The Killing

Suda has created a sublime mystery/ thriller. This series has excellent direction, cinematography, writing, setting, score and acting. All the actors involved deliver superlative performances. Enos and Kinnaman command the series. The plot is set in a rainy and dark Seattle which sets the mood for the series. The plot revolves around the mysterious murder of a young women. Teaming up to solve the case are two detectives with much different styles and both with turbulent backgrounds. One is a seasoned by the book detective, Sarah Linden and the other is a younger street smart detective, Stephen Holder who is transferred from the narcotics division. Together they make a perfect team viewing the mystery from different perspectives and styles. During the case they encounter obstacles at every angle and the case reaches as high as the most elite individuals in Seattle. The plot is consistent, flawless, intense, clever, ingenious, violent, memorable and unique. The series is duplicitous and a has a cathartic ending that brings complete closure, including the partnership of Sarah and Stephen. This remains one of the best series in it's genre to this day.

I am writing this after the first season finale, and I came to this without expecting much and what a shocking pleasant surprise it was and absolute gem of a thriller.

I rarely give a rating of 10, there would always be some part that would be missing and something goes wrong in any department, nothing ever went wrong with this.

The whole first season is one murder case, so you can expect some slow pace, and slow pace doesn't always mean a drag, and "The Killing" is the best example for that, the pace is deliberately set to slow, to let all emotions, settings to sink in, the show gives you very subtle clues and you would swear that know who killed "Rosie Larsen" and think it is your idea, which is most often first proved right then wrong :) The acting, direction, screenplay, music a absolute top notch, a lessen that other crime thrillers (CSI, Criminal Minds, Suspect Behavior et. al.) should take a note of this epic of a thriller.

If you haven't watch it yet you are missing an epic.

When I was twenty-four, I was the foreman for the jury of a murder trial. There was plenty of evidence, including eye witness testimony, that indicated the young man's guilt. After two days of deliberations and endless discussions, we voted to convict. On our way out of the courtroom, I remember distinctly the high spirits we were all in. We had done our job as citizens. We had helped take a bad man off the streets. We helped get justice for a murdered individual. There were a lot of smiles and handshakes and back-pats. Then on the way out we passed the convicted man's eight-month-along pregnant wife. She was sitting, alone, on a bench outside the courtroom, sobbing. The implications of our decision for her and that unborn child hit me all at once as we passed. I wasn't smiling anymore; none of us were. The thing is, I still believe we did the right thing. It was our job to vote on the evidence and that's what we did. But even so, I'd be lying if I said I slept soundly that night.

The reason I mention that long-winded story is to illustrate a point. Real life is messy. Even when we make what we truly believe are the "right" decisions we don't always feel all that good about them. Sometimes to do what we think is right we end up hurting, albeit unintentionally, someone else. Even worse, sometimes we hurt someone doing what we think is right and then find out later that we were wrong. And that, as Aristotle would say, just plain sucks.

But it is the imperfect, wonderful world we all live in. Which brings me to AMC's fantastic 'The Killing'. A Danish import, 'Killing' follows the murder investigation of young woman in Seattle, Washington. The story is told in thirteen 1 hour episodes through the perspectives of the people whose lives are impacted by the murder and subsequent investigation, with special emphasis on lead investigator Sarah Linden (played picture-perfect by Mireille Enos). Amazingly, despite a fairly large cast, there is nary a flat character to be found. All the players are fleshed out, fully realized people with deep complexity and back-story. This allows the show to rise above a simple whodunit police procedural and really delve into just what a murder means to the people in the victim's life. It is alternately dark and gritty, inspirational, and heart breaking to watch these people cope with the loss and fear that surrounds this girls murder.

And that brings me back to my original point. The reason I love this show so much is because, unlike the many many many police procedurals out there, it is no fairy tale with all the bad guys punished and good guys victorious. It makes you wallow in the mud with the characters, encouraging you to feel all the frustration and confusion that they feel. It makes you want what they want, only to remind you that even good people and good decisions have consequences that are far less than ideal. This is the kind of show that you think about after it's over, asking yourself if you would have done this or that differently. But that deeply unsettled feeling you get is the digestive price you pay for such a rich, not-written-for-kids storyline, and is so worth it. There is really nothing quite like it on TV right now; I highly recommend it.

I am not someone who typically watches a lot of the new crime investigation shows, most of them are very similar and repetitious however The Killing was really able to catch and keep my attention from the very beginning. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact this show doesn't jam one case into a 1 hour episode with little to no character development. The Killing focuses on one complex murder case per season with many surprising twists and turns that will have you continuously asking who did it?

Joel Kinnaman plays a very likable, colorful detective who is somewhat new to his life of sobriety. Due to his past drug use he has a very keen eye to what goes on in the streets which has allowed him to become very good good at his job and a very useful player on the Seattle police department, he also has some of the funniest one liners that he deliver without coming of corny. Mireille Enos is his partner who also at times is haunted by her past and when initially watching this show her amazing acting really stood out, she was a great pick and fits the role perfectly.

The 1st season was a breath of fresh air in the crime drama genre, the second season was tasked with a sub par storyline, but season 3 I must say has had the best start of the whole series that has me counting down the days till the next show. I highly recommend The Killing and after almost being canceled I hope this show finally gets the views it deserves!

"The Killing" is an adaptation of a Danish TV series, and was billed to me as "Twin Peaks meets 24". Well it certainly does seem like an updated "Twin Peaks" so far, minus some of the bizarre twists and turns. Not that there's anything wrong with that, beautiful-girl-murdered is a time-tested premise that makes for a good crime drama.

In the first two episodes I was relieved to find some serious, quality television. The story isn't terribly remarkable - so far we know that a pretty typical teen girl has been murdered, that her parents are genuinely crushed with grief, and that the detective who caught the case, Sarah Linden, was due to leave the job and move to San Diego to get married had the case not come up.

The story is told with impressive direction and good enough writing, with plenty of details and realism to hook in most viewers. Like any good mystery, the introduction simply raises questions, and gets the viewer to care about what's going on. Mission accomplished.

The music is a bit hokey, drifting into melodrama at times, but that's the only real fault I can find. This is a fine start. It seems unlikely to dethrone "The Wire" as a pinnacle of realism but it's already better than any crime drama the networks have going. I'm looking forward to the next episode.