[the killing] review | "in the night, the stormy night, she closed her eyes..."
So, approximately twenty two hours have passed since the clock ticked over on the final scenes from the last episode of The Killing and I’ve managed to pull my thoughts together enough to contemplate a reaction post [that is mostly general ramblings following by a whole heap of JAMIE]. Firstly though, let me just say this:
Dear Show,
Thank you for existing. Amen.
All my love forever, waltzmatildah.
To be honest, I’m still a little floored by how practically perfect this show ended up being. Don’t get me wrong, I loved season one. And the scene in the pilot where Stan breaks down out where Rosie’s body was found will forever haunt me. But season two? OH, SEASON TWO!
[side note: season two of Breaking Bad and season two of Grey’s Anatomy were also flaw-free! /unrelated randomness]
I’ve read and heard comments about “how freaking long” it took Linden and Holder to solve the case, but come on. I mean, it took twenty six days for them to completely solve a complex murder that was partially being covered up by the highest echelons of both the police department and the city government. I am at a loss to see how that is something to complain about. Also, this was [so much] more than your average ‘whodunnit’ style show, where the guilty party are found out forty two minutes after the crime is committed [in viewing time]. This was never about that [even though it so totally was, but more on that later!]. This was about watching a disparate group of utterly realistic characters thrust together by an unspeakable tragedy/crime/unfortunate set of circumstances [depending on your point of view] learning to figure themselves, and each other, out. It was about the exploration of individual characters who would normally not be given the time of day on a crime show. In essence [and, obviously, in my opinion!], this show was about the harsh realities of life with all the glamour stripped bare. WHICH IS SO FREAKING RARE ON TELEVISION. The in-your-face honesty was shocking at times, to be honest; but in the best kind of way. And when you think about it, those forty two minute crime-show dramas are a dime a dozen these days. WHY WOULD YOU WANT THIS SHOW TO SIMPLY BE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE? I know I sure didn’t…
I’ve also read and heard comments about how this show falsely advertised itself for two seasons with the promo material spouting the “WHO KILLED ROSIE LARSON” moniker, with arguments suggesting that it was never actually about that. I disagree wholeheartedly. I don’t believe it was ONLY about that, but through every single thing that happened on this show, Rosie’s death and the ensuing hunt for her true killer [or cover-up of the crime, depending on your side of the fence as a character] were the absolute driving forces.
Mitch’s departure.
Belko’s death.
Ahmed’s beating.
Richmond’s injury.
Jamie’s death.
Richmond’s disclosure about his suicide attempt.
The breakdown of Sarah’s engagement.
The breakdown of her relationship with her son.
Holder’s eventual increase in personal and professional self-belief/self-worth.
Stan’s re-contact with Janek and, therefore, Alexi murdering Janek.
Stan’s eventual realisation that he needs to get his head in the game as a parent/husband/person.
ALLL of it! I mean, it’s likely NONE of that would have happened without the death of Rosie and the hunt for her killer as the catalyst.
Which brings me to the finale. OH, THE FINALE.
Let me just preface this with something I pointed out to catteo in a barely coherent ramble late last night. The typical stereotyped metaphor for chaos theory: a butterfly flaps its wing on one side of the globe… I mean, you get where I’m going with this right?
BECAUSE THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT HAPPENED HERE. ROSIE WANTED TO WATCH THE BUTTERFLY MIGRATION. THAT IS ALL. Cue: the list of things I just mentioned above, starting with, obviously, her own completely senseless death. I honestly believe Rosie knew nothing, had heard nothing, and had obviously recorded nothing.
And I think that is why the overwhelming emotion I felt throughout this episode, as piece after piece fell into place, was utter devastation and a helpless kind of sympathy for the characters. BECAUSE THE UTTER FUTILITY OF IT ALL LEFT ME ACHING. But I want to further clarify that, because, at first read, it may seem that I’m disappointed. BUT NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. It is so rare for a television show to evoke that kind of, and depth of, feeling in me. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever experience it before outside of print media, to be honest. AND I LOVED IT! I want television to do things to my emotions that I would NEVER want real life to do. And the empty echo this episode left me with was exactly what I wanted from this show.
And, to be honest, there was more than just helplessness and futile despair at the end anyway. There was hope; for the Larson’s, for Sarah [and presumably, Jack], for Holder and his career/life in general. There was also disappointment, for Richmond’s decent into darkness, for the quashing of Chief Jackson’s obstruction of justice charges, for Ames being able to wash his hands of ALL OF IT [his role in not only the political mess, but also his affair and the role that it played in Terry murdering her own niece. Not to mention his treatment of Terry in general].
Scratch, even just slightly, at the surface of this show, and beneath you will find PURE GOLD.
And, speaking of pure gold, let me talk about Jamie…
I am the first to admit to, in the weeks leading up to this reveal, spouting about how I’d never believe he played any part in Rosie’s death. I was adamant they’d written him as a character who was completely innocent and knew nothing about her death and the hints they were suddenly giving about his potential involvement made me [temporarily] rage because, WTF? Only, it happened. AND IT WAS PERFECT. I honestly don’t think they could have written that piece of plot/characterisation ANY OTHER WAY and had me believe it. They picked the ONE WAY that could work, and they pulled it off PERFECTLY.
In my opinion, and in an utterly risky move [because this sort of thing can go soooo badly], they completely believably set Jamie up to be the type of person capable of doing what he did [beating Rosie up, chasing her through the woods, and putting her in the trunk of his car] AFTER THE FACT. Which, kudos show, kudos. It was a kind of reverse precedence [I have no idea what that is called! Although I’m sure it’s not postedence!], where they indicated it was not the first time he’d behaved in such a desperate manner. I mean, he’d been compulsively lying to Richmond [and us] from the VERY START OF ALL THE THINGS! And his devotion to Richmond was always a little on the wrong side of professional admiration, let’s be real. The un-hinged nature of his dedication, looking back now, is a completely obvious marker. He’d do anything for Richmond. He’d lulled himself into this belief that he had to play the ‘bad guy’ to Richmond’s ‘good guy’ in order to ensure the success he believed Richmond deserved. And if that meant planting bones and making shady deals, if that meant lying to a paralysed man to get him out of bed, if that meant sacrificing the life of a young girl who had the power to ruin it all…, then that’s what he would do. Because that was HIS role.
ALL ALONG, AND BY NECESSITY**, THAT WAS HIS ROLE.
*facepalm in the best way*
** I added the ‘by necessity’ part there, because I do believe that the ‘bad guy’ role Jamie was playing wasn’t something that came naturally to him. And I think this is evidenced in his reactions when he’s caught out; first by his grandfather, and then by Richmond himself. His backpedalling and lies and desperate justifications make it look like he builds these intricate worlds for himself where what he’s doing is okay because it is for the greater good, or because the other person deserves it [for better - Richmond, or for worse - his grandfather]. It is his role by necessity, but he’s NOT okay with it, and in order to BE okay with it, he changes the facts in his mind so convincingly that they eventually become HIS TRUTH.
Also, how sublime was Eric Ladin’s acting in the finale? I mean, he’s been great all along, but he totally blew me away last night. One thing that really hit me when I was watching was his desperate rationalisations to Richmond about why he’d done what he’d done.
“I tried to reason with her…”
“She just wouldn’t listen…”
“It was an accident…”
None of that was strictly true. Not from what we were shown anyway. But in that moment, I completely believed that JAMIE completely believed it was. He didn’t try to reason with her at all, in fact, he barely spoke to her. And while her hitting her head when she fell could potentially be seen as an accident, his blatant beating of her with his torch in the woods and then putting her in the trunk of his car most definitely weren’t. I found that whole scene with Richmond to be so utterly revealing about Jamie’s mental state.
I also found it telling that, in those final moments, Jamie didn’t point the gun at himself [in resignation], and he didn’t point the gun at Richmond [in anger]. He pointed the gun at Linden because HE STILL BELIEVED HE COULD MAKE IT ALL ~RIGHT. BECAUSE HE STILL BELIEVED THAT WHAT HE HAD DONE WAS FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. AND THAT RICHMOND WOULD COME TO SEE THAT. AND THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE EXACTLY AS HE’D CAREFULLY PLANNED FOR IT TO BE. Killing Linden [and Holder] FOR THE GREATER GOOD was simply the next act in his ‘bad boy’ play. And tomorrow they’d all go into the office and start their day with a coffee and a chat and get on with the business of running the city. BECAUSE, TO JAMIE, THERE WAS NO OTHER OPTION. THERE WAS NO PLAN B.
THERE WAS ONLY THIS.
ONLY, IN REALITY, THERE WAS SO VERY MUCH MORE...
Argh. If you’re still reading, THANK YOU. And I’m sorry for the word vomit. I blame the show. And you guys for being ridiculously enabling!!
I really want to talk about Terry and Stan (and Mitch and Holder) specifically, too. But considering how ridiculously out of hand this already is, those two four will just have to wait for another day!
INDULGE ME, FLISTIES! Agree with me, disagree with me. TELL ME ALL YOUR ~FEELS!
Dear Show,
Thank you for existing. Amen.
All my love forever, waltzmatildah.
To be honest, I’m still a little floored by how practically perfect this show ended up being. Don’t get me wrong, I loved season one. And the scene in the pilot where Stan breaks down out where Rosie’s body was found will forever haunt me. But season two? OH, SEASON TWO!
[side note: season two of Breaking Bad and season two of Grey’s Anatomy were also flaw-free! /unrelated randomness]
I’ve read and heard comments about “how freaking long” it took Linden and Holder to solve the case, but come on. I mean, it took twenty six days for them to completely solve a complex murder that was partially being covered up by the highest echelons of both the police department and the city government. I am at a loss to see how that is something to complain about. Also, this was [so much] more than your average ‘whodunnit’ style show, where the guilty party are found out forty two minutes after the crime is committed [in viewing time]. This was never about that [even though it so totally was, but more on that later!]. This was about watching a disparate group of utterly realistic characters thrust together by an unspeakable tragedy/crime/unfortunate set of circumstances [depending on your point of view] learning to figure themselves, and each other, out. It was about the exploration of individual characters who would normally not be given the time of day on a crime show. In essence [and, obviously, in my opinion!], this show was about the harsh realities of life with all the glamour stripped bare. WHICH IS SO FREAKING RARE ON TELEVISION. The in-your-face honesty was shocking at times, to be honest; but in the best kind of way. And when you think about it, those forty two minute crime-show dramas are a dime a dozen these days. WHY WOULD YOU WANT THIS SHOW TO SIMPLY BE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE? I know I sure didn’t…
I’ve also read and heard comments about how this show falsely advertised itself for two seasons with the promo material spouting the “WHO KILLED ROSIE LARSON” moniker, with arguments suggesting that it was never actually about that. I disagree wholeheartedly. I don’t believe it was ONLY about that, but through every single thing that happened on this show, Rosie’s death and the ensuing hunt for her true killer [or cover-up of the crime, depending on your side of the fence as a character] were the absolute driving forces.
Mitch’s departure.
Belko’s death.
Ahmed’s beating.
Richmond’s injury.
Jamie’s death.
Richmond’s disclosure about his suicide attempt.
The breakdown of Sarah’s engagement.
The breakdown of her relationship with her son.
Holder’s eventual increase in personal and professional self-belief/self-worth.
Stan’s re-contact with Janek and, therefore, Alexi murdering Janek.
Stan’s eventual realisation that he needs to get his head in the game as a parent/husband/person.
ALLL of it! I mean, it’s likely NONE of that would have happened without the death of Rosie and the hunt for her killer as the catalyst.
Which brings me to the finale. OH, THE FINALE.
Let me just preface this with something I pointed out to catteo in a barely coherent ramble late last night. The typical stereotyped metaphor for chaos theory: a butterfly flaps its wing on one side of the globe… I mean, you get where I’m going with this right?
BECAUSE THAT IS LITERALLY WHAT HAPPENED HERE. ROSIE WANTED TO WATCH THE BUTTERFLY MIGRATION. THAT IS ALL. Cue: the list of things I just mentioned above, starting with, obviously, her own completely senseless death. I honestly believe Rosie knew nothing, had heard nothing, and had obviously recorded nothing.
And I think that is why the overwhelming emotion I felt throughout this episode, as piece after piece fell into place, was utter devastation and a helpless kind of sympathy for the characters. BECAUSE THE UTTER FUTILITY OF IT ALL LEFT ME ACHING. But I want to further clarify that, because, at first read, it may seem that I’m disappointed. BUT NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. It is so rare for a television show to evoke that kind of, and depth of, feeling in me. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever experience it before outside of print media, to be honest. AND I LOVED IT! I want television to do things to my emotions that I would NEVER want real life to do. And the empty echo this episode left me with was exactly what I wanted from this show.
And, to be honest, there was more than just helplessness and futile despair at the end anyway. There was hope; for the Larson’s, for Sarah [and presumably, Jack], for Holder and his career/life in general. There was also disappointment, for Richmond’s decent into darkness, for the quashing of Chief Jackson’s obstruction of justice charges, for Ames being able to wash his hands of ALL OF IT [his role in not only the political mess, but also his affair and the role that it played in Terry murdering her own niece. Not to mention his treatment of Terry in general].
Scratch, even just slightly, at the surface of this show, and beneath you will find PURE GOLD.
And, speaking of pure gold, let me talk about Jamie…
I am the first to admit to, in the weeks leading up to this reveal, spouting about how I’d never believe he played any part in Rosie’s death. I was adamant they’d written him as a character who was completely innocent and knew nothing about her death and the hints they were suddenly giving about his potential involvement made me [temporarily] rage because, WTF? Only, it happened. AND IT WAS PERFECT. I honestly don’t think they could have written that piece of plot/characterisation ANY OTHER WAY and had me believe it. They picked the ONE WAY that could work, and they pulled it off PERFECTLY.
In my opinion, and in an utterly risky move [because this sort of thing can go soooo badly], they completely believably set Jamie up to be the type of person capable of doing what he did [beating Rosie up, chasing her through the woods, and putting her in the trunk of his car] AFTER THE FACT. Which, kudos show, kudos. It was a kind of reverse precedence [I have no idea what that is called! Although I’m sure it’s not postedence!], where they indicated it was not the first time he’d behaved in such a desperate manner. I mean, he’d been compulsively lying to Richmond [and us] from the VERY START OF ALL THE THINGS! And his devotion to Richmond was always a little on the wrong side of professional admiration, let’s be real. The un-hinged nature of his dedication, looking back now, is a completely obvious marker. He’d do anything for Richmond. He’d lulled himself into this belief that he had to play the ‘bad guy’ to Richmond’s ‘good guy’ in order to ensure the success he believed Richmond deserved. And if that meant planting bones and making shady deals, if that meant lying to a paralysed man to get him out of bed, if that meant sacrificing the life of a young girl who had the power to ruin it all…, then that’s what he would do. Because that was HIS role.
ALL ALONG, AND BY NECESSITY**, THAT WAS HIS ROLE.
*facepalm in the best way*
** I added the ‘by necessity’ part there, because I do believe that the ‘bad guy’ role Jamie was playing wasn’t something that came naturally to him. And I think this is evidenced in his reactions when he’s caught out; first by his grandfather, and then by Richmond himself. His backpedalling and lies and desperate justifications make it look like he builds these intricate worlds for himself where what he’s doing is okay because it is for the greater good, or because the other person deserves it [for better - Richmond, or for worse - his grandfather]. It is his role by necessity, but he’s NOT okay with it, and in order to BE okay with it, he changes the facts in his mind so convincingly that they eventually become HIS TRUTH.
Also, how sublime was Eric Ladin’s acting in the finale? I mean, he’s been great all along, but he totally blew me away last night. One thing that really hit me when I was watching was his desperate rationalisations to Richmond about why he’d done what he’d done.
“I tried to reason with her…”
“She just wouldn’t listen…”
“It was an accident…”
None of that was strictly true. Not from what we were shown anyway. But in that moment, I completely believed that JAMIE completely believed it was. He didn’t try to reason with her at all, in fact, he barely spoke to her. And while her hitting her head when she fell could potentially be seen as an accident, his blatant beating of her with his torch in the woods and then putting her in the trunk of his car most definitely weren’t. I found that whole scene with Richmond to be so utterly revealing about Jamie’s mental state.
I also found it telling that, in those final moments, Jamie didn’t point the gun at himself [in resignation], and he didn’t point the gun at Richmond [in anger]. He pointed the gun at Linden because HE STILL BELIEVED HE COULD MAKE IT ALL ~RIGHT. BECAUSE HE STILL BELIEVED THAT WHAT HE HAD DONE WAS FOR THE RIGHT REASONS. AND THAT RICHMOND WOULD COME TO SEE THAT. AND THAT EVERYTHING WOULD BE EXACTLY AS HE’D CAREFULLY PLANNED FOR IT TO BE. Killing Linden [and Holder] FOR THE GREATER GOOD was simply the next act in his ‘bad boy’ play. And tomorrow they’d all go into the office and start their day with a coffee and a chat and get on with the business of running the city. BECAUSE, TO JAMIE, THERE WAS NO OTHER OPTION. THERE WAS NO PLAN B.
THERE WAS ONLY THIS.
ONLY, IN REALITY, THERE WAS SO VERY MUCH MORE...
Argh. If you’re still reading, THANK YOU. And I’m sorry for the word vomit. I blame the show. And you guys for being ridiculously enabling!!
I really want to talk about Terry and Stan (and Mitch and Holder) specifically, too. But considering how ridiculously out of hand this already is, those two four will just have to wait for another day!
INDULGE ME, FLISTIES! Agree with me, disagree with me. TELL ME ALL YOUR ~FEELS!