AMC's new murder mystery series "The Killing"

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by britrock88

I loved Rubicon (primarily for the winds of conspiracy, but the slow unfolding was also a strong point)... would I like this series?

Probably. Like Rubicon, this is a very moody, atmospheric and slow yet deliberately unfolding mystery series. I liked some of the Rubicon characters more (I am least interested in the Seattle mayoral candidate's storyline) but this show has been pretty good so far.

[OldGiants]

Originally Posted by Radii

I am still firmly in on this but last night's episode was not nearly as good as any of the others imo.

True, but it was a 'Stan' episode in the sense we learned a good bit about how he perceives himself and his family. He is struggling with who he is, and 'family man' won for the moment. I liked that, even though it was a slower episode. We are also seeing Linden unravel, as well as her partner. His resentment for her is growing and can only burst open at a bad moment.

I think the Islam/FBI thing will be a red herring and we will circle back to an earlier character. I still think Rosie saw/photographed something on one of the candidates. Linden will discover that and we will race to the finish.

The FBI bursting in at the end reminded me of the final scene in the Justified season finale--a bit too out of the blue for me.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by OldGiants

True, but it was a 'Stan' episode in the sense we learned a good bit about how he perceives himself and his family. He is struggling with who he is, and 'family man' won for the moment. I liked that, even though it was a slower episode.

I'm ok with that, but I was hoping for more from this show than "cliffhanger resolved in 10 minutes, new cliffhanger next episode to get you back next week." I'd probably view it completely differently if it were resolved in the same episode. Feels cheap the way it happened.

I think the Islam/FBI thing will be a red herring and we will circle back to an earlier character. I still think Rosie saw/photographed something on one of the candidates. Linden will discover that and we will race to the finish.

The FBI bursting in at the end reminded me of the final scene in the Justified season finale--a bit too out of the blue for me.

Similar to my above comment, I hope you're right, b/c right now I cannot get myself to point away from "this is a shitty over the top '24' plot device". Again, I expect better here.

[samifan24]

I have to admit that I found last night's episode pretty boring. I've slowly been losing interest these last few weeks.

[jeff061]

I like slower paced shows. Not meant as a counter to samifan. I just think they blew their load to early and now are reaching to keep it going. Not a huge fan of this terrorist angle. Out of left field, cliched and who really cares?

Still like the style and the actors, will likely enjoy this until the end.

[DeToxRox]

In a an article on AMC passing on picking up any pilots (largely because it has a full slate of shows to air already), Variety’s Stuart Levin writes that the The Killing is looking likely for a second-season pickup.

The Killing premiered to 2.7 million viewers before pulling back to just below 2 million viewers (1.977) million on Sunday. Sure, it’s not exactly The Walking Dead, but neither is anything else on AMC ratings-wise. Its ratings so far are better than the first three seasons of Mad Men, and pretty close to how Mad Men performed in its fourth season.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by jeff061

I like slower paced shows. Not meant as a counter to samifan. I just think they blew their load to early and now are reaching to keep it going. Not a huge fan of this terrorist angle. Out of left field, cliched and who really cares?

Still like the style and the actors, will likely enjoy this until the end.

I don't mind the pace and was enjoying the show. However the last two episodes, with the terrorist angle, haven't done anything to keep my interest up. I'm more or less now tuning in hoping they come up with something that makes me think the time invested will make it all worth while.

I just keep going back to the kid saying "is that all you got" (or whatever he said) when he saw the video from the school basement and wondering how the hell does it all tie in. Everything just seems so scattered now and I can't see how they can tie it all together so it makes sense.

I'll keep tuning in though in hopes it ends with a "wow" instead of a "what a waste of time".

[samifan24]

This show does seem scattered lately. I hope it doesn't take a Rubicon-esque turn into complete chaos and lack of direction. We're not there yet, I don't think, and I'm still holding out hope that the series can renew the promise it showed over the first four or five hours.

[Radii]

WELL THEN!!!!

I am not sure if that was really good or really stupid, but it was certainly interesting!

[Radii]

A bit more detail on my statement above in spoiler tags:

Spoiler

I'm having a bit of a hard time distinguishing this from the standard Law and Order plotline where someone heard or saw something and it sounds like a pointer to the guy that did it but it turns out that it was out of context.

I think if they had gotten here 2 or 3 weeks ago it would have been extremely powerful. When Muhammad reveals they are trying to prevent a female circumcision on a local Muslim girl instead of it being a thrilling twist my reaction was hysterical laughter. I really think it could have been a brilliant moment of suspense, I didn't see it coming at all, but I just didn't feel fully invested anymore after the last couple weeks and it didn't land like it clearly intended.

I am, all of a sudden, very curious to see what happens next week, so kudos to the show for that.

[jeff061]

So we get lectured on the Patriot Act and female circumcision. Dialogue and plot points that are beyond predictable. An ending that would have been much more satisfying weeks ago(as well as save us from a horrible plot point). It's starting to remind me of any cliche broadcast TV crime drama, with better acting.

Compare the writing of the last couple weeks to that of the first several, it's like a different show. I wonder how it compares to the original, if they started going off the track when they stopped using the original's material.

Did they decide Linden's family life was too difficult to deal with, so just stopped mentioning it? I guess she couldn't have been that close to her fiance. What happened to her "friends", when did they all get cleared? Things are mentioned and never resolved, just forgotten.

[jeff061]

Ha, you and I think alike Radii.

[stevew]

I stopped watching about 4 episodes ago. I wonder if they were going to shoot for like a nine episode run, but had to expand it out to 13. I'll probably watch it on DVD at some point if it becomes more interesting.

[Desnudo]

I stopped watching the last episode after the sister came in and grabbed the boys out of the running car in the garage. Ok, I got it, the mom is depressed. Please stop spending half the show showing it.

[Noop]

Would be cool if the mom was the killer or had a part in it.

[samifan24]

The bit about Muhammed and the female circumcision was totally out of left field. The show is really losing me but the final scene of last night's episode pulled me back in. I agree that things have really gone off the rails but I'm hoping the next couple of episodes will finish strong.

[path12]

Oh my god I hate this fucking show. Yet I keep watching. Sigh.

[OldGiants]

Time to find the homing-vector. The last scene reminded me of the Sopranos: lots of interesting talk, then Tony knocks the shit out of someone for all the wrong reasons.

Still, it keeps me interested.

My wife has been saying Stan's squirrely assistant is in on it all along, and that's looking good to me now, too. Watching him going batshit in the background was revealing.

[Glengoyne]

I'm in agreement that the past two or three episodes have been lacking. When the mother is on screen, I just want to fast forward. I get it. She is having a difficult emotional time. It makes me feel uncomfortable, which is a good thing from an acting perspective. She is doing a great job with it. Too bad we're now getting beaten over the head with it.

They have done a nice job marginalizing the Somalis as a community. The terror investigation. The Imam and Mosque leadership essentially advocating for female circumcision. Good stuff...?

Then you have Linden buying off on the back door wire illegal tap? And once the judge decides that this time he'll actually follow the law rather than play it fast and loose, the cops are surprised? That sounds more like a foreigner's impression of the US legal system than what I'd expect to be depicted. To top it all off, you have the cops bring up the illegally obtained wire tap during an interrogation that was actually brought about through legitimate means.

I do admit that seeing the father beat the teacher to death or near to it does have me tuning back in next week.

[sabotai]

The show has been losing me, but there's only 4 episodes left so I might as well stick it through the end and see how the season plays out. Stan's coworker/employee (whatever the work relationship is) looks like a good suspect, but I've been eyeing Mitch's sister as well. She's been very helpful with the family, always around....a little....too helpful. Almost like she feels she owes it to her sister to do everything for her.

[jeff061]

Think it was back to early form tonight. Someone here was saying they think maybe the season got unexpectedly extended and they had to write some (awful)filler. Starting to believe that, really everything between the 1st and 2nd time Bennet was taken could be scrapped, the show would be better and I don't even think there would be any continuity issues.

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by jeff061

Think it was back to early form tonight. Someone here was saying they think maybe the season got unexpectedly extended and they had to write some (awful)filler. Starting to believe that, really everything between the 1st and 2nd time Bennet was taken could be scrapped, the show would be better and I don't even think there would be any continuity issues.

I agree. The last three or so episodes before tonight's seem like just a waste of time. At best the total sum of those episodes was the teacher was eliminated as a suspect. Hell, that could have been done in one show. Now it feels like the actual story is starting to move again.

At least I'm back to being interested in who did it.

[Radii]

I agree with the last two posts, last night's episode was a big step up from recent ones and hopefully they're set up for a strong final 3 hours.

A couple holes still just GLARE out though... like "Rosie made a phone call and talked to someone named Adela" ... they didn't check phone records of the family's house on a weekend when Rosie was lying about where she was gonna be and no one was supposed to be home so any calls are instantly hugely suspicious? Not a massive deal in the grand scheme of things but if I'm supposed to view this as a significantly smarter show than just a drawn out procedural that kind of thing shouldn't be happening and gnaws at me even in one of the better episodes in a very long time.

Regardless of the complaints, the last couple weeks have brought me very much back in.

[JonInMiddleGA]

{scratches head}

With renewal all but assured apparently (if it hasn't come already & I missed it), I'm not quite getting how this is working for AMC unless it's being produced pretty cheaply.

I mean, this is a show that (last week) had dropped to A18-49 ratings (0.5) equal or less than such luminaries as River Monsters (0.6), Sister Wives (0.7), and Mob Wives (0.8). Meanwhile the total audience numbers are below Khloe & Lamar (1.95m to 1.69m), Coming Home (2.2m vs 1.69m) and less half of Army Wives (3.66m to 1.69m).

At some point it seems like the network is just sort of embarrassing itself as the show gets closer & closer to having fewer viewers than Strange Sex on TLC.

[stevew]

Jon. How did the Borgias get renewed? The ratings looked like nothing special and the show looked expensive as he'll to make.

[jeff061]

So I'm assuming all but assured is based on what's been reported and not so much the ratings?

If that shitty run of episodes is what we can expect once the Rosie storyline is finished I have no interest.

[OldGiants]

The phone call thing had me annoyed, too. The show explanation from Linden was that they were too busy going after the teacher, but that's a bit lame. Plus, what kind of Seattle police officer does NOT know there is place named Adela and a ferry goes there a couple dozen times each day.

The acting continues to be excellent with the Benko actor taking his turn at a top notch job. Made the bizarre behavior very real and believable.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

Jon. How did the Borgias get renewed? The ratings looked like nothing special and the show looked expensive as he'll to make.

Whole different world for the HBO/SHO types. Damned if I understand it in the slightest, thankfully I don't have to

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by OldGiants

Plus, what kind of Seattle police officer does NOT know there is place named Adela and a ferry goes there a couple dozen times each day.

I thought Adela was the name of the boat.

[Jas_lov]

The show could have been better if it had not focused so much on one suspect for so long. Others have said the last 3 episodes were just filler and I agree. They could have eliminated the teacher in less episodes and introduced the Richmond/Rosie photo much sooner.

If the series was extended then they had more time to go in depth with some of the other characters/suspects- Sterling, the sister in law, more about where the parents were that night and why they didn't call or why Rosie didn't come with them. Sterling, in particular, and her personal relationships should have been a bigger focus.

[OldGiants]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I thought Adela was the name of the boat.

She looked at a big sign with 'Adela' on one side and another name on the other side. I thought they were place names. Ferry routes are not marked by ship names in real places, they are known by destinations.

[samifan24]

Since we're talking about things Linden should have recognized, what about the keychain with the casino logo on it? How does she not recognize that? Of course that's there for the audience but come on. We have two casinos in Connecticut and they advertise relentlessly.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by OldGiants

She looked at a big sign with 'Adela' on one side and another name on the other side. I thought they were place names. Ferry routes are not marked by ship names in real places, they are known by destinations.

The boat had Adela written on it as well.

[sabotai]

Here's a (shitty SD) screen cap of the sign.

[sabotai]

And a (shitty SD...I think I'm the only person left who does not own an HDTV) screen cap of the boat. I think the route is Seattle to and from Kulamish, and Adela and Veena are the names of the two ferries for the route.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by sabotai

(shitty SD...I think I'm the only person left who does not own an HDTV)

I have an HDTV but AMC isn't in HD here, its a sad thing!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Sunday Cable Ratings: ‘My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding,’ ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘The Killing’ & More - Ratings | TVbytheNumbers

Down another tenth in A18-49, to 0.4
Oddly though, up noticeably in total viewers, 1.97m vs 1.69m last week.

So what's the deal here, the show has become an over-50 program? TVBTN readers seem to complain about glacial pacing, is that driving off the under 50 viewers?

[Radii]

I'm only halfway in but this would have been a solid character development episode about 8 weeks ago! Now? What the fuck, seriously!?

[Radii]

As a standalone episode that was really well acted and really powerful, but it seems so weird at this point of the season. Maybe it'd be all praise if the season had been strong all the way through, but given the general feeling that there was a massive lull of nothing in the middle this just seems very misplaced.

Am I alone in not giving a shit at all about Linden but finding Holder to be a completely fascinating character?

[Doug5984]

Originally Posted by Radii

As a standalone episode that was really well acted and really powerful, but it seems so weird at this point of the season. Maybe it'd be all praise if the season had been strong all the way through, but given the general feeling that there was a massive lull of nothing in the middle this just seems very misplaced.

Am I alone in not giving a shit at all about Linden but finding Holder to be a completely fascinating character?

Pretty much spot on with my thoughts.

The acting and the story of last nights episode was pretty good, but the timing was horrible. I honestly don't care at this point- I just want to know what happened to Rosie. Also I agree about Holder / Linden

[Landshark44]

i only made it twenty minutes in.... i'll check this thread to see who killled rosie....cant. watch.anymore...

[Glengoyne]

Man I missed last week's, and was hoping to infer some story line by watching this week's episode. Oh man what a disappointment.

It was a good episode, in that it was powerful and had a ton of interesting character development. I too am in the camp shifting from Linden to Holder. This was the first episode to actually make me interested in Linden's personal life, so I guess that is something.

Some questions

Spoiler

Did the teacher survive or did Stan "disappear" him?

How did they get onto the Casino story line? A phone call...to or by who?

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by Radii

I'm only halfway in but this would have been a solid character development episode about 8 weeks ago! Now? What the fuck, seriously!?

Yeah, another "what the fuck" episode.

I'm almost to the point of being afraid to find out what happened to Rosie. IE some lame dumb-ass off the wall ending that makes me regret wasting my time.

I hope I'm wrong and it ends with a bang but honestly I'm not thinking that is what will happen. Be more than happy to eat my words and be wowed though.

[Doug5984]

The more I think about it- the more I think I won't be too happy with how this show ends. We only have 2 episodes left (right?) and they have a lot of ground to cover, a lot of loose ends to tie up and a lot of suspects and plot line to clear and I just don't know if they can do it the right way- I thought this episode would start that process but it didn't do that. All this episode gave us in the Rosie case was...

Spoiler

a video of her at the ATM.

[Doug5984]

Originally Posted by Glengoyne

Man I missed last week's, and was hoping to infer some story line by watching this week's episode. Oh man what a disappointment.

It was a good episode, in that it was powerful and had a ton of interesting character development. I too am in the camp shifting from Linden to Holder. This was the first episode to actually make me interested in Linden's personal life, so I guess that is something.

Some questions

Spoiler

Did the teacher survive or did Stan "disappear" him?

How did they get onto the Casino story line? A phone call...to or by who?

Spoiler

The teacher is in ICU last we heard...stan is in jail, turned himself in

Casino came in from a few things...
1) the keys rosie had on her had the logo of the casino on them
2) In the quran Rosie had- had a note in it saying the name of the ship that goes there
3) Stan's sketchy helper overheard Rosie say something about 11:45 and the name of that ship so they pieced it all together and showed up at the casino.

[OldGiants]

Well that was a complete waste of an hour. The coming attraction minute had more plot than the entire episode. Character development that does not advance the plot exasperates me.

[jeff061]

Hmm...

Was likely my favorite episode of the season. Though I'm just looking to be entertained, not race to the end.

I still think that the multi-episode garbage in the middle of the season may have thrown the pacing all off.

[Radii]

really really liked tonight's episode.

[Doug5984]

That was a pretty good episode... I know who they want us to think did it, but they've been pointing that way all season so I'm wondering if they will clear that and then get someone else? Either way I'm excited for next weeks episode, I hadn't said that in a few weeks.

[OldGiants]

Finally got the time to watch the penultimate episode and liked it a lot. It redeemed the previous week a bit, too, what with Linden's ex showing up and increasing the pressure in her life.

I read this has been renewed for a second season, so character development has bit more traction with me.

With two prime suspects established in this episode, how will they pull a twist with a third one in the last five minutes as the promo promised?

I'm betting on Belko.