Tuesday, June 19, 2012

What I’m Watching: The Killing (Season Finale)




The Killing: Season 2, Episode 13 “What I Know” (B+)

After two seasons, we finally know what happened. Starting with the flashback to Rosie alive and Seeing Jamie accidentally hit Rosie too hard was somewhat underwhelming, but finding out that Terry was the one that put the car in reverse to resolve the situation without knowing that Rosie was in the one in the trunk was gut-wrenching. Watching Jamie unravel was unsettling but believable, since he was raving about how Darren was going to ascend to more power while pointing a gun at him, feeling immensely trapped in his situation. I’m not sure how he could have survived, and his death at Holder’s hands is a definitive period at the end of this long search. The news really did come at the worst time for the Larsen family, since they were finally ready to move on to their exciting new home, but the videotape that they received with her smiling so much offers fitting closure. Darren’s victory was hardly triumphant, though Mayor Adams did give him a partial compliment by dryly congratulating him on getting elected on his first try. Shutting Gwen out isn’t friendly, but losing Jamie definitely struck a blow to Darren’s sense of trust. The fact that he helped Chief Jackson get her charges thrown out is interesting since she was clearly complicit, but I guess he’s realizing that he has to play the game if he wants to survive. The final scene with Holder assuring Sarah that they got the bad guy (“Yeah, who’s that?”) and then telling her to keep in touch ended on a very moody note, with Sarah walking into the distance and a dreary, uncertain future. This season was definitely an improvement over the first, and I’d be interested to see what might happen in season three.

Season grade: B+
Season MVP: Joel Kinnaman as Holder

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