Review: 'The Killing' - 'Vengeance': Fear of flying
We're back in formula territory as we pass the season's mid-point
"The Killing" cops Linden (Mireille Enos) and Holder (Joel Kinnaman).
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A quick review of tonight's "The Killing" coming up just as soon as I use my commitment issues to mess up your career...
"I'm sorry. I'm doing the best I can." -Mitch
After a couple of weeks of slightly more unpredictable material, "Vengeance" was back to the formula I'd been worrying about earlier in the season, where the previous episode's cliffhanger is resolved very quickly, then not much happens plot-wise for a long stretch, and then Holder and Linden make a big discovery at the end of the episode that will presumably be rendered moot 10 minutes into next week's episode.
And while I continue to enjoy the sense of atmosphere and a number of the performances, at this point I can't escape the feeling that "The Killing" is what it is: not a reinvention of the police procedural formula, but an elongation of it, and something I might have cut the cord with already were it not for the tremendous brand loyalty I've developed for AMC in the last few years. As it is, we're now past the halfway point, so I'll stick around just to see how well they stick the landing - and because the show still can do strong individual moments, like Stan lurking outside the car in the pouring rain while Bennet scrambles to find his missing cell phone, or Stan and Mitch having their first real conversation since Rosie's death - but I'm struggling to care about either the mystery itself or the different characters connected to it.
Trying not to be too negative, but as I think on the episode, my mind keeps going more to the scenes that bothered me than the ones that worked, like Richmond visiting the mother of his late wife, who neatly psycho-analyzes the problem with his campaign by explaining that he would fight if he thought he deserved something; "Are you sure it's just that woman you can't forgive?" And then there's the never-ending story of whether Linden will actually get on a plane to Sonoma before the case is closed. I appreciate that the show is actually working to get us invested in these characters so that the show's not just one big plot engine, but the way it's gone about that has been (outside of some of the stuff with the Larsens) clumsy far more often than it hasn't. Â
I realize I haven't discussed much of the details of this one - including speculation on what terrorism-related case the FBI is investigating that our two cops have stumbled across - but, again, my enthusiasm level isn't particularly high this week. If you're feeling more engaged, by all means, go to town in the comments.
What did everybody else think?
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Next 72 Comments
May 8, 2011 at 11:09PM EST Reply to CommentI'm really finding it quite dull now. I really enjoyed the pilot episodes, but the last few weeks just haven't really engaged me.
KansasDan I have never watched this show, and from the comments it doesn't sound like I need to, but I just wanted to pop in and say that the picture at the top of the article reminded me of the X-Files. And that's not a bad thing.
May 9, 2011 at 10:05AM ESTJesse
May 8, 2011 at 11:13PM EST Reply to CommentI found myself sighing a lot this episode as it stumbles towards "24" territory with the trite Islam angle.
I knew the show wasn't firing on all cylinders when I was actually hoping Linden would make her flight so she could just go to Sonoma and marry Callum Keith Rennie.
BMK
May 8, 2011 at 11:21PM EST Reply to CommentI was excited for the show after the first few episodes... and last week's I thought was great. But tonight was pretty bland. I'm also going to stick with it, though, at least for this season.
That ending was completely out of left field. I wonder if it has something to do with Holder? He's done a few sketchy things here and there in past episodes.
I also wonder what, if anything, they found in that fridge. My guess would be that girl that was brought up in the mosque.
km Maybe the missing Islamic girl that was mentioned by the Imam will turn up in Somalia. I'll bet what was found in the fridge was a clue, but a fairly insignificant one. This show's cliffhangers tend to be resolved post haste in the follow up episodes.
May 11, 2011 at 11:04PM ESTBryan
May 8, 2011 at 11:24PM EST Reply to Commentreally really tedious.
Admittedly my knowledge of the criminal justice system comes primarily from television but I trust that the good shows I've watched in the past (NYPD Blue, Wire, Homicide, etc) are pretty accurate in how the system works. Maybe Seattle is different but isn't the the police Lieutenant supposed to HELP his detectives get warrants for high profile murder investigations instead of sitting there smugly eating Chinese and putting the kibosh on everything they try to do? All I can think of is they don't have the budget to have a police lt AND a DA but I find that very annoying.
Tedd Nope, Seattle's no different. That was a weird scene.
May 11, 2011 at 2:37AM ESTldesantis
May 8, 2011 at 11:25PM EST Reply to CommentThe whole thing with Linden and Sonoma is moving past annoying, directly to laughable. But I am enjoying most of the rest of the show. I feel like Teri (Mitch's sister) is going to have a more prominent role, given her weird thing with Jasper's dad last week, and I am wondering what they are going to do with her.
Oh, and I think I would watch this show even if ONLY to see Billy Campbell every week. So there's that . . .
webdiva Yeah, I'll second that! Love watching Billy Campbell. But I'm still sensing there's another shoe to drop somewhere there in his campaign.
May 9, 2011 at 12:50AM EST
May 8, 2011 at 11:43PM EST Reply to CommentThe mother/grandmother in this episode was mad annoying; stereotypical, even unnecessary. It's those bits of lazy writing that make me cringe.
webdiva Yes, that irritated the hell out of me -- especially as any other grandmother would have made an appearance much earlier, after the girl had gone missing and certainly at the funeral. Grandma was MIA for so long I thought surely the grandparents were dead. She shows up only *now*????? Aw, come on! Strains credulity to the max. Writers screwed up there.
May 9, 2011 at 12:54AM EST
May 9, 2011 at 9:20AM ESTjtmwdc I agree too! And it wasn't even the stereotypical racist comment about "all that mixing", it was her answering the phone after explicitly being told not to. Served absolutely no purpose in the scene. Also peeved Mitch said nothing after the mom insulted her sister.
May 9, 2011 at 12:25PM EST
May 8, 2011 at 11:47PM EST Reply to CommentWhen Murder One first came on, people were worried if one story could keep an audience engaged for an entire season (plus, pre-DVR they were worried about people who missed an ep. not joining/coming back). We've since seen 24 and others work, but this seems to have all the concerns coming to fruition. With one story at this length with limited players it's hard not to make the police seem incompetent without all these red herrings (which make them look mildly competent). The wife still likes it, but I'm waiting for something compelling.
As it is, I don't care about the campaign (he's not been presented as good, nor the incumbent as corrupt - so we're just supposed to root for him because we get to see it.
I don't really care about the family at all. Linden's background is being presented at a pace where you'll learn about her around the time season 5 rolls around.
And now, there's some entirely new track we're going down. Once they took off the masks in the 3rd or 4th episode, the search for the killer hasn't really gone anywhere. I see what they're TRYING to do... but it's just not happening.
aforkosh On Murder One they actually skipped an episode. I remember one week the 'previously on' clips showed some scenes that had not been in previous episodes.
May 9, 2011 at 2:30AM ESTI actually bought the DVD set which lists the dates premiere dates for the episodes. The air date for episode 9 of 23 is shown as 'Unaired'.
Patty
May 8, 2011 at 11:47PM EST Reply to CommentI'm still invested in the case and while I don't feel invested in Linden's relationship, I AM invested in her as a detective and her backstory with the social worker. I'm also invested in the political stuff, simply because I enjoy political stories. I wasn't disappointed how quickly they resolved last week's cliffhanger because I think I expected it. I would've been disappointed if they had done away with Bennet as a suspect in this episode. I suspect they will eventually, but hopefully how that comes about will be intriguing, and maybe repercussions on how Linden and Holder got to that point will add some interesting complications. Overall, I'm still very much enjoying the show, both case-wise and the atmosphere.
webdiva Ditto. BUT ... I wanted two things to happen this week that didn't: 1) a lot more on what case linden was so stuck on before and what it was about, not just one throwaway line from her friend, and 2) less denial from her that she really wanted to solve this case more than she wanted to leave for Sonoma. After having missed the flight and sent her son off to the paintball party (I really loved that bit when she came back to give her son pointers on how to sight and shoot the paint gun), I thought it was a good moment to admit to herself that maybe she was stalling for a reason. I thought she'd actually call the fiance and leave a voicemail that said she'd simply decided she had to stay to solve the case, and when it was over they'd talk, if they had anything left to talk about at that point. Now Linden just seems indecisive about her own life and protests too much. It makes her look weaker than she probably is. I want to root for this woman on a personal level as much as I'm rooting for her professionally to solve the cae, but she has to give the viewers a reason. And she hasn't, yet.
May 9, 2011 at 12:45AM ESTI'll give this one more episode to turn it around; but next week's ep needs to produce some solid results, one way or another, or it'll lose critical mass.
Nick
May 9, 2011 at 12:05AM EST Reply to CommentThis was the first episode so far where I was literally watching the clock hoping the episode would pick up the pace. As other commenters have noted, the idea for this show is great but there is such a high degree of difficulty in stretching out one investigation this long without resorting to cliches and needless plot contrivances like 24. I'm willing to follow through for at least this season, but this show is really starting to drag.
Tausif Khan
May 9, 2011 at 12:06AM EST Reply to CommentThe writers should play with the toys they have they don't need more. When I saw Mitch's racist mother and father enter the picture I said to myself "more characters? We really don't know that much about Mitch and Stan except some vague plot outlines". The same idea can be carried through to the plotline. We don't need the FBI to complicate matters we already have complex mystery on our hands (or so the writers tell us) with a cavalcade of characters. They should go into further depths with these characters before we get another plot line. Also, they should now drop the Linden is not leaving Seattle plot line and have her admit that she can not leave.
chuchundra
May 9, 2011 at 12:14AM EST Reply to CommentI don't really know where the show is taking me, but I'm pretty confident that, when we get there, I won't be happy about it.
Plus, a lot of stupid crap in this episode. As my wife pointed out, if a politician made a commercial accusing someone of murder, someone who hasn't even been arrested, let alone charged or indicted, he'd get his ass sued off. A show like this should make extra effort to be scrupulous to reality and they certainly haven't.
At this point, the only reason I'm watching is because we're past the halfway point and I have to see this thing through, but I'm not happy about it.
webdiva Absolutely!!!! I thought I was the only one wondering why the teacher hadn't filed a lawsuit yet against the mayor's campaign. He'd have grounds now that Larson and her unwilling partner know that he was at the dance when Rosie was seen at his house. And a New York cop would have dragged his ass right back to the precinct soon as he got home and made him tell them Mohammed's full name and how to find him, tho they might have held back why and the fact that a witness saw Rosie entering the house.
May 9, 2011 at 1:04AM ESTbrentalistair Its a good point about the Mayor's ad but, just for the record, I think the ad didn't accuse Bennett of murder. It just said he was a suspect.
May 9, 2011 at 2:34AM ESTJerseyRudy Correct Brent, the commercial merely said that Bennett was a suspect. There are political ads that slimy all the time in real life...there are no grounds for anyone filing a lawsuit, because there was nothing factually incorrect in the Mayor's ad.
May 15, 2011 at 11:35AM ESTPeople bothered by the Mayor's ad should focus their time on the slimyness of our politics, not on the show's accurate depiction of it. I do agree that this show is often overly trite and corny in their depiction of the political campaign (the debate the prior episode was unrealistic), but on the issue of the ad they were sadly on target.
theholyavenger
May 9, 2011 at 12:27AM EST Reply to CommentI gotta say this is a huge miss on AMC's part. This show is just getting ridiculously bad. The inclusion of the family element plus the extremely short timeline was a bad decision. Every character is a caricature with almost no backstory and nothing at all worth caring about. I don't think there's any chance the ending will be worth it.
Charlie
May 9, 2011 at 12:54AM EST Reply to CommentCan anyone who saw the Danish show say whether this might be worth it? Without spoiling, maybe someone saw the Danish version, and they can say, "Don't, the original also dragged in the middle, but then the ending is awesome!" Then that might give hope to stick it out. Or maybe you can say, "Nope, the original was an exciting twist on the procedural, but the American producers decided not to play it safe and gave us this mess." Then I won't bother watching anymore but I'll read the reviews and if there is a cool twist in the end, maybe I'll watch the reruns. Because right now, it doesn't seem worth it
Charlie OK, sorry, no edit button. That should read, "Don't WORRY, the original also dragged. . ." and then "Nope. . . the American producers decided TO play it safe. . ." My bad
May 9, 2011 at 12:56AM ESTJohn Actually, I was just thinking of posting that I thought that every deviation from the Danish original was a step down. No, Forbrydelsen did not drag in the middle, or ever. All the characters were absolutely compelling. In particular, I think the way they changed Sarah's partner from the original was a bad move
May 9, 2011 at 1:25AM EST
May 9, 2011 at 1:33AM ESTI had thought that The Killing just couldn't live up to the original, and that's why I wasn't into it. Glad to see I'm not the only one bored to tears by this.
Janne Meyer Agree with David and John. Forbrydelsen was far more compelling and I think the noticeable changes AMC has made to the original have led to this clumsy mess. The portrayal of Mitch's family is a good example of this---why does every member of Mitch's family have to represent some sort of 'angle' (racist mother, judgmental sister)? Why can't they just show a normal family that's dealing with this murder? In the Danish series, the mother's sister turns out to be slightly more complicated than originally portrayed, but the surprise she reveals is nowhere near as melodramatic/trashy as the implied affair the sister has with Jasper's father.
May 9, 2011 at 2:17AM ESTkm Pray tell, where does one find a copy of Forbrydelsen that plays on North Am systems?
May 11, 2011 at 11:10PM ESTPotatoSolution
May 9, 2011 at 1:31AM EST Reply to CommentMan, if it rained as much in the actual Seattle as it does on this show, the entire Pacific Northwest would be under 9 feet of water by now.
Katie
May 9, 2011 at 2:24AM EST Reply to CommentThe problem with The Killing is that it *feels* like a case that's dragging on for too long. As a viewer, you're bothered by the that you've spent X amount of hours watching this show, but you don't care too much about the characters. AMC took a winning formula but they did a poor job of executing it---the writing in particular is dreadful. Grab a copy of the Danish series that was aired on BBC, to notice the difference. In the Danish series, you don't find yourself wondering how many more hours you have to watch before you get a meaningful payback.
webdiva Also, the problem here is that by episode 7, the investigation is still only 7 days old ... and it's sometimes hard to remember that when you're watching a particular episode. Yes, Sara's ever-delayed departure for Sonoma acts as a device to remind us, but by now it's so annoying that she won't just come out and tell her fiance she's stuck there for the duration that the device as a timekeeper doesn't work anymore. It only serves to put another drag on the action.
May 9, 2011 at 5:19PM ESTwebdiva Perhaps it would have been better to air this series back to back for 10 days, just as Torchwood did its last 5-episode season, "Children Of Earth." I'm just saying: not every single series should necessarily be dragged out for weeks, though I can certainly understand the temptation for a network to do so.
May 9, 2011 at 5:27PM ESTBTW, getting access to the BBC-aired Danish version of The Killing is nigh impossible in the U.S.: it's not on available via Amazon or Netflix, and there's no DVD you can play here. BBC doesn't have it online, either. And I can't find it on ch.131. Anyone have a useful suggestion??
May 9, 2011 at 6:39PM ESTSecond, as Webdiva mentioned... where the hell am I supposed to get the Danish version of this show? The only "legitimate" venue seems to be the BBC shop and it's going to cost me somwhere in the realm of $70 (give/take shipping). Even without the exchange rate that's a $50 investment. This show better make the Wire look like a CW program for that kind of coin.
webdiva I don't know that getting a copy from BBC-UK (or Amazon-UK, for that matter) would help you, unless you have a viewer that plays European-format DVDs.
May 9, 2011 at 7:08PM EST
May 9, 2011 at 8:09PM ESTpapoon
May 9, 2011 at 2:34AM EST Reply to CommentYes, there were wince-inducing scenes in this episode (nookie in the office with an open door, shadow of a gun barrel on the meat locker floor), but this episode had two notable developments.
The introduction of Mitch's mom (Happy Mother's Day!); who promptly emasculates Stan with the line, "Stan says." Simultaneously, she mocks her daughter for being weak and accepting the status quo from her husband and the police.
And the exchange between Stan and his two children in the park.
Stan: Well there's a lot we don't yet. But what we do know is that a man took her - a bad man - and he killed her.
Denny: Is the bad man still out there?
Tommy: Is she going to kill us too?
I've listened to this scene twelve times now and I could swear that Tommy mixes up the pronouns. Anyone else hearing what I'm hearing? Starting to believe that Auntie Terry should be a "person of interest." (Please see how she conveniently takes out the trash in the kitchen scene with Mitch and Mom.)
Patrick
May 9, 2011 at 6:41AM EST Reply to CommentSomething positive: all the children were much more tolerable than previously.
ideemo
May 9, 2011 at 7:05AM EST Reply to CommentI'm getting pretty annoyed with the show too, but I'm going to throw out my theory about the ending. Bennet Ahmed is an undercover FBI agent. He gets cleared at the beginning of the next episode. God I hope this show becomes interesting again. I really liked the first three episodes.
May 9, 2011 at 8:05AM EST Reply to CommentIt was never going to hold a candle to the original - I'll stick with it though, as they claim the killer is different. Great
Patti About the original - supposedly so great, how can this version have gone off the rails so badly? I would really like to see PBS or BBC America pick up the Danish version so we can see the difference. I am going to keep watching, but I watch on DVR on Monday with alot of fast forward.
May 9, 2011 at 2:35PM ESTJanne Meyer In the original series, the politican's storyline was much more compelling. Even though I did question the relevance of the political angle to the murder case, this happened only towards the very end. For the most part, the politician's story was engaging (most of this due to the actor, who was charismatic---he played his duelling 'naive do-gooder' and 'realist' angles very well). His relationship with his female aide was also far more interesting, b/c the female aide in the original series was portrayed as a bloodthirsty realist---kept the viewers guessing as to how far she was willing to go to win the election. In the American version, the politician is so bland and his female aide is possibly even more so. That makes a big difference.
May 10, 2011 at 2:47AM ESTJohn Calloway Yeah I agree with Janne and many others - the political storyline has been going nowhere, and Billy Campbell and his character are beyond dull. As a fan of political thrillers the campaign is color by numbers - nothing original at all.
May 10, 2011 at 10:49PM EST2 weeks ago the show started to lose me, last week brought it back from the dead, but I felt this past episode was terrible. I'm still in it till the end, but what a disappointment.
The Lieutenant seems to care so little about this case I'm starting to wonder if he did it just to keep Linden and her far off stares and gum-chewing around to solves cases for him!
chris
May 9, 2011 at 9:12AM EST Reply to CommentThis show is better if you let it build up in the DVR for a while then watch a few episodes at once. One at a time is painful due to the formula that Alan points out. Unfortunately I just caught up on a few episodes and ended with last night's cliffhanger. I'm going to DVR the rest of the season entirely before watching again.
May 9, 2011 at 3:34PM ESTSean Not really
May 10, 2011 at 2:34AM ESTEd Cidade I know I'm almost a year behind, but I just downloaded The Killing on iTunes and it's much easier if you can watch 2-3 episodes at once.
March 28, 2012 at 6:40PM EST
May 9, 2011 at 9:18AM EST Reply to CommentThe show continues to ignore their best character: the other cop. Maybe "ignore" is too strong a word, but he isn't on screen as much as he should be.
God help me if I have to sit through another scene watching the family (especially the mother) grieving.
I'm tired of the stupid plot cliffhangers that will turn out to be something rather insignificant.
This show had two choices: be a mystery/thriller, or a crime show with strong character building. It's trying to be both. Look, it's ok if the show is just a mystery/thriller! It would be great. I LOVED Harper's Island for what it was: 13 episodes of cheesy mystery. I love Breaking Bad because it's character development and writing are incredible. But The Killing can't decide what it is. I don't watch the CSI shows because I think they appeal to the lowest common denominator of human intelligence: The Killing is just a slightly dolled up CSI. I've only stayed this far because I thought AMC would deliver the goods...but this show has an expiration date on it.
Also, I wish they would stop promoting it as a mystery ("log on to AMC and explore Rosie's room to find clues about the killer", etc). The Killing has created very little mystery. It's just long scenes of boredom interrupted by this weeks cliffhanger.
I'm so disappointed with this show!
calvealier
May 9, 2011 at 10:06AM EST Reply to CommentRandom question - did Linden leave her son at paintball? She was supposed to pick him up at 430 but that was not showed (nor was it clear when she would have had time to go get him). And don't get me started on the fact that it wasn't raining at paintball but seemingly raining everywhere else.
May 9, 2011 at 11:16AM ESTGaliala I live near Seattle. The weather is like that all the time. Some mornings I leave home in full rain gear, just to get to work and realize that it's only raining around my neighborhood. That's the weather in this area around Halloween... unless it's snowing.
May 14, 2011 at 3:49AM ESTI was on vacation when the show started, so I just watched all the episodes back to back and I did not notice any on the problems that people have been complaining about, other than the political campaing. I believe that the acting is compelling and the greiving family has driven me to tears in every single chapter.
The only thing I didn't like was the terrorist angle. I think this show could do with out that cliché
thebgt
May 9, 2011 at 10:09AM EST Reply to CommentI can't see the problems Allan is mentioning but Allan has to watch and review so many shows that maybe only what makes a real difference for him gets the extra credits. Understandable really.
I still enjoy this show A LOT. It might not reinvent police procedurals but I love the quality and I don't realize how times flew at the end of each episode, leaving me wanting for more.
I repeat, it is probably a show that worth watching altogether and not one episode per week.
Sareeta I agree. I'm enjoying the series and find myself wondering how the hour flew by so fast. I especially found the opening to be intense. I only wish they'd have shown what Linden and Holder saw at the end of the episode. Yeah, I know it's supposed to be a cliffhanger, but they could have given a glimpse instead of spending so much time showing the expressions on their faces.
May 9, 2011 at 9:31PM ESTHolder is growing on me. As for Linden... She's pretty perceptive, but I wish I knew more about her past and the previous case. For being the main character we don't know very much about her.
What I didn't like so much:
-Richards and Gwen randomly getting it on
-Stan trying to get it on with Mitch. Really? 7 days after your daughter is murdered you want to have sex?
The only thing I'm concerned about is like with Rubicon this turns into a another Muslim conspiracy thing. It worked in Rubicon because of the nature of that series, but it seems to be a very random plot turn in this one.
xbrooklyngrrl
May 9, 2011 at 11:14AM EST Reply to CommentThis show is like going on a blind date with someone your friends hyped as Just So Perfect For You -- and being bored witless, but continuing to date him in the hope that gee, he's so cute and says all the right things and just maybe he'll be great in bed..... I take Alan's lack of enthusiasm and multiply it times 10. At this point, there isn't a character I enjoy watching, feel any connection to; the best acted and written are Stan and Mitch, but I didn't sign on for a show about the aftermath of losing a child and the pain, grief, misery that follows. That's a Lifetime show.
I wanted a great crime drama that doesn't rely on rain for mood.
Linden is just too internal, and really dull, and the bull about going/not going to Sonoma is boring. Holder is a caricature. And Richmond? He couldn't run for dogcatcher, he's alternately naive, self-involved and just plain clueless.
I fell asleep in the middle of this episode, and woke up not caring how it ended.
Kevin
May 9, 2011 at 11:39AM EST Reply to CommentI started dosing off with 15 minutes left and never do that watching good shows. Not a good sign for something that's supposed to be suspenseful and intense.
xbrooklyngrrl I made it to the 30 minute mark and I have never, ever slept thru Breaking Bad or Mad Men, no matter how exhasuted! Very bad sign...
May 9, 2011 at 1:05PM ESTMark
May 9, 2011 at 11:48AM EST Reply to CommentI agree with what a few commenters have said. I'm really only watching it now because I've invested so much time.
I like the *idea* of what this show could be, just not what it *actually* is. I guess it's probably the writing staff, because the Danish version provided the basic plot framework. And they are just mindlessly stalling and throwing out meaningless red herrings, now with the FBI. It's just depressing how dull the show has gotten because it could've been good in the right hands. I guess we just have to come to grip with the fact that there's a reason Veena Sud was running "Cold Case." She apparently doesn't have the talent to step up to a cable-level drama.
Lepidoptera
May 9, 2011 at 12:02PM EST Reply to CommentSo many frustrations.....
1. Listen, we all know that she isn't going to Sonoma, but we are all willing to accept that her pending engagement/relocation adds a slice of tension to this investigation. However, if they are going to continue to make her multiple failed trips so integral to the action, then please let this simplest bit of storytelling make sense! Rather than catch the first flight in the morning, she leaves ambivalent voicemails about how she doesn't know which flight to take?? What are you, nine? It's called Hertz. It's called Mapquest. I now hate you more than Mr. Sonoma.
2. You can just hear the conversations from the writer's room. "If we are going to introduce Muslims and a mosque, we better be extremely culturally sensitive, and we better give the Muslim characters the moral high-ground." Which would have been fine, if it hadn't been handled so ridiculously.
There is a missing Muslim girl, who has been gone a week? And neither Linden nor Holder has heard anything about it? OK, even if you can buy that they might not find out about every girl that goes missing in the course of their investigation, how the hell do they not even seem interested in it? I don't know... maybe who was she? where did she disappear? Did she know Benet? But this detail wasn't about plot, it was about the cultural/religious divide, so our two investigators heard about another young girl mysteriously disappearing, and instead of their investigative instincts kicking in, instead their culturally sensitive instincts kicked in. I fully expected a One to Grow On face-to-face with Linden and a couple Muslim kids at the end of the episode.
3. The way the episode ended, with the FBI mistakenly cracking these two in some unrelated bust, would they not both be guaranteed to lose their jobs after kicking in doors, cracking deadbolts, breaking, entering, and vandalizing at a location where they had absolutely no evidence of anything and certainly not enough to breaking every code in the procedural book? It might have worked if Holder had just lost it a bit, and the more seasoned, more level-headed Linden had been actively trying to rein him in, or stop him from so blatantly breaking the law, but she just sat back and watched him karate kick, and hammerclaw his way into destroying the property so badly that any evidence they found would have ruined the case anyhow.
Bad.
HammRadio RE: the missing girl -- if the "serial killer" option (or at least professional killer) was still on the table, wouldn't a second MISSING girl be important???
May 9, 2011 at 1:42PM ESTPotatoSolution All great points, but I especially agree with number 2. "So, another young girl disappeared at just about the same time as Rosie Larsen? Nah, that couldn't possibly be relevant to our case."
May 9, 2011 at 2:07PM ESTspongebob You're right about number 3. Last night I was thinking that they would just find another name or address inside, which wouldn't really draw attention to the illegal entry. But after the FBI raid, they are so fired! Interesting to see how they will evade punishment for that one.
May 9, 2011 at 8:05PM ESTSeattleite
May 9, 2011 at 12:57PM EST Reply to CommentCount me in with those who are losing interest. I live in Seattle, and it is ridiculous - and unnecessary - how they throw in place names that are actually wrong. Green Lake, for example, is very far from Rainier Valley. Why not just say Green Lake? And they use very few shots of the actual city. I realize you need to live in/near Seattle for that to bother you, but each time they make a mistake it pulls me out of the action.
I think sister Teri had an affair with Jasper's dad, and that could come into play. Her surprised/weird/hopeful "hi" at the funeral felt to me like someone who for a split second thought an old lover had come to support her in a tough time.
I've tried to find copies of the original, but can't. Any tips would be welcome!
webdiva Perhaps the hint is that if the actual place names used were more accurate, perhaps that might add some interest, useful context, or verisimilitude that getting the places wrong just doesn't. One of the things I liked about reading Raymond Chandler was following along with a map of L.A. and getting a feel for real locations. When you get the locations wrong, what's the point of having that detail in the first place?? It just screws things up instead of giving you any local insight.
May 9, 2011 at 6:18PM ESTMark
May 9, 2011 at 1:17PM EST Reply to CommentGotta say I loved the camera work in the airport scenes that obscured all the French-language signs at Vancouver International Airport where those scenes were filmed.
I agree with Alan on the episode though. After a couple of really good episodes, this one wasn't quite so good.
Lee
May 9, 2011 at 6:33PM EST Reply to CommentI'm in agreement with Alan for the most part. I think the storyline and dialogue do not meet the expectations I have given the direction, atmosphere and talent but strip all that away and a lot of the dialogue is very clunky for me and this continual stuff about missing her flight is just ridiculous after so long. Camera shots of her looking serious, staring at something or into space, or seeing her suddenly have a light bulb moment have worn on me. I'm not so much intrigued with all that by now; more just want to get on with the story at this point. I wasn't even surprised at end given the name of the person they are looking for. I think it over complicates this but since I don't know the story, I'll hold off deciding if this is a red herring just for the sake of it.
I'm disappointed - right now I don't actually care about any of the characters and that, for me, is not a good sign for keeping me as a viewer in the long run.
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