SALON

Monday, Jun 6, 2011 12:07 PM UTC

At long last, a great episode of “The Killing”

Slow, intimate and internal even by this show's standards, it was an absorbing two-character drama

By

Topics: The Killing, Television,

At long last, a great episode of Homicide Detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) - The Killing - Season 1, Episode 11 - Photo by Carole Segal - KILL_031411_0087.jpg(Credit: Carole Segal)

No, it wasn’t the 98-yard dash to victory that this AMC show so desperately needed, but Sunday’s episode of “The Killing” was still surprising, absorbing TV. Written by series executive producer Veena Sud and directed by Nicole Kassell, it was built around the disappearance of one of the lead characters’ children and was mostly removed from the show’s larger story (or so it seemed). It felt very European — or very U.S. pay cable — in the way that it concentrated on minute details of human interaction while putting the main story on the back burner. 

At a couple of points it gave me flashbacks to watching late-season episodes of “The Sopranos” — the kind of installments where five or six potentially explosive plotlines were percolating and there were just a couple of episodes left to go on the season, but the show stubbornly decided to just pause everything and wander down the primrose path and meditate for a while on this or that tangential subplot, prompting viewers to grumble among themselves that they were being abused and mistreated and otherwise taken for granted. (I love it when I expect a show to zig and it zags instead, denying me whatever it was that I wanted when I tuned in that week. Does that make me a masochist?)

Considering that Season 1 of “The Killing” has just a couple more episodes to go, this was a bold choice. Between the seemingly off-center nature of the script and all the chit-chat between detectives Linden (Mireille Enos) and Holder (Joel Kinnaman) about parental responsibility and mistakes, it made me think that in its home stretch, at least, maybe this series does know where it’s going (or finally figured it out). Maybe its endpoint will bring everything back around to the relationship between Rosie Larsen and her immediate family, and confirm that what’s important here isn’t who killed Rosie, but why she was trying to get away from her family, or escape their influence, or establish some other, secret identity — and how Rosie’s estrangement illuminates the other characters’ problems, if in fact it does.

It seems important  (and not accidental) that both Linden and Holder are estranged from their parents and from their present-day families. Kudos to Holder for pointing out that by fleeing her boyfriend and their new future and instead working obsessively on a murder case, Linden is in some sense running away, like the grown-up, maternal version of a troubled kid fleeing an  unpleasant home life. (Holder may be a smelly, showboating ex-junkie, but he is not without insight.)

I still don’t have a solid bead on whodunit, and at this point I don’t care. There have been too many blind alleys that felt as though the show was just finding elaborate ways to fill up 13 episodes. And the series’ inability to give us a sense of who Rosie was is disappointing.

But man, did I love the atmosphere in this episode — rain, rain everywhere, even more than usual. And the central performances by Enos and Kinnaman were dark horse candidates for best-in-show. Enos made Linden’s imploding depression and rage comprehensible and transparent, at long last. And I thought the scene between her and Holder in the diner (the younger detective revealing the details of how he got hooked on meth) was superb. The performances were spot on, and I loved the framing, too — the two detectives pushed to the bottom of the screen; the horizontal lines of venetian blinds looming over them, and seeming to squash them down. 

Of course there were tone-deaf or flat-out stupid touches; there always are on “The Killing.” For instance, I really could have done without that early confrontation between Linden and the casino managers, who were pointlessly snotty and dismissive straw men (er, women).  But all in all I thought this was a terrific episode — intelligent, life-size, and admirable in its determination to concentrate on the interior life of its characters, which is something even the most confident TV dramas rarely have the nerve to do. 

What did you think?

 

Matt Zoller Seitz

More Matt Zoller Seitz.

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

7 motorist-friendly camping sites

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Sponsored Post

  • White River National Forest via Lower Crystal Lake, Colorado
    For those OK with the mainstream, White River Forest welcomes more than 10 million visitors a year, making it the most-visited recreation forest in the nation. But don’t hate it for being beautiful; it’s got substance, too. The forest boasts 8 wilderness areas, 2,500 miles of trail, 1,900 miles of winding service system roads, and 12 ski resorts (should your snow shredders fit the trunk space). If ice isn’t your thing: take the tire-friendly Flat Tops Trail Scenic Byway — 82 miles connecting the towns of Meeker and Yampa, half of which is unpaved for you road rebels.
    fs.usda.gov/whiteriveryou


    Image credit: Getty

  • Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest via Noontootla Creek, Georgia
    Boasting 10 wildernesses, 430 miles of trail and 1,367 miles of trout-filled stream, this Georgia forest is hailed as a camper’s paradise. Try driving the Ridge and Valley Scenic Byway, which saw Civil War battles fought. If the tall peaks make your engine tremble, opt for the relatively flat Oconee National Forest, which offers smaller hills and an easy trail to the ghost town of Scull Shoals. Scaredy-cats can opt for John’s Mountain Overlook, which leads to twin waterfalls for the sensitive sightseer in you.
    fs.usda.gov/conf


    Image credit: flickr/chattoconeenf

  • Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area via Green Road, Michigan
    The only national forest in Lower Michigan, the Huron-Mainstee spans nearly 1 million acres of public land. Outside the requisite lush habitat for fish and wildlife on display, the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness Area is among the biggest hooks for visitors: offering beach camping with shores pounded by big, cerulean surf. Splash in some rum and you just might think you were in the Caribbean.
    fs.usda.gov/hmnf


    Image credit: umich.edu

  • Canaan Mountain via Backcountry Canaan Loop Road, West Virginia
    A favorite hailed by outdoorsman and author Johnny Molloy as some of the best high-country car camping sites anywhere in the country, you don’t have to go far to get away. Travel 20 miles west of Dolly Sods (among the busiest in the East) to find the Canaan Backcountry (for more quiet and peace). Those willing to leave the car for a bit and foot it would be remiss to neglect day-hiking the White Rim Rocks, Table Rock Overlook, or the rim at Blackwater River Gorge.
    fs.usda.gov/mnf


    Image credit: Getty

  • Mt. Rogers NRA via Hurricane Creek Road, North Carolina
    Most know it as the highest country they’ll see from North Carolina to New Hampshire. What they may not know? Car campers can get the same grand experience for less hassle. Drop the 50-pound backpacks and take the highway to the high country by stopping anywhere on the twisting (hence the name) Hurricane Road for access to a 15-mile loop that boasts the best of the grassy balds. It’s the road less travelled, and the high one, at that.
    fs.usda.gov/gwj


    Image credit: wikipedia.org

  • Long Key State Park via the Overseas Highway, Florida
    Hiking can get old; sometimes you’d rather paddle. For a weekend getaway of the coastal variety and quieter version of the Florida Keys that’s no less luxe, stick your head in the sand (and ocean, if snorkeling’s your thing) at any of Long Key’s 60 sites. Canoes and kayaks are aplenty, as are the hot showers and electric power source amenities. Think of it as the getaway from the typical getaway.
    floridastateparks.org/longkey/default.cfm


    Image credit: floridastateparks.org

  • Grand Canyon National Park via Crazy Jug Point, Arizona
    You didn’t think we’d neglect one of the world’s most famous national parks, did you? Nor would we dare lead you astray with one of the busiest parts of the park. With the Colorado River still within view of this cliff-edge site, Crazy Jug is a carside camper’s refuge from the troops of tourists. Find easy access to the Bill Hall Trail less than a mile from camp, and descend to get a peek at the volcanic Mt. Trumbull. (Fear not: It’s about as active as your typical lazy Sunday in front of the tube, if not more peaceful.)
    fs.usda.gov/kaibab


    Image credit: flickr/Irish Typepad

  • As the go-to (weekend) getaway car for fiscally conscious field trips with friends, the 2013 MINI Convertible is your campground racer of choice, allowing you and up to three of your co-pilots to take in all the beauty of nature high and low. And with a fuel efficiency that won’t leave you in the latter, you won’t have to worry about being left stranded (or awkwardly asking to go halfsies on gas expenses).


    Image credit: miniusa.com

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 9

Related Videos

Comments

 37 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "The Joker": Laughing at life's deepest sorrows