothing short of ludicrous. The pandering going on in the episode is so extreme you begin wonder if the writers went into the show wanting to "change American's perspectives on Muslims," rather than tell a story about a investigation. Not only are Bennet and Muhammad not the murders, they are saints. Instead of killing a girl, they're saving a girl from female circumcision!

Parts of the episode play out like a documentary on the Muslim community: "There are some Muslims who are extremely conservative and perform female circumcision, and then there are some progressive Muslims, like Bennet and Muhammad, who try to prevent this from happening. You see, not all Muslims are bad guys." Wow, really? You mean an audience who watches AMC wouldn't have the common sense to know this? Tying in with these "lessons," the writers take the audience for suckers, dragging us along for a plot which amounts to nothing. If they aren't the murderers, then these past episodes have netted zero clues towards the murder.

The one good thing that comes from the episode is that Stan and Mitch are no longer in victim territory. After what Stan did, egged on by Mitch, they no longer have the moral high-ground. Painted in a different light, they're not the grieving parents anymore but the vengeful parents, and watching and connecting with them takes another light.

Score: 8.3/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 8 Stonewalled

After watching "Stonewalled," I though to myself: "What is The Killing about?" What a show is about, after all, establishes the baseline for what is actually important and what makes a show worth watching. There is an obvious answer out there--"it's about a killing, of course!"--but that doesn't seem to fit with everything we see on screen.

The biggest thing that sticks out is the Richmond campaign. Aside from its connection to Bennet and the campaign car, the plot has run its own track, following Richmond and his advisors in the mayoral race against Adams. There is yet to be concrete sign that any of this is related to Rosie's death, but the plot is still a huge part of the show. Eight episodes into a 13-episode seaosn, why have the writers not revealed the connection? If the the show was about a killing, wouldn't they let us know already that it is important?

Another thing that's been on my mind is Rosie's past acquaintances who showed up in the first few episodes. We see how the Larsons are dealing with Rosie's death, but what about Sterling, who was supposed to be Rosie's best friend? Jasper? Were they just characters to initially move the plot along, or do they have other roles?

It is understandable that the show would focus more on the Larsens. Family always takes precedence over friends, but in terms of screen time, it is getting a bit much. While Michelle Forbes is as good as ever, it's kind of the same stuff. Mitch is slipping and almost gets her two kids killed. She can't/refuses to look ahead, and instead clings to a past she knows she'll never had. But I do wonder why its relative importance seems to be so high when nothing is really going on.

When I look at these things, they don't seem to fit together either as a coherent plot or theme. There is an underlying sadness which permeates everything, but it's not a substantial force. So, at the end of the day, I don't really know what part of The Killing is relevant.

These concerns are probably not too important, though, as one can appreciate a show even if there are numerous unanswered questions. "Stonewalled" handles the Holder-Linden relationship and resolves the problems they've been having. The bald guy turns out to be Holder's sponsor, so he's not up to anything (unless he has more secrets). After all is said and done, they each have a better understanding of each other and we should see much more cooperation in the future.

The Richmond campaign took a turn this week, as Richmond, after listening to his wife's killer (it was only drunk driving, contrary to previous implications), blows a gasket and decides to go negative, leaking to the public that Adams has been paying to keep a mistress quiet. We get to see a darker side of Richmond, in contrast to the weak man Jaime describes. This may or may not be related to Rosie's murder, but it is a definite turning point in both the campaign and Richmond's character.

As far as the salient points of the murder investigation go, there is heavy implication at the end of the episode that Bennet is involved with terrorism. The FBI is all over the place, and Bennet's wife hears him in a phone call talking about passports and the police. Luckily, Holder had the foresight to put a wiretap on Bennet. Is this another mislead? Probably, but we have to get through all these to reach the real murderer.

Score: 8.7/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 7 Vengeance

The Killing is going to be that show--you know, the one obvious with the political message. There is a generic Muhammad who shows up as the next criminal, a guy on the radio ranting about Muslims and Somalis, Adams stoking the flames, and a Muslim girl who went missing the week before but was ignored. We get it. Muslims aren't given the same treatment by the media, government, and society. But why does it have to be so blatantly skewed? Couldn't the episode have conveyed the message without these additional elements?

Still, "Vengeance" probably wouldn't have been a great episode without them. For one, the cliffhanger which ended the last week--Stan hauling Bennet off--is resolved instantly and without consequences. Bennet is let free. That's it? The most that comes of it is more angst between Stan and Mitch, but it's nothing we have seen before. The rest of the plot chugs along at a slow pace, Richmond getting his ass handed to him again, Linden missing her flight and her fiance not picking up. I assume the Richmond plot will eventually become important to the murder investigation and Linden not getting married is a big deal. But I find myself not caring much.

That brings us to the cliffhanger, in my opinion the coolest part of the episode. Yes, it'll probably be explained early in the next episode, but it represents progression. Considering how the Muslim angle went, I'm guessing the FBI is investigating the mosque and eventually it will be exonerated. No matter how much Linden or the Larsens are struggling, there is always the seductive draw of plot development, the one step closer to finding Rosie's murderer--the ultimate plot objective of the show.

Score: 8.5/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 6 What You Have Left

With Linden slated to leave at the end of the episode, "What You Have Left" had the important task of keeping her in town. Of course, she has to stay or the show wouldn't have a main character, but it has to be for a plausible reason or it'd be lame. And the episode effectively shows us precisely why she's staying, drawing the tension across the episode as Linden and Holder do legwork we'd see on other procedurals.

What makes the investigative portions of The Killing more interesting than normal procedurals is that there is an actual sense of the evidence being built up. The leads are not random or tangential, but each dedicated to finding the truth. Linden and Holder seem to be getting closer to the truth, shifting their attention from Bennet as the sole killer to his wife and Bennet as the accomplice. So far, all the pieces appear to be in the right places, but the season still isn't halfway done yet and it's to soon for everything to be over.

The episode also thrusts the show into the next arc, Stan learning that Bennet is the prime suspect and driving him out somewhere, presumably to harm him, and it ties into the debate between Richmond and the mayor, who says that we have to be tough on crime because it'll encourage more criminality. If Holden's source is right, and Stan did kill people before, it would support the mayor, assuming Stan will commit crime. After all these years, Stan would still turn to crime given the right circumstances.

Richmond's campaign takes a big hit after Richmond defends Bennet--or at least the idea that one should be presumed innocent--defying Jaime and Gwen's senator father. Now that he's picked a side, Richmond will have to see how the public reacts.

In the possibly relevant, possibly not category, Holder talks cryptically with his informant friend about his two sides and Terry seems to have had an affair with Ames and is deeply hurt when he doesn't respond to her.

Score: 9.2/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 5 Super 8

When reviewing a heavily serialized show like The Killing, one can never be too hesitant to criticize the plotting. I go into each episode assuming the writers have a coherent plan for the season and will execute it with some competence. Perhaps this is overly optimistic, but I want to believe that writers create serialized shows so that can tell a whole story over the course of a season and that they have the ideas ready in their head. In context of The Killing, I want to think that every new piece of information, every action contributes down the line to the ending of the season.

This applies most readily to Bennet, who was the suspect at the end of the last episode and remains the subject at the end of "Super 8." Unlike the situation Jasper and Kris, the evidence against Bennet actually mounts as the episode goes on. We learn that his pregnant wife was an ex-student and that he has chemicals which were found on Rosie. But the biggest piece of evidence absolving him of Rosie's murder is the fact that we're only five episodes into the season. There's no way the murder will be solved right now, and unless there is a bizarre cat-and-mouse thing going on for the remaining eight episodes, Bennet will be let go sooner or later (or, better yet, arrested for another crime since he seems like a creep).

This seems like a good move on the writers' part. If there were one additional suspect per episode, we could likely end up with too few suspects by the final episode. In addition, deviating from the initial one-episode-as-suspect format of Jasper and Kris allows for the writers to deviate more after Bennet and we could see some be a suspect for three episodes in the future.

That said, we're almost halfway through the season and things haven't exactly picked up. Linden is still headed towards some kind of obsession with the investigated, teased several times by Rick, but isn't there yet. Holden is still edgy, but we haven't learned anything too substantial about him (unless celibacy counts). Mitch continues to head off the deep end while Stan's grief pushes him towards the criminal elements. They rarely look at each other and the two children are suffering. From an individual episode standpoint, this slow built up of their characters isn't really going anywhere.

The one thing that did move forward was the Richmond campaign. Richmond, with the help of Jaime, nabs the mole who has ties to Yitanes, but also alienates Gwen by checking her emails, and it resembles the usual political stuff on other shows. However, The Killing isn't supposed to be about politics, and none of it seems remotely linked to any killings until we see Richmond and Bennet together. I'm hoping this is the missing link that ties the campaign to the investigation and gets the ball rolling.

Score: 8.6/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 4 A Soundless Echo

We know the first season of The Killing has 13 episodes and because we're only at the fourth episode, Rosie's murder won't be solved. Any leads which appear to be the answer--the video or the letters from Bennett to Rosie--are almost 100% red herrings. Even if that is the case, we learn from the interrogations of Jasper and Kris that Rosie was leaving school to do something, which leads Holder to Bennett as Linden finds the letters.

"A Soundless Echo" gives us a good look at these characters, starting with Sterling who is wallowing in her grief and guilt. Mitch is crumbling while we learn that Stan bought a house and was involved in some criminal activity. One thing that caught my eye was how creepy Rick was. I might be my innate reaction to Callum Keith Rennie, but his scenes with Linden and Jack were a little off.

Richmond's campaign is still loosely tied to Rosie's murder and there hasn't been more concrete connections made. Still, the stolen campaign car is hurting the campaign and Richmond is looking for more money. We also learn that Jaime was fired so he could get close to Mayor Adams, and it's working so far.  

Score: 9.0/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 3 El Diablo

With 13 episodes in the season and only one murder to solve, The Killing isn't a show which will reveal much each episode. The writers know this and acknowledge the intelligence of the viewers by not constantly trying to make us think they have the killer. Instead, bits of information, relevant to the murder or not, are dispersed throughout the episode. They may or may not be pertinent in the end, but they give an overall structure and progression to the show as the murder investigation and election campaign goes on.

Linden and Holder make some progress, finding a video showing Jasper and Kris with who appears to be Rosie and brings us one step closer to knowing the answers. We see Holder get a little rough with Kris and Linden has to pull him back, so there seems to be a dark side to him. Meanwhile, Linden is staying for a only couple days (and for narrative purposes, she has to stay until the end) while Rick is frustrated by her delay.

The mayoral campaign is rocked by the press getting hold of the murder story, implicating Richmond, and he ends up cutting a deal with Yitanes. Jaime is caught with an incriminating email of the leak, so we'll see what happens from that. Also affected by the news are the Larsens who are still dealing with the tragedy. I'm not sure where the writers are going with this, but it seems like the Larsens are there to provide the emotional backbone and familial drama instead of anything plot-related.

"El Diablo," being the the third episode of the season, reinforces much of what we saw last week, while also introducing a few wrinkles. There is nothing groundbreaking, not that it should be expected this early in the game, but the episode keeps us on our toes with powerful scenes from Brent Sexton and Michelle Forbes again and the plot moving forward.

Score: 8.8/10

Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 1 Pilot / 2 The Cage

In an era where television murder has become so depersonalized (anyone who watches Criminal Minds and realizes the huge body count can attest to this), The Killing comes as a breath of fresh air. It takes a single murder--what should be a big detail in real life--and magnifies it for the television audience, making it not only personal for those in the show, but also those who watch as the events unfold.

There will be those who will find the show a tad slow for their liking, as was the case with Rubicon, which also took the slow approach to an otherwise exhilarating subject. But even if it doesn't move fast, there are tons of drama to be found within each character and segment of the show. As the first two episodes progress, little bits of information are sprinkled throughout the dialogue, keying viewers in to something important about the characters in relation to the murder which will be revealed later.

The main detective is Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) who is preparing to move away with her son, Jack, and fiance, whom Jack dislikes. What makes her such an interesting character is that she seems very normal. She's not super-beautiful or buxom, doesn't blow the case wide open with a brilliant observation, and her personality could even be classified as somewhat cold. But there is something lurking beneath her exterior, as we see some emotion peak out at times. Is she drawn to Rosie Larsen's murder for reasons other than the sheer brutality of the crime? Where is the man she fathered Jack with?

Her partner is Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) who looks and acts sketchy, traits from being on vice, and he proves to be knowledgeable in methods to get information, sharing weed with two high schoolers to get the location of "the cage," where the murder took place.

The heart of the anguish naturally are Rosie's parents, Mitch (Michelle Forbes) and Stanley (Brent Sexton). Both Forbes and Sexton handle their scenes perfectly and it's hard not to feel for them at the end of the episode. While most procedurals will show grieving family members once or twice at most, The Killing makes sure we see them go through the process of grieving, from the initial knowledge to wondering how it could have happened.

The last piece of the show is a bit curious. It revolves around Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell), who is a councilman running for mayor, and his campaign workers Gwen Eaton (Kristin Lehman) and Jamie Dempsey (Eric Ladin). A couple inquisitive lines are dropped between Richmond and Gwen at the beginning of the episode, implying Richmond has something going on with a younger woman, but they don't discuss this later, even after Rosie is found in one of Richmond's campaign car.

So, who killed Rosie Larsen? It's impossible to fathom a guess right now, but it couldn't hurt to guess. The suspect pool isn't really that large, considering there are 13 episodes to find the murderer. Pretty much everyone other than the small children and Sarah are in the running, including Holder. My wild guess is Jamie, because... well, I don't have one.

Any series that begins with a murdered woman--or a man, for that matter--and takes its time to catch the culprit will inevitably drawn comparisons to Twin Peaks. There are similarities between the two, especially with regard to the Twin Peaks pilot which didn't dive into the supernatural stuff, and several homages to Twin Peaks--the wrapped body in the beginning and the iconic telephone scene--but the main difference is that The Killing is less about finding clues and the progression of the investigation than how people react to the clues. And then there is all the surrealism that David Lynch added as the series progressed, which is definitely not where The Killing is going.

Score: 9.3/10

Preview of Week 4/03/11 - 4/09/11

The Killing - AMC, Sunday, April 3, 9:00pm ET

AMC's new drama begins tonight, and in the absence of Breaking Bad, it should be a good fit for the network. The premise and even promotional posters are very reminiscent of Twin Peaks, so we'll see if it stands up.

The Borgias - Showtime, Sunday, April 3, 9:00pm ET

Showtime has another historical drama, following the end of The Tudors, which follows an important historical family.

Lights Out - FX, Tuesday, April 5, 10:00pm ET

The series has been cancelled, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the culminating fight between Lights and Teynolds.

Breaking In - FOX, Wednesday, April 6. 9:30pm ET

With only a 7 episode order and FOX non-animated comedies not doing great, Breaking In doesn't look like a show that is high on Fox's priorities. Still, the premise, a group tech guys breaking into computers, is different than the multitude of romantic comedies that have been churned out this year.