Wednesday, May 11, 2011

What I’m Watching: The Killing

The Killing: Season 1, Episode 7 “Vengeance” (B-)

Without being totally hooked on or impressed by this show, I’ll admit that I’ve gotten somewhat accustomed to the format of the show, ending each episode with a montage that turns everything on its head in the subtlest of ways, or in this case with a massive FBI raid on two local detectives. This episode was considerably intense, of course, thanks to the sense of urgency that came with ensuring that Bennett wasn’t murdered in a fit of vengeful rage by Stan, complete with pounding on the door by Sarah and some rather impolite badgering of the Larsen family by Holder. Bennett is proving to be bad news all around for everyone, lawyering up and continuing to sabotage Darren’s campaign without having any control over that. Darren’s persistence has gone from inspirational to downright counterproductive. His attempt to take a stand has resulted in a major public defeat, and it’s clear that no one, not even his own people, are behind him anymore. Holder errs his own prejudiced feelings while they’re searching the mosque, demonstrating that the Seattle of this show may not be the most forward-thinking community. Jack telling a harried Sarah that he owed her fifty million dollars was rather harsh but decently deserved, and fortunately Sarah seemed to be able to win back some favor from him by being a cool mom for once and helping him out with his paintball strategy. It’s not going to be as easy to get back on her fiancé’s good side, meaning that she may well be stuck in Seattle for some time to come.

1 comment:

Greg Boyd said...

This was probably the weakest episode so far, although the stuff involving the Larsens (as well as the acting) still made it worthwhile.

I'm getting a little worried about the show becoming too formulaic. Definitely plan on finishing the season, though. It's compelling stuff, but nowhere near the level of "Mad Men" or "Breaking Bad" yet.