AMC's "The Killing"

[Imp]

Spoiler

unless Richmond's GF/campaign manager is somehow involved in some sort of conspiracy, then I don't see how Richmond really is innocent. her testimony regarding his absence, being soaking wet is rather damning. She certainly looked rather devastated with all of the info--when no other characters were around. she wouldn't be acting at those time.

So, the mayor sends her photos of Rosie & Richmond. Following his online ID for the escort service, the one girl IDing him as the creep that wanted to drown her...Tracking the theory that Richmond was with Rosie, in the car that night, led them directly to the gas station. That's quite revealing. The only way this could work as conspiracy is if the person who anonymously doctored the toll booth photo for Holder also doctored those sent to the Mayor with Rosie & Richmond.

I had hoped that this series ended right there, as unfulfilling as that may have been. As it stands, Richmond still looks damn guilty, the doctored photo is desperate, improper police work, but ultimately doesn't change the reality of the situation (not that it's acceptable to plant such evidence). Richmond's assassination is just another (potentially) needless death as a result of sloppy police investigation. --seriously, they had the info on the gas mileage and everything regarding that car the day it was pulled from the lake. Yet they followed several hunches and assumptions that lead them in the wrong direction.

But if I had to sum up this show in one word:

RAIN.

Spoiler

Looks like the mayor, but the girlfriend looks batshit jealous and crazy. Could have followed him and taken her.

Don't see how they didn't figure out who took the car earlier. Wasn't it reported stolen early on?

Too much shit going on. Should have known something was up when everything wasn't wrapped up with only 10 minutes of show left.

 

[zinfamous]

Spoiler

Looks like the mayor, but the girlfriend looks batshit jealous and crazy. Could have followed him and taken her.

Don't see how they didn't figure out who took the car earlier. Wasn't it reported stolen early on?

Too much shit going on. Should have known something was up when everything wasn't wrapped up with only 10 minutes of show left.

Spoiler

The car was addressed in episode two, after they first pulled it out of the water and connected the murder to the campaign. Holder mentioned in the final episode--since it was asked--that the campaign forwarded the mileage and gas info the day that it was requested.

It's another clue that they had at the beginning that was either overlooked because they were following another theory, or just lazy writers, or, well, dramatic license?

and do you mean the early GF that was introduced in that final episode or his current GF? that early does look kind of crazy, but stable. I don't think the current GF is batshit crazy--she looks more devastated to me. Most of her emotions were expressed away from other characters. seems honest, to me--and that she really didn't know any of this until well after the murder (photos delivered to her by the current Mayor).

Now, I suppose...seeing those photos, she recognizes how close they are now to Richmond and herself, and her emotions could be that she now chooses to lay the blame on him. I suppose that is entirely possible. The photos from the mayor were not expected, so she concocts the testimony about Richmond being away, and gets Holder to doctor the other photo.

:hmm:

 

[0roo0roo]

lol ratings continue to drop, glad I opted out after the original bored me to tears.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/browbeat/archive/2011/06/16/charting-the-killing-s-demise.aspx

 

[BrokenVisage]

In a fair world, Breaking Bad would swoop in and fill the void left by Thrones and The Killing starting next Sunday night, but alas we must wait 1 more month..

 

[AMDZen]

I was not really happy with the ending. My theory though:

Spoiler

Richmond didn't do it, yea he is Orpheus but who doesn't like hot young girls if your powerful and rich. He only brought that other girl down to the waterfront and asked her those questions because thats how his wife died. This is conjecture but I don't think it was ever explained how Lilly died so maybe she was drown? So they immediately assumed it was Richmond after that. Any way I think Drexler the billionaire did it or that it was definitely somebody else at least. Not sure whats going on with Holder. Crazy stuff.

 

[zinfamous]

lol ratings continue to drop, glad I opted out after the original bored me to tears.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/browbeat/archive/2011/06/16/charting-the-killing-s-demise.aspx

haha, apt review.

but I tend to think of the issues with shoddy police work as central to the show--I think the message here reflects how this type of tragedy manages to destroy everything and everyone involved.

Throughout the investigation, and despite who was or wasn't guilty in the end, the inability of the police to control the leaks left a trail of devastation behind it as grieving, passionate family members struggled to deal with their inability to control their anger and grief (no one can do this, honestly). Considering that each one of their theories lead them in the wrong direction, and that the media and family were able to grab onto the details of the investigation, no one was able to escape the consequences of simple association with the murder.

Richmond's campaign was potentially destroyed several times, even though he was never a primary suspect.

 

[zinfamous]

I was not really happy with the ending. My theory though:

Spoiler

Richmond didn't do it, yea he is Orpheus but who doesn't like hot young girls if your powerful and rich. He only brought that other girl down to the waterfront and asked her those questions because thats how his wife died. This is conjecture but I don't think it was ever explained how Lilly died so maybe she was drown? So they immediately assumed it was Richmond after that. Any way I think Drexler the billionaire did it or that it was definitely somebody else at least. Not sure whats going on with Holder. Crazy stuff.

Spoiler

It was revealed early on that Rosie did indeed drown. The detective lied to the parents early on, saying that she didn't suffer, then they happened to see the photos on the board when they were in the police station. Just about everything went wrong with the investigation, haha.

I'm surprised it didn't go back to that rich kid and his punk buddy that were the first potential suspects. After they were released, realizing that all the detectives had were video of them having consensual fantasy sex with some girl, they mentioned to one another on the phone that "Everything is safe" or something like that. I forget the specifics, but there was a comment between the two suggesting that they were certainly involved in something. The show never returned to that.


Anyhoo, if it isn't Richmond, I would think the rich guy, also (he had the teenage chicks swimming around in his pool--so he seems to be another user of that escort service; or Richmond's GF...but I think that would be a cop-out.

Ah, who am I kidding, the last 5 minutes was a fucking cop-out.

 

[AMDZen]

Spoiler

It was revealed early on that Rosie did indeed drown. The detective lied to the parents early on, saying that she didn't suffer, then they happened to see the photos on the board when they were in the police station. Just about everything went wrong with the investigation, haha.

I'm surprised it didn't go back to that rich kid and his punk buddy that were the first potential suspects. After they were released, realizing that all the detectives had were video of them having consensual fantasy sex with some girl, they mentioned to one another on the phone that "Everything is safe" or something like that. I forget the specifics, but there was a comment between the two suggesting that they were certainly involved in something. The show never returned to that.


Anyhoo, if it isn't Richmond, I would think the rich guy, also (he had the teenage chicks swimming around in his pool--so he seems to be another user of that escort service; or Richmond's GF...but I think that would be a cop-out.

Ah, who am I kidding, the last 5 minutes was a fucking cop-out.

Spoiler

I know Rosie drowned, duh. I was taking about Lily. It never explained how Lily died, so maybe she drowned.Its not that weird for Richmond to drive that other escort down to the water front and ask those questions if that is the case, and yet that was the main piece of evidence to drive the police to assume that Richmond did it. He didn't do it. Where was he all Friday night and why did he come home all wet? Because he was out sleeping with some other chick, and its frickin' Seattle and in every episode the down poor is such to leave you soaking wet like you were just in a pool. Not that difficult to figure that one.

 

[zinfamous]

Spoiler

I know Rosie drowned, duh. I was taking about Lily. It never explained how Lily died, so maybe she drowned.Its not that weird for Richmond to drive that other escort down to the water front and ask those questions if that is the case, and yet that was the main piece of evidence to drive the police to assume that Richmond did it. He didn't do it. Where was he all Friday night and why did he come home all wet? Because he was out sleeping with some other chick, and its frickin' Seattle and in every episode the down poor is such to leave you soaking wet like you were just in a pool. Not that difficult to figure that one.

Spoiler

Oh, sorry. Didn't realize you were talking about his wife. Thought you confused Rosie for Lily--two flowers. :hmm:... HE OBVIOUSLY DID IT! think about it! Two flowers!

Yeah, I never put the fact that it was RAINING ALL THE DAMN TIME to explain why he would be soaking wet. hehe. Then again, they do have jackets and such. Also, it wasn't raining that night, iirc back to the first episode showing Rosie running through the woods.

 

[torpid]

Spoiler

Oh, sorry. Didn't realize you were talking about his wife. Thought you confused Rosie for Lily--two flowers. :hmm:... HE OBVIOUSLY DID IT! think about it! Two flowers!

Yeah, I never put the fact that it was RAINING ALL THE DAMN TIME to explain why he would be soaking wet. hehe. Then again, they do have jackets and such. Also, it wasn't raining that night, iirc back to the first episode showing Rosie running through the woods.

Spoiler

I thought we learned that his wife died due to a drunk driver (who was to be released from prison in one of the episodes.) Maybe he just was in a bad place in his life and wondering how the feeling compared to being drowned? And then hired several "escorts" to pose this deep anatomincal question?

 

[Imp]

Spoiler

I thought we learned that his wife died due to a drunk driver (who was to be released from prison in one of the episodes.) Maybe he just was in a bad place in his life and wondering how the feeling compared to being drowned? And then hired several "escorts" to pose this deep anatomincal question?

Maybe the drunk driver rammed the wife's car into a pond/river, or made her swerve into one.


People, lose the spoiler tags. If people don't want to be spoiled, they shouldn't be in a thread *gasp* discussing the show.

 

[zinfamous]

Spoiler

I thought we learned that his wife died due to a drunk driver (who was to be released from prison in one of the episodes.) Maybe he just was in a bad place in his life and wondering how the feeling compared to being drowned? And then hired several "escorts" to pose this deep anatomincal question?

Spoiler

Oh right. I forgot about the various scenes with him and the parole board and with the woman who killed his wife.

I suppose it's possible that she was shoved off of a bridge because of the drunk driver and then drowned--if they really wanted to make such a connection. But I believe the only thing we know is "killed by drunk driver."

 

[ric1287]

http://espn.go.com/espn/grantland/story/_/id/6680958/hackery-first-degree

 

[Spoooon]

http://espn.go.com/espn/grantland/story/_/id/6680958/hackery-first-degree

Hate-watching... too funny.

 

[arrfep]

Eh. I think the problem here is a Catch-22. People want mind-blowing, twist-filled TV. Call it the Lost Legacy. I remember as Lost was ending, and NBC was hyping "The Event," they actually billed it as "the only show where every answer creates two more questions!!" or something like that. Serial dramas get so caught up in emulating this that they compromise quality of story-telling.

I may not have been getting my mind blown on a weekly basis, but I was never bored watching it, and was eager to tune in every week. If The Killing finale had ended with

Spoiler

Linden getting on the plane and that was it,

the series would have wrapped as a well-enough written, pretty entertaining mini-series. Instead, they try and OMG LOOK HOW CRAZY WE ARE, and it kills the validity of the writing.

That last few minutes really shifted my overall opinion of the series from a "really liked" to a "meh." I agree with basically everything in Simmons' review.

 

[zinfamous]

Eh. I think the problem here is a Catch-22. People want mind-blowing, twist-filled TV. Call it the Lost Legacy. I remember as Lost was ending, and NBC was hyping "The Event," they actually billed it as "the only show where every answer creates two more questions!!" or something like that. Serial dramas get so caught up in emulating this that they compromise quality of story-telling.

I may not have been getting my mind blown on a weekly basis, but I was never bored watching it, and was eager to tune in every week. If The Killing finale had ended with

Spoiler

Linden getting on the plane and that was it,

the series would have wrapped as a well-enough written, pretty entertaining mini-series. Instead, they try and OMG LOOK HOW CRAZY WE ARE, and it kills the validity of the writing.

That last few minutes really shifted my overall opinion of the series from a "really liked" to a "meh." I agree with basically everything in Simmons' review.

exactly. I thought it was great throughout--loved the pacing and everything. But felt completely jobbed by the last fucking handful of minutes.


For a well-paced character-driven series with shockingly little action (though spectacular when it does happen), super realistic, incredibly honest story-telling and portrayals that DO NOT CHEAT YOU in the end, check out Lights Out, from FX, which ended about 3 months ago.

It was awesome, and no one watched it. :\

Seriously though--you have to be patient, b/c these days, people are so shocked by the lack of action that they probably crucify things like this. It was the best new thing on TV that I've seen in some time.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1379690/

 

[goog40]

I hope season 2 is a one-episode season where Mitch murders Linden for being such a shitty detective (and hopefully Jack too for being an annoying prick). That's about the only way I can think of for the show to redeem itself.

 

[arrfep]

exactly. I thought it was great throughout--loved the pacing and everything. But felt completely jobbed by the last fucking handful of minutes.


For a well-paced character-driven series with shockingly little action (though spectacular when it does happen), super realistic, incredibly honest story-telling and portrayals that DO NOT CHEAT YOU in the end, check out Lights Out, from FX, which ended about 3 months ago.

It was awesome, and no one watched it. :\

Hahaha....Untrue! It was one of my two weekly shows (along with Justified) over the winter. I think I actually tried starting the "official" ATOT thread about it, and was kind of surprised to see literally almost no one I knew had even heard of it. So that one, I can understand not being renewed. While it did have a shocking ending, it was justified, foreshadowed, and made for a perfect story arc. I have a feeling if there was a Season 2, it would not have been very good.

 

[Gibsons]

Spoiler

Oh, sorry. Didn't realize you were talking about his wife. Thought you confused Rosie for Lily--two flowers. :hmm:... HE OBVIOUSLY DID IT! think about it! Two flowers!

Yeah, I never put the fact that it was RAINING ALL THE DAMN TIME to explain why he would be soaking wet. hehe. Then again, they do have jackets and such. Also, it wasn't raining that night, iirc back to the first episode showing Rosie running through the woods.

I don't think this is a spoiler...

It wasn't raining for those two minutes. But it probably was raining the other 23 hours and 58 minutes of that day.

 

[Lamont Burns]

Watched it off DVR last night, soon as it ended I said "fuck that" and I think I'm done. The Slate article was spot on for how I've felt about the series.

I had thought it would be a 1 season wrap up, or at least a 1 season storyline.

The councilman was wet... no shit!?!? Zinfamous is right about the 1 word description: RAIN.

 

[Spineshank]

Has no one guessed it being Gwen's father? Hes rich and powerful. Knew Gwen was with Richmond. Didnt seem to care for him. Could have bought Holder. Knew that Richmond was with Rosie so he killed her to set it up to make it look like it was Richmond.

 

[AMDZen]

Spoiler

Oh, sorry. Didn't realize you were talking about his wife. Thought you confused Rosie for Lily--two flowers. :hmm:... HE OBVIOUSLY DID IT! think about it! Two flowers!

Yeah, I never put the fact that it was RAINING ALL THE DAMN TIME to explain why he would be soaking wet. hehe. Then again, they do have jackets and such. Also, it wasn't raining that night, iirc back to the first episode showing Rosie running through the woods.

Spoiler

Unfortunetely we already pretty much know that he isn't the killer, there have been interviews with the show (director maybe) that spoiled it saying that the killer isn't discovered in the first season. So whatever theory you want to devise as of now is up to you

 

[AMDZen]

Watched it off DVR last night, soon as it ended I said "fuck that" and I think I'm done. The Slate article was spot on for how I've felt about the series.

I had thought it would be a 1 season wrap up, or at least a 1 season storyline.

The congressman was wet... no shit!?!? Zinfamous is right about the 1 word description: RAIN.

It was me, actually, who made that very obvious point, zinfamous didn't so much agree and even admitted he hadn't thought of it

 

[Lamont Burns]

OK, sounds good.

 

[Perknose]

I still like the show and eagerly await Season 2. Despite its flaws, it's still better than 98% of what else is on TV . . . or in the theaters, for that matter, imho.

I think the next suspect is the mayoral candidates current g/f. She gave him up awful fast, and with a bit too much eagerness and detail (he was WET!) to the cop.

Of course, it will turn out not to be her, either. That's the way this show rolls.

I really like the way almost all the characters have been portrayed in this show -- real life and multi-faceted. There's not ONE shiny, clean character without any flaws, just like IRL.

The fact that there's not one supermodel playing a brain surgeon or chief of police by itself puts this show in an elite class.