After the tremendous success of Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead it was quite apparent that the AMC network was on a winning streak. Unfortunately with the triumphs of those three shows, a little murder mystery series snuck in through the backdoor and somehow got lost in all the hoopla.
The Killing, inspired by the Danish series Forbrydelsen, is a compelling crime drama that absorbs the viewer's interest into it ever so slowly with it’s moody atmosphere and subdued character arc reveals.
Developed by former Cold Case writer Verea Sud, The Killing aims to stand apart from the legions and legions of other crime dramas littering the airwaves these days and it does so by leaning closer to a similar storytelling style as Twin Peaks. Instead of wrapping up the mystery in one episode only to stumble into a whole new one the next week, The Killling follows a single case over the entire season.
Following the murder of a Seattle high school girl Rosie Larsen, it shows how the case heavily affects three different plot lines and reveals how each character has a secret to hide. It's absolutely heartbreaking, awkward and disturbing how well it's portrayed by the ensemble cast.
Beautifully shot, with Vancouver, Canada standing in for Seattle, The Killing makes the most of the rain, the clouds and of course: the dark. With the screen engulfed in shadows and nary a color to brighten things up, with the exception of the dead girl’s clothes and room, it sometimes feels just a little too heavy for the average viewer.
It's slow pacing and story stretched out over the full season requires patience from the viewer and that ultimately killed it's ratings. Which is a shame, because it's such a brilliantly structured series that never gets overly complicated or silly to ruin the mood.
13 episodes. 55 minutes each.
Episodes to see:
Watch them all. They’re all part of a complete story that stays solid from start to finish.
Buyer’s Guide:
Available on iTunes & Amazon in Standard & High Defintion editions.
Available on DVD & Blu-ray on March 13, 2012.
Available on iTunes & Amazon in Standard & High Defintion editions.
Available on DVD & Blu-ray on March 13, 2012.
4 cigarettes out of 5
3 comments:
I watched the trailer, it looked interesting. If it avoids all that convenient CSI crap and too much melodrama it could be a keeper. Plus John Murphy in the trailer! I approve.
It's wonderful.
It never gets too melodramatic and stays very real when things do get emotional.
It's more character based than CSI and stuff like that. In fact there's one episode that goes completely off the main story to just build on character relationships. So wonderful. I applauded them for having the balls to do that.
It made me angry to read reviews afterwards. So many impatient people want there story wrapped up in one episode and since it didn't they trashed the series.
Fuckers.
It may have been having to do with waiting a week for an episode? It can lessen the drama in arcs. I like to binge.
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