Oh no. Just when an episode full of plot twists started to feel like semi-coherent story advancement, The Killing busted out its most soapy, absolutely ridiculous story line yet: Rosie Larsen is not Stan’s daughter, and as suggested by Alexi’s episode-ending statement, was killed for finding out said information about papa bear.
Without even addressing what a ludicrous proposition it is to consider murdering a teenage girl over finding out what sperm bank it came from, its a jarring moment that uproots every attempt at ‘realism’ the show’s been purporting for two seasons – and actually managed to attain for a few fleeting moments tonight. Now this show isn’t just a murder mystery: it’s also a political conspiracy, a eastern European mob tale… and now a family soap opera, all barely outlined by the vague, constantly changing circumstances and plot lines.
Deepening this family mess is the weird moment involving some Stan/Terry mouth interactions, something myself and most viewers predicted would happen a few weeks ago when the season premiere aired. While it didn’t turn into full-fledged network cutaway sex, it was a moment being pulled by a number of different, unexplained plot threads. We still don’t really know why Mitch left (she just kind of did, and now is just sitting around diners and skeevy hotel rooms), and we still don’t know what politician Terri is banging on the low – though you can count on him being involved somehow, since we’ve heard about him for a season and a half but never really seen much of him.
The soapy cheese doesn’t stop there: the disconnected political plot line spends a lot of the episode quietly observing how awful Darren’s life is now that he’s paralyzed: the brunettes he used to lightly sexually assault now make him piss his hospital gown, and he takes up an embarrassing amount of space on an elevator. It’s all very heavy handed and pointless, and only exists for Jamie to walk in and give him a kick in the ass with a speech about his crippled grandfather getting back a house he lost, a wife who left him, and a job that required him to be non-handicapped. It’s almost funny to go back to season 1 of The Killing and look at the way we were presented characters. Richmond was angry, shifty, super creepy, and the biggest antagonist. Now, the show’s trying to make him the biggest sob story, and after making me hate a character through a whole season (albeit completely as misguidance), I just don’t feel a whole lot of sympathy for someone who wanted to be so shady and non-chalant about his innocence last season.
We might just change the name of ‘Ghosts of the Past’ to ‘Velvetta Dial’: in Linden’s world, we get the arrival of the much-heralded father figure, who reminds Linden that she is a really shitty mom, and gets obsessed with her job in ways no rational human being ever does. Linden also asks for a cigarette, then turns another down, and generally spends a lot of time with her brow furrowed as the mysteries of Alexi the Tattooed Teenager played out for an hour.
Alexi’s drawn out interrogation and subsequent surrender of information (no big deal he held a cop at gunpoint, that’s totally cool) felt like a whole lot of plot convolution. I hesitate to call it ‘development’ or ‘movement’ because after watching 18 days of an investigation where plot threads go from important lead to cold dead end to cryptic clue, we as an audience don’t know what to trust or what is actually important. Remember, the most important piece of evidence the entire first season (and 8 month break) hinged upon turned out to be nothing but a big hoax, so everything we learned about the Russians (which wasn’t much) could really turn out to be nothing.
I’m still holding out that until we see Yarek and the mayor sitting together at a table, the show isn’t getting to the heart of whatever story it’s trying to tell, which is definitely not the story of Rosie Larsen and her murder. It’s becoming quite clear her murder was only part of a larger conspiracy, and everything we’ve learned – and are still to learn – about Rosie is simply filler, a whole bunch of drivel about teachers, casino visits, ferry drop offs, and buckets of teen angst.
I can’t believe they ended the episode with a reveal like that. What a shit show.
Grade: D
– the show is starting to approach legendary status in how awful it is. I was ready to give this episode a C until the last three minutes, an over-edited, jumpy mess where story lines just didn’t add up. The only way any of that final sequence makes sense is if the same guy Terry is banging, used to bang Mitch and fathered Rosie. That’s the only reason to film those scenes in that particular order, although I hardly think it will turn out to be the case. Really bad case of editing.
– I’m not even going to acknowledge those pathetic scenes in the diner as actually happening in this episode. What the hell is this show doing with Mitch? I don’t really think they have an answer themselves.
– some great shots by Ed Bianchi, who directed this episode: Stan leaving Mitch a message, Linden in her rear view mirror… good stuff.
– Will her bosses have to completely shut down her investigation before Linden realizes someone is pulling their strings? It’s like a big neon fucking sign.
– The Killing Season 3 will be a courtroom drama about the trial of Stan Larsen. #callingit
– was kind of hoping Jack would end up in the hospital with that flu, so he could end up in a room next to Darren and provide him some companionship.
What did you think of ‘Ghosts of the Past’? Like the twist at the end, or did it cause you to emit a large groan? Feel free to leave your thoughts about the hot mess that is The Killing in the comments section below!
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I RARELY make comment online, but after watching this episode of The Killing, I knew I would have to vent somewhere! I am certain I am one of the show’s last fans…..I mean WAS one of the show’s last fans until tonight’s episode.
I agree with your (somewhat generous) grade of “D.”
My two biggest moments of disappointment and feeling suddenly queasy, were 1)that lip-synching scene in the diner, the table for two filled with empty plates and glasses (they don’t offer refills at that restaurant?). I mean that scene was so cheesy I was embarrassed for the actors, and especially the writers, and 2)Stan comes in to tell Linden an entire list of names, confess to who knows what, and Linden tells him to GO HOME? WTHeck, folks? No, I don’t want a list of names, possible, potential suspects in my murder case, and I have no interest in your complex background, Stan, because WE ALREADY KNOW IT ALL, because we have this kid here? REALLY? Yup. Just go home, Stan.
The scene with Stan and Terry was just plain awkward and gross. And now Terry is stepping out with (probably) Rosie’s real baby daddy?
One more: Linden is all puzzled as to why Rosie hated her parents. Don’t most 17-year-old girls “hate” their parents, and share those feelings with their friends?
This show has WAY too much going on without having anything going on. I am tired, worn out, and most of all, I am angry with myself for wasting too many hours of my life watching this show, just to be deeply disappointed. I honestly believe that tonight is where it all fell (completely) apart. I am afraid, the show may have lost its last viewer (me) with this episode.
well written review. summed up my thoughts to the T.
Watching this show reminds me of the most recent trio of Star Wars movies: all we wanted to see was Darth Vader fight Obi-Wan Kenobi on the volcano planet. We really didn’t want to sit through two crappy movies to get to that, but we did anyway.
We just want to know who killed Rosie Larsen. At this point, that’s all we want to know. As the reviewer correctly put it, this show is trying to tell every other story but the central one. In fact, I think there are plot lines that are there just to fill the time until we get to the season finale.
Finally, I think Stan is the one who killed Rosie. Not because she knows he’s not her dad, but because this show has so many plot similarities to Twin Peaks (the teenage brothel/casino, the most powerful guy in town being the mains suspect for a while, the sympathetic boyfriend/confidant, the distant mother, etc.) that it would only make sense if he’s the killer.
Dude, the multiple story lines in this show, most of which are completely irrelevant of the main story, don’t even make sense anymore. I think that the writers and produceven right before each episode, are like, “Hmm, okay, we’re contractually obligated to produce a one hour show per week, so what can we do to just fill in the time?”