DVD/TV Series Review: The Killing: Season 3

 

The 12-episode third season of the series The Killing aired during the summer of 2013. It is set one year after the events of the Rosie Larsen case, which was the focus of Seasons 1 and 2, and is tied to a case that Linden (played by the returning Mireille Enos) had referred to during the Larsen case. At the beginning of the season, Linden had left the police department and was working for the transit authority. When Holder (played by the returning Joel Kinnaman) and his new partner discover a string of murders involving runaway teenagers, which points to Linden's prior case and brings into doubt the guilt of the man she arrested, Ray Seward (played by Peter Sarsgaard), who is on death row. The rest of the cast includes Elias Koteas, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Aaron Douglas, Jewel Staite, Ben Cotton, and Gregg Henry. 

The DVD set is a very bare-bones three-disc set. It just includes the episodes. There are no bonus features, and the episodes are not captioned. The actual episodes are very good. It is well-written and very well acted. It is a serial drama in which the storyline builds throughout the season. It does not have much action, but it does have some psychological thriller elements. The series maintains the gritty, real-world tone that the first two seasons had. Like the first two seasons, this one has its share of twists and turns, but the mystery is ultimately resolved by the end of the season, and it does not carry over into the fourth season (although the fallout from the season finale's events certainly does). It does contain some swearing, violence, and sexual content, so it is not appropriate for young kids. While events from the prior seasons are mentioned, you do not need to have watched the first two seasons to follow what is going on in this season. Ultimately, if you are a fan of murder mysteries, especially if you watched and enjoyed the first two seasons of the series, this one is worth watching.

DVD/TV Series Review: The Killing: The Complete Third Season

 

The third season of The Killing essentially resets the series after the closing of the Rosie Larsen case. It is set one year after the events of season two. Linden (Mireille Enos) did not actually move to California and is working as a Transit Authority cop on a ferry. Holder (Joel Kinnaman) is still a homicide detective with a new partner played by the very recognizable character actor Gregg Henry, named Carl Reddick. Holder and Reddick investigate the disappearance of a young runaway that ties into an old case of Linden, which was briefly mentioned during season two. This ultimately leads Linden and Holder to once again partnering with each other to try and track down a serial killer. The season also stars Elias Koteas (probably best known from the series Chicago PD) as James Skinner, Linden's former partner and current leader of the Seattle Police Department's Special Investigations Unit, Bex Taylor-Klaus (who has had character roles on Arrow, The Librarians, and iZombie and a leading role in the Scream TV series), and Peter Sarsgaard as Ray Seward, an inmate on death row for the murder of his wife. Sci-Fi nerds will also recognize Aaron Douglas (from the Battlestar reboot) as a prison guard and Jewel Staite (from Firefly) as Holder's girlfriend.

For those who get the DVD set, it is just an MOD set without any extras. Just the twelve episodes across three discs. Like many other TV series that were not massively popular and/or highly rated, even though the first season got a decent blu-ray release, seasons 2-4 only received DVD releases, with seasons 3 and 4 just getting MOD releases.

Overall, the season is very good. The acting is great, and the writing is mostly very good. The writers do try to throw a lot of twists and misdirection as they did for the Rosie Larsen storyline. As was the case in the first couple of seasons, some of the twists worked and some were pretty silly. Peter Sarsgaard absolutely stole the show this season and had the best character arc of any of the characters. The season ends on a pretty big cliffhanger, which was a risky way to go given that the show was not a shoo-in to be picked up for a fourth season. Thankfully, Netflix revived the show after AMC canceled it so the storyline does get resolved. While it was not a highly rated blockbuster show with A-list stars, it was a smart show that had a very gritty and real feeling to it that many police serials and procedurals do not. While you do not need to have watched the first season to understand what is going on (for the most part) in this season, it is a good idea to watch the first two seasons before you watch this to get the introduction and development of the two main characters. It is definitely worth the time to watch.

DVD/TV-Series Review: The Killing: Season Two

 

+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season one, but no major season two spoilers.+++

The 13-episode second season of The Killing aired during the spring and summer of 2012. Season two picks up shortly after where season one ended, with Mayoral candidate Darren Richmond being arrested for the murder of Rosie Larson. The arrest, however, drives a wedge between Linden and Holder, with Linden convinced he had nothing to do with the murder. Of course, they figure out that there is a larger conspiracy at play and manage to solve the case after having to navigate a few more twists along the way. The murder is solved, although the actual murderer is somewhat non-sensical, and I think done for shock value. The show also does very subtly set up the storyline for the next season, with an almost throwaway conversation between Linden and her boss.

The DVD set is a three-disc set. It is mostly just a MOD release, with the episodes and one short extra, Rosie's video blog that she made shortly before her murder. Given that season one got a Blu-Ray release that included some decent extras, the DVD release is a definite step down. But, if you prefer physical media, it is the only option unless you want to pay a lot more for a blu-ray import (it did get a Region 2 release on blu-ray).

Overall, the season was good but not as good as the first. As I said, the killer reveal was a bit dumb, but up to that point, the writers did a good job interweaving a bunch of different story arcs. Of course, when a show is built around one central mystery, solving the mystery can mean the death knell for the show, so they have to make it as dramatic as possible. So, I would say that the season was mostly well-written and very well acted. I liked the fact that it felt like it was grounded in the real world and you did not have a bunch of characters that looked like models. The characters looked like real people and had depth, flaws, and the like. So, if you like crime dramas, and liked the first season, this is worth watching.

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: The Killing: Season 1

 

The Killing is a crime drama that aired on AMC for three seasons and Netflix for its final season. The 13-episode first season aired during the spring and summer of 2011.  It stars Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Brent Sexton, Michelle Forbes, Billy Campbell, Kristen Lehman, and Jamie Anne Allman. The best way I can describe the series is if you mix a serial murder mystery such as Twin Peaks (without supernatural elements and quirkiness) with a cop drama where the partners don't always get along. The series is the US adaptation of a Danish TV show about the murder of a young girl named Rosie Larsen (played by Katie Findlay) in Seattle, Washington. She is found in the trunk of a car that has been submerged in a lake. The events of the season span two weeks and detail the investigation of her death by homicide detectives Sarah Linden (played by Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (played by Joel Kinnaman). The story has a lot of twists and turns and a ton of different possible suspects. There are a lot of misdirection and plot twists throughout the season, and the investigation is still ongoing as the season ends with the thirteenth episode.

The Blu-Ray set is a three-disc set. The show looks great in HD, with many good visuals of the Pacific Northwest. The extras include commentary tracks on two episodes, an extended version of the season finale, deleted scenes, a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a gag reel. So, there is a decent amount of material for those who like watching the bonus features.

Overall, the season is very good. There is a lot of character development, and not too much is revealed too soon. There are intertwining storylines, including the investigation, the family reaction to Rosie's death, and the political race for mayor, which may or may not be a factor in Rosie's killing. The series is very well written and acted, and I think the show took a risk (in a good way) by casting unknown character actors in the main roles. Joel Kinnaman has gone on to have what is probably the most notable career since the series ended, appearing in House of Cards and the Suicide Squad movies. However, when the series aired, both he and Mireille Enos were relatively unknown and definitely did not fit the mold of series leads. I know some people think the series was too slow, but I think the writers made the correct decision not to reveal the killer in the first season, as it probably would have been the Death Knell for the series since all the plotlines were tied to the murder mystery. It is definitely not family-friendly, as there is some sexual content and a lot of swearing. But if you are looking for a good combination of mystery and drama, this is definitely worth checking out.