So with summer gone and the new TV season starting up, a quick look back on what I wasted my time with over the past few months:
Under the Dome - we're about halfway through this, and I'm not particularly impressed. Too exposition-heavy, odd moments of illogic (a meningitis outbreak that can be cured in hours using one dose of antibiotics, no one finds that strange?), and not particularly great acting (though the guy playing James "Junior" Rennie could probably make a career out of playing sociopaths). But it's interesting enough for a summer series, I suppose. It is picking up a bit now that the thing that's apparently causing the dome has been discovered.
Hell's Kitchen/MasterChef - I found the former more watchable this time around if only for the casting of perhaps the most incompetent group of one gender in the show's history (the men, who proved almost incapable of winning a team challenge). The latter is much more watchable this time around, not sure if it's the contestants or the (relative) streamlining of the tryouts. It's not the Walmart product placements or the Glee-themed episode, which pretty much proved that Jane Lynch will appear in anything (as if Celebrity Game Night didn't do that already).
Masterpiece - after working through Mr. Selfridge (kind of not worth it, unless 14 episodes of Jeremy Piven given license to overact is your kind of thing), we got what appears to be the last season of Inspector Lewis (boo) and the first season of Endeavor, a Morse prequel series that I've enjoyed quite a bit. Neither have particularly long runs (3 and 5 episodes respectively, I think), so easy to cover if you're so inclined.
The Killing - you may have noticed that I tailed off of the weekly coverage, thanks in part to a move and in part to the show not really having three characters who have an "up" episode every week. Turns out the show's been cancelled (for good this time), which isn't helping me finish the season. Don't think I'll miss the show per se, but I will miss Joel Kinnaman's performances as Stephen Holder. Here's to hoping he gets the higher profile role he deserves, but soon.
American Ninja Warrior - modeled after a Japanese show, it features a variety of folks (many of whom are either rock climbers or devotees of Parkour/freerunning) trying to conquer obstacle courses in the hopes of conquering the final one (which has never been done). It's not something we'd have tuned into, but the oldest boy found it one rainy weekend afternoon and it quickly became his program of choice. I fear future trips to the park will be ruined as he finds that none of them have a salmon ladder or warped wall. Also problematic is the change from G4 to Esquire Network, as the show went off air for a few weekends, but it appears to be back, for better or worse.
Showing posts with label The Killing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Killing. Show all posts
Monday, October 07, 2013
Sunday, July 07, 2013
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing, "Head Shots"
Three Up
3. Ray Emery. His attempt at making a connection with Hill, and then taking the pill so Becker will stop beating Hill, shows that he still can feel and connect. The only problem is that it allows others to manipulate you and derail your attempts to manipulate others. Emery will figure out a way to get back at Becker, but for now Emery has to reflect on the fact that all of his beatings and injuries at the hands of his father and various gangs may not have made him the hardened character he tries to be.
Honorable Mention: Mama Dips. The (manager? owner? madame?) of the Queens Motel, she quickly finds herself on the wrong side of the law when Holder is able to connect the motel to the sex tapes and get a warrant. Things get worse when it's found that she has a warning buzzer to the hidden room where the taping took place. She's putting on a brave face for the cops - saying she's the voice on the tapes, and where is the soda she was promised? - but you have to think she's lying to cover for someone who can do her real harm. She is, at least, entertaining about it.
1. Goldie Willis. He's not in the episode much, but he makes maximum use of his time. He leads Holder and Reddick (who are staking him out) to the retaining pond where all the bodies were discovered and throws a makeshift press conference with his mom at his side. He claims he is not the serial killer (giving the killer the media-friendly nickname of the Pied Piper) and that the cops aren't even telling anyone about Kallie being missing and likely with the actual serial killer. This causes the expected problems with the Seattle police, and indirectly reunites Linden and Holder. Which may not be the best thing for Goldie in the long run (they'll figure out if Goldie's involved well before Reddick ever would), but for now it throws the heat off of him.
2. Sarah Linden. Is back partnering with Holder after Goldie's press conference and a chance to dish back to Reddick what he's been dishing to Holder (and presumably others) about her. She's also able to make some connections that help her and Holder figure out who is making the sex tapes in the motel (more of whom anon). She's not made the leap she most wants - connecting all of this to the Emery killing - but she's back with her partner and making headway.
3. Francis Becker. Emery continues to manipulate things on the cell block - he doesn't obey the junior guard's order to take antibiotics, and is developing a friendship with his chatty block-mate, Hill. None of this is to Becker's liking, so he invites the junior guard home for dinner (they're both working double shifts, Becker's house is closer to the prison, and the junior guard doesn't really want to go home). There Becker's wife and son quickly give a picture of how unpleasant life is at casa Becker, and Becker quickly gets the other guard to admit that Emery didn't take his medicine. Becker then kills two birds with one stone by beating Hill until Emery takes the pill. Hill tries to get Emery to not give in, but he does. So Becker's back in charge, for now at least, though Emery's unlikely to be done challenging authority (he's acknowledged that the system has already bested him, so what does he have to lose?) and Becker's wife is pretty clearly willing to give the younger guard some of what Becker's not been around the house to get (by which I mean sex). So, like Goldie, this may just be a short term win.
Honorable Mention: Bullet. She's still working with Holder on finding Kallie, and is able to give him information that leads to the raid on the motel. She also shows how deeply protective she is of her fellow street kids when she goes with Twitch to the park to score, because she knows what a bad idea that is and that Twitch will need someone there, if just to pick up the pieces. We see more of what's behind Bullet's brave face in this episode, and it shows that there is a difference between her and the other street kids, even if she has to hide that to survive.
2. Sarah Linden. Is back partnering with Holder after Goldie's press conference and a chance to dish back to Reddick what he's been dishing to Holder (and presumably others) about her. She's also able to make some connections that help her and Holder figure out who is making the sex tapes in the motel (more of whom anon). She's not made the leap she most wants - connecting all of this to the Emery killing - but she's back with her partner and making headway.
3. Francis Becker. Emery continues to manipulate things on the cell block - he doesn't obey the junior guard's order to take antibiotics, and is developing a friendship with his chatty block-mate, Hill. None of this is to Becker's liking, so he invites the junior guard home for dinner (they're both working double shifts, Becker's house is closer to the prison, and the junior guard doesn't really want to go home). There Becker's wife and son quickly give a picture of how unpleasant life is at casa Becker, and Becker quickly gets the other guard to admit that Emery didn't take his medicine. Becker then kills two birds with one stone by beating Hill until Emery takes the pill. Hill tries to get Emery to not give in, but he does. So Becker's back in charge, for now at least, though Emery's unlikely to be done challenging authority (he's acknowledged that the system has already bested him, so what does he have to lose?) and Becker's wife is pretty clearly willing to give the younger guard some of what Becker's not been around the house to get (by which I mean sex). So, like Goldie, this may just be a short term win.
Honorable Mention: Bullet. She's still working with Holder on finding Kallie, and is able to give him information that leads to the raid on the motel. She also shows how deeply protective she is of her fellow street kids when she goes with Twitch to the park to score, because she knows what a bad idea that is and that Twitch will need someone there, if just to pick up the pieces. We see more of what's behind Bullet's brave face in this episode, and it shows that there is a difference between her and the other street kids, even if she has to hide that to survive.
Three Down
1. Danette Lutz. The mother of the year campaign kicks into high gear
when Linden stops by again to ask Danette if she's seen Kallie, and in
revealing that Kallie's been hooking gets the response from Danette that
it's a phase and she'll grow out of it (which makes one wonder how
Danette conceived Kallie in the first place). Danette also admits that
she locked Kallie out of the trailer the night she disappeared, an act
which finally seems to work a chink in Danette's armor (something the
sex tape didn't even seem to do). The capper is that Danette's boyfriend
is none other than the man behind the sex tapes, Joe Mills (who Kallie
previously said creeped her out and whom Lyric has provided certain
services for in the past). There is like not a single choice Danette has
made that's working in her favor.
2. Twitch. One clean drug test before moving to L.A., but Twitch's PO has some bad news - he failed his last test. That, of course, is a lie, but the PO knows how to rig the system to his own advantage. Which, in this case, is teaching Twitch a lesson by sodomizing him in the back of his car. Clearly, there are issues here, but we don't dwell on them but instead see that Twitch (who is not into dudes) is driven right back to heroin due to this. He later goes out to a park to score and gets beaten by some punks for his trouble. Lyric tells him that she'll nurse him back to health, so if nothing else he still has the love of a girl that he doesn't really deserve.
2. Twitch. One clean drug test before moving to L.A., but Twitch's PO has some bad news - he failed his last test. That, of course, is a lie, but the PO knows how to rig the system to his own advantage. Which, in this case, is teaching Twitch a lesson by sodomizing him in the back of his car. Clearly, there are issues here, but we don't dwell on them but instead see that Twitch (who is not into dudes) is driven right back to heroin due to this. He later goes out to a park to score and gets beaten by some punks for his trouble. Lyric tells him that she'll nurse him back to health, so if nothing else he still has the love of a girl that he doesn't really deserve.
3. Ray Emery. His attempt at making a connection with Hill, and then taking the pill so Becker will stop beating Hill, shows that he still can feel and connect. The only problem is that it allows others to manipulate you and derail your attempts to manipulate others. Emery will figure out a way to get back at Becker, but for now Emery has to reflect on the fact that all of his beatings and injuries at the hands of his father and various gangs may not have made him the hardened character he tries to be.
Honorable Mention: Mama Dips. The (manager? owner? madame?) of the Queens Motel, she quickly finds herself on the wrong side of the law when Holder is able to connect the motel to the sex tapes and get a warrant. Things get worse when it's found that she has a warning buzzer to the hidden room where the taping took place. She's putting on a brave face for the cops - saying she's the voice on the tapes, and where is the soda she was promised? - but you have to think she's lying to cover for someone who can do her real harm. She is, at least, entertaining about it.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing, "Seventeen"
Three Up
1. Sarah Linden. Linden is back on the job, signed up by her old partner to help with the investigation into all of the bodies she found in that pond. She spends the episode looking for Kallie Leeds, and manages to do so without noticeably falling down the rat hole. Her search comes to fruition when a video of Kallie turns up in the stash of kiddie porn found at Goldie's place during a raid. While there's no guarantee she's still alive, the footage at least gives hope that Kallie is still alive.
Ray Emery
2. Steven Holder. Holder and Reddick are assigned to finding identities for the 17 bodies, but Holder focuses on finding Bullet. When he does she gives him the tip that Kallie may be locked up at Goldie's. The raid turns up Goldie and a stash of child porn, including the recording with Kallie mentioned earlier. But there is a looming problem for Holder - he may be falling down the rat hole instead of Linden, spending all of his time at the office and forgetting that he should do something on Valentine's Day for his girlfriend.
3. James Skinner. Skinner is heading up the investigation, and appears to be cool, composed and solidly professional. He's mindful of how bringing Linden in on the case may be problematic, both based on her history and on their history (though he was apparently unaware that his wife knew he and Linden were shagging). Problem: while watching Holder and Reddick interrogate Goldie, Skinner seems intent in pinning the 17 murders on him. Which suggests he may have been similarly intent on sending up Ray Emery.
Honorable Mention: Carl Reddick. It says as much about the show as it does Reddick that he gets mention for mostly doing his job. We do get more insight as to why he's a good partner for Holder - their good cop/bad cop rap is polished, and Reddick does seem attuned to Holder's personal gaps (the Valentine's Day reminder, for example). Still, he's a 9 to 5er who may not see the eventual reunion of Linden and Holden coming.
Three Down
1. Goldie. So after attacking Bullet, Goldie gets busted after she rats him out for holding someone in his apartment that she believes is Kallie. It's not, but he's busted with child porn, so he's pretty much screwed, even without taking into account that he may get put on the hook for the 17 murders. He does make Holder and Reddick's stake out, and thus manages not to lead them to anything that would get him into more trouble, at least until the recording with Kallie turns up. Things are going to get worse for him, no question.
2. Bullet. Still hurting after being raped by Goldie, she pulls herself together to some extent, and then manages to point Holder in Goldie's direction saying she thinks he's got Kallie locked up in his apartment. It winds up being a different girl, but it does help Bullett get some revenge. It also may lead some of the other kids to think Bullet might be a rat. On the plus side, Bullet does get to have a couple of tender moments with Lyric, but both are tainted. One is cut short when Twitch shows up and says he's going out to see where the bodies were found, the other comes when they get to the pond, and see all of the locations where bodies were found marked off and lit. It's then that it hits home for Bullet and Lyric that their "dates" may have deadly consequences.
3. Ray Emery. I'm not sure what's going on with Ray. He manages to get someone to sneak in a razor blade for him (hidden in a bar of soap, so suggests it's a guard or other prison functionary), but when it appears he's going to use it against Becker (after goading him with a story about how Ray maimed Becker's brother in a prison riot a few years before), but doesn't get the chance. Ray finally uses the blade to remove a tattoo from his chest that commemorates the birth of his son. Not sure if that was the original intent, but for all of the talk about his son this episode, he may figure it's better to cut his son loose to protect him than to use the blade to hurt Becker for no obvious end.
Honorable Mention: Coroner. So he's got to examine 17 bodies (or at least perform some exams and review the others), assemble dental records for the victims that still had teeth, deal with parents who are hanging out in the hallway waiting to see if one of the victims is their daughter, and deal with Linden popping in asking questions looking to link the 17 dead with Emery's wife. Pretty sure this guy does not get paid enough.
1. Sarah Linden. Linden is back on the job, signed up by her old partner to help with the investigation into all of the bodies she found in that pond. She spends the episode looking for Kallie Leeds, and manages to do so without noticeably falling down the rat hole. Her search comes to fruition when a video of Kallie turns up in the stash of kiddie porn found at Goldie's place during a raid. While there's no guarantee she's still alive, the footage at least gives hope that Kallie is still alive.
Ray Emery
2. Steven Holder. Holder and Reddick are assigned to finding identities for the 17 bodies, but Holder focuses on finding Bullet. When he does she gives him the tip that Kallie may be locked up at Goldie's. The raid turns up Goldie and a stash of child porn, including the recording with Kallie mentioned earlier. But there is a looming problem for Holder - he may be falling down the rat hole instead of Linden, spending all of his time at the office and forgetting that he should do something on Valentine's Day for his girlfriend.
3. James Skinner. Skinner is heading up the investigation, and appears to be cool, composed and solidly professional. He's mindful of how bringing Linden in on the case may be problematic, both based on her history and on their history (though he was apparently unaware that his wife knew he and Linden were shagging). Problem: while watching Holder and Reddick interrogate Goldie, Skinner seems intent in pinning the 17 murders on him. Which suggests he may have been similarly intent on sending up Ray Emery.
Honorable Mention: Carl Reddick. It says as much about the show as it does Reddick that he gets mention for mostly doing his job. We do get more insight as to why he's a good partner for Holder - their good cop/bad cop rap is polished, and Reddick does seem attuned to Holder's personal gaps (the Valentine's Day reminder, for example). Still, he's a 9 to 5er who may not see the eventual reunion of Linden and Holden coming.
Three Down
1. Goldie. So after attacking Bullet, Goldie gets busted after she rats him out for holding someone in his apartment that she believes is Kallie. It's not, but he's busted with child porn, so he's pretty much screwed, even without taking into account that he may get put on the hook for the 17 murders. He does make Holder and Reddick's stake out, and thus manages not to lead them to anything that would get him into more trouble, at least until the recording with Kallie turns up. Things are going to get worse for him, no question.
2. Bullet. Still hurting after being raped by Goldie, she pulls herself together to some extent, and then manages to point Holder in Goldie's direction saying she thinks he's got Kallie locked up in his apartment. It winds up being a different girl, but it does help Bullett get some revenge. It also may lead some of the other kids to think Bullet might be a rat. On the plus side, Bullet does get to have a couple of tender moments with Lyric, but both are tainted. One is cut short when Twitch shows up and says he's going out to see where the bodies were found, the other comes when they get to the pond, and see all of the locations where bodies were found marked off and lit. It's then that it hits home for Bullet and Lyric that their "dates" may have deadly consequences.
3. Ray Emery. I'm not sure what's going on with Ray. He manages to get someone to sneak in a razor blade for him (hidden in a bar of soap, so suggests it's a guard or other prison functionary), but when it appears he's going to use it against Becker (after goading him with a story about how Ray maimed Becker's brother in a prison riot a few years before), but doesn't get the chance. Ray finally uses the blade to remove a tattoo from his chest that commemorates the birth of his son. Not sure if that was the original intent, but for all of the talk about his son this episode, he may figure it's better to cut his son loose to protect him than to use the blade to hurt Becker for no obvious end.
Honorable Mention: Coroner. So he's got to examine 17 bodies (or at least perform some exams and review the others), assemble dental records for the victims that still had teeth, deal with parents who are hanging out in the hallway waiting to see if one of the victims is their daughter, and deal with Linden popping in asking questions looking to link the 17 dead with Emery's wife. Pretty sure this guy does not get paid enough.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing, "That You Fear the Most"
Three Up
1, Steven Holder. Holder manages to hold on to the Kwon case, which pisses his partner off, especially when Holder seems interested in actually investigating the case and not just closing it. Holder still has the sense that there's a case here with a connection to the Emery case, even though Linden tries to keep the two unlinked. He's also run across a possible connection to the now-missing Kallie. We also get to meet Holder's girlfriend, and they have a nice chemistry. That bodes poorly, knowing this show.
2. Twitch. Lyric's boyfriend/pimp, he's an aspiring model/actor who is planning to leave for LA once his parole is over. His control over Lyric is pretty obvious, as she does what he says in terms of working or not working, even when he blows all of their money on an "investment" of hair dye (to give him a more model-like look, I guess). It's easy to see why Bullet doesn't like Twitch, as he's a manipulative git whose interest in Lyric is pretty much limited to what he can get out of her.
3. Regi Darnell. A short but effective appearance, as she discovers Linden reviewing the Emery case and tells her off. She sort of accepts that Linden is going to be Linden about this, but she's also very clear that she has no words to dissuade or support Linden at this point. You get the sense that Regi is close to being done with Linden, and that may be for the best for Regi and her wife.
Honorable Mention: Francis Becker. The senior guard at the unit holding Ray Emery, he gets to dress down an underling for allowing Emery to use the phone (which he uses to call Linden's old partner, inviting him to the hanging), sit outside of Emery's cell to read him the manual on hangings, and then move a new, chatty inmate (who apparently knows Emery) across the hall from Emery. All ball busting all the time, which I think is how Becker likes his work.
Three Down
1. Bullet. Kallie's disappearance has hit Bullet hard, and she spends most of the episode trying to track her down. She has a short and unproductive interaction with Kallie's mom (who doesn't care that her daughter is missing), and gets the business from Holder when she goes to the cops to see if Kallie was run in. Twitch suggests Kallie is with Goldie, a local low-life who Bullet had a run in with earlier. When she breaks into his place, Goldie jumps her and holds her at knife point and rapes her. Awful.
2. Ray Emery. Things start out well for him - he cons the younger guard into getting him phone time, and he seems to be enjoying the reading from the hanging manual. But when Linden shows up and displays one of Emery's son's paintings of the wood, he suddenly terminates their interview and is brooding for the rest of the episode (which isn't surprising given the ending). That he gets a new motor-mouth blockmate isn't helping.
3. Sarah Linden. Linden's doubts about Emery's guilt build, thanks to a visit to the crime scene and with Holder. She also visits her old partner, who says to let it go (the ex-partner's wife also tells her to never come by again, suggesting Linden and her partner were involved). Linden's visit to Emery, where she shows him his son's picture of trees, leads her to visit the son and discover he's drawing the trees again. This leads her to the actual trees, and in the trees a body of water that's apparently a dumping ground for bodies (all of whom I assume were nearly decapitated and have a finger broken post-mortem). Linden has already lost her boyfriend over this case (perhaps smart to get out early), and is poised to lose everyone and everything by getting back into the case that broke her.
Honorable Mention: Pastor Mike. He runs the shelter where most of the kids in the episode get food and occasionally stay over. He has what might be the most thankless job in the world, keeping track of street kids while trying to keep pimps and abusive family and exes away. It'll get worse during his inevitable period as a suspect.
1, Steven Holder. Holder manages to hold on to the Kwon case, which pisses his partner off, especially when Holder seems interested in actually investigating the case and not just closing it. Holder still has the sense that there's a case here with a connection to the Emery case, even though Linden tries to keep the two unlinked. He's also run across a possible connection to the now-missing Kallie. We also get to meet Holder's girlfriend, and they have a nice chemistry. That bodes poorly, knowing this show.
2. Twitch. Lyric's boyfriend/pimp, he's an aspiring model/actor who is planning to leave for LA once his parole is over. His control over Lyric is pretty obvious, as she does what he says in terms of working or not working, even when he blows all of their money on an "investment" of hair dye (to give him a more model-like look, I guess). It's easy to see why Bullet doesn't like Twitch, as he's a manipulative git whose interest in Lyric is pretty much limited to what he can get out of her.
3. Regi Darnell. A short but effective appearance, as she discovers Linden reviewing the Emery case and tells her off. She sort of accepts that Linden is going to be Linden about this, but she's also very clear that she has no words to dissuade or support Linden at this point. You get the sense that Regi is close to being done with Linden, and that may be for the best for Regi and her wife.
Honorable Mention: Francis Becker. The senior guard at the unit holding Ray Emery, he gets to dress down an underling for allowing Emery to use the phone (which he uses to call Linden's old partner, inviting him to the hanging), sit outside of Emery's cell to read him the manual on hangings, and then move a new, chatty inmate (who apparently knows Emery) across the hall from Emery. All ball busting all the time, which I think is how Becker likes his work.
Three Down
1. Bullet. Kallie's disappearance has hit Bullet hard, and she spends most of the episode trying to track her down. She has a short and unproductive interaction with Kallie's mom (who doesn't care that her daughter is missing), and gets the business from Holder when she goes to the cops to see if Kallie was run in. Twitch suggests Kallie is with Goldie, a local low-life who Bullet had a run in with earlier. When she breaks into his place, Goldie jumps her and holds her at knife point and rapes her. Awful.
2. Ray Emery. Things start out well for him - he cons the younger guard into getting him phone time, and he seems to be enjoying the reading from the hanging manual. But when Linden shows up and displays one of Emery's son's paintings of the wood, he suddenly terminates their interview and is brooding for the rest of the episode (which isn't surprising given the ending). That he gets a new motor-mouth blockmate isn't helping.
3. Sarah Linden. Linden's doubts about Emery's guilt build, thanks to a visit to the crime scene and with Holder. She also visits her old partner, who says to let it go (the ex-partner's wife also tells her to never come by again, suggesting Linden and her partner were involved). Linden's visit to Emery, where she shows him his son's picture of trees, leads her to visit the son and discover he's drawing the trees again. This leads her to the actual trees, and in the trees a body of water that's apparently a dumping ground for bodies (all of whom I assume were nearly decapitated and have a finger broken post-mortem). Linden has already lost her boyfriend over this case (perhaps smart to get out early), and is poised to lose everyone and everything by getting back into the case that broke her.
Honorable Mention: Pastor Mike. He runs the shelter where most of the kids in the episode get food and occasionally stay over. He has what might be the most thankless job in the world, keeping track of street kids while trying to keep pimps and abusive family and exes away. It'll get worse during his inevitable period as a suspect.
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing, "The Jungle"
Another season of rain and murder!
Three Up
1. Steven Holder. It's been a year since the Larsen case wrapped, and in that time Holder's gone 7 for 7 with murder cases. His personal life seems to be back in order, too. So when his instincts tell him that the dead teenaged prostitute who just cropped up needs further investigation, he keeps with the case even after his new partner fobs it off on another similarly useless cop. Holder makes a connection to a case Linden mentioned during the Larsen case (the one with the boy who was locked in a closet with the victim - his mother - for a week). He visits Linden to see if there's something to this, but she says that killer is in prison, so no connection. It'll be interesting to see how much this new case (or cases) screws up the progress Holder's made over the last year.
Three Up
1. Steven Holder. It's been a year since the Larsen case wrapped, and in that time Holder's gone 7 for 7 with murder cases. His personal life seems to be back in order, too. So when his instincts tell him that the dead teenaged prostitute who just cropped up needs further investigation, he keeps with the case even after his new partner fobs it off on another similarly useless cop. Holder makes a connection to a case Linden mentioned during the Larsen case (the one with the boy who was locked in a closet with the victim - his mother - for a week). He visits Linden to see if there's something to this, but she says that killer is in prison, so no connection. It'll be interesting to see how much this new case (or cases) screws up the progress Holder's made over the last year.
2. Sarah Linden. Speaking of progress, Linden is now working for whatever branch of state government runs the ferries between the mainland and the Puget Sound islands. She now lives on one of them, apparently with a co-worker/boyfriend. She also seems to have her personal life back in order, running every day and keeping busy with a good, if low paying, job. But under that surface the old Linden still lurks, as we see when she retrieves the old case file that Holder asks for after he's gone, and when her toast at Regi's wedding becomes less about the couple and more about being true to herself. Her borderline, not always in control self. It's particularly Linden-like when, after discovering a sick cow during a run, she goes home, gets her gun, and puts the cow out of its misery, ignoring her boyfriend's question about the case file along the way. If the guy is smart, he'll start sleeping on the dock.
3. Jack Holder. He's back for Regi's wedding, and may have his life most in order, as he's living with his dad in Chicago and doing well at school, Still, he misses his mother, and asks her why she's still in Seattle when she could move to Chicago and see him more often. She doesn't have a good answer for that, shockingly.
Honorable Mention: Regi Darnell. She's married! To another woman! Hopefully their honeymoon won't be cut short by Regi having to intervene with Linden again. At least she won't have to be Jack's de facto foster parent.
Three Down
1. Ashley. Our victim, who did not go gentle into that goodnight. I don't think we ever got a last name for her, which is sadder still. Look for her rings (which were not present when her body was recovered) to play a significant role in the near future (more anon).
2. Ray Emery. The husband of the woman who was killed and father of the son locked in a closet with her corpse, Emery is now 30 days from execution, and doesn't look to be fighting it. In fact, his assault on a prison chaplain seems to be part of a plan to make his execution as notable as possible (he also wants a hanging rather than an injection, which is apparently an option in Washington). So I'm not sure he's a loser here - he seems to be getting what he wants - but he's pretty clearly going to die. Unless his letter to Linden (I'm assuming the Department of Corrections envelope she received is from him) helps stoke her belief that there was something off about his case...
3. Kallie Leeds. Kallie is one of a group of homeless teens that apparently included Ashley. Except she's not exactly homeless; her mom lives in the area, and she's able to go home, but her mother clearly doesn't want her there (she tells Kallie to her face that her birth was the worst thing to ever happen to her). So she's functionall homeless, and spends most of her time with Bullet, an abrasive (and very butch) girl of about the same age. Kallie doesn't have Bullet's problems - her mouth gets her in trouble, and she's got feelings for another girl who is with an older homeless teen - but the ride she takes at the end of the episode may very well be her last (based on the similarities between the way the first and last shots of the episode).
Honorable Mention: that cow. Linden comes across a (apparently abandoned) cattle shed during a run, and for all of the skeletons lying around manages to find one sick cow, which she later puts down. I'm just wondering how that cow managed to hang on when all of the other ones are long since dead. On the other hand, maybe I don't want to know.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing
Three Up
3. Darren Richmond. Ladies and gentlemen, your new mayor of Seattle: Darren Richmond! Don't expect to hear a few words from him, though, as he's with one of his staffers, who is confessing to murder. And once that's over, he's going to break the heart of another one by "moving on" into politics as usual, as his first post-election meeting is with Chief Jackson and Michael Ames, who are recently sprung from jail and ready to talk about the waterfront. So while the man has won, his ideals have lost, badly.
2. The Larsen Family. OK, not a complete win given what happens the last time we see them in Rosie's room, but they are also moving on, literally, moving into the house that Stan bought. But before that happens they get a mystery movie in the mail, and it's Rosie's last film, where she tells them that she's taking off to see the world, but that she loves all of them and will return. It's a tearful yet positive bonding moment for the family, knowing that no matter what Rosie did love them.
1. Sarah Linden. She makes the final connection to what actually happened at the lake, and gets Terry to admit to what she did. She earns her badge back, but when the call comes in to her and Holder to pick up a new case she gets out of the car. She's also moving on, choosing something other than homicide, which is very much to her benefit. The last shot is of her walking, heading hopefully to get her life back in order.
Three Down
3. Rosie Larsen. Avenged, but still dead. Plus we get to see just how things went down the night she died, and it's pretty grim, especially when the car slips into the lake, and we hear screaming - until we don't.
2. Jamie Wright. As Jamie's drunk grandfather tells Richmond that Jamie lied about the story with him and his leg, old grandad also mentions that Jamie wasn't with him on the night of the murder. Jamie takes Richmond back to the office, and admits that he killed Rosie. She was on the 10th floor of the Wapi Eagle when Jamie met with Jackson and Ames about the bones buried on the waterfront, and Jamie beats her when she can't explain why she's there. He drives her out to the lake thinking she's dead, only to learn otherwise when the car goes in the water. He says he did it - did everything - to get Richmond into office. When the cops finally show up he aims a gun at Linden, and Holder shoots him dead. But as Richmond goes ahead and meets with Jackson and Ames, Jamie's result-oriented approach apparently sunk in.
1. Terry Marek. Now here's the twist. Turns out that Terry was with Ames the night of the killing, picking him up from the ferry. She drives him out to the lake when Jamie calls, and as Jamie and Ames argue, she hears Jamie say that taking care of this problem guarantees the waterfront deal, giving him his own money and a chance to break away from his wife. Ames doesn't want to be party to this, but Terry, seeing her chance at happiness slipping away, gets out of her car, goes to the campaign car, and puts it in drive. She has no idea it's Rosie... until the next day. Linden figures this out when in the Larsen's garage, as she sees Terry's car and figures out that she was the mysterious "cab" with the missing taillight. They get Terry to crack just as Stan and Mitch come back from the house. That's an ugly scene, but Holder manages to get Stan calmed and Mitch, as shattered as she looks, still manages to hug her sister. But where Rosie and Jamie are at peace, Terry gets to live with the knowledge that she put Rosie in the lake. No amount of hugging will clear that up.
3. Darren Richmond. Ladies and gentlemen, your new mayor of Seattle: Darren Richmond! Don't expect to hear a few words from him, though, as he's with one of his staffers, who is confessing to murder. And once that's over, he's going to break the heart of another one by "moving on" into politics as usual, as his first post-election meeting is with Chief Jackson and Michael Ames, who are recently sprung from jail and ready to talk about the waterfront. So while the man has won, his ideals have lost, badly.
2. The Larsen Family. OK, not a complete win given what happens the last time we see them in Rosie's room, but they are also moving on, literally, moving into the house that Stan bought. But before that happens they get a mystery movie in the mail, and it's Rosie's last film, where she tells them that she's taking off to see the world, but that she loves all of them and will return. It's a tearful yet positive bonding moment for the family, knowing that no matter what Rosie did love them.
1. Sarah Linden. She makes the final connection to what actually happened at the lake, and gets Terry to admit to what she did. She earns her badge back, but when the call comes in to her and Holder to pick up a new case she gets out of the car. She's also moving on, choosing something other than homicide, which is very much to her benefit. The last shot is of her walking, heading hopefully to get her life back in order.
Three Down
3. Rosie Larsen. Avenged, but still dead. Plus we get to see just how things went down the night she died, and it's pretty grim, especially when the car slips into the lake, and we hear screaming - until we don't.
2. Jamie Wright. As Jamie's drunk grandfather tells Richmond that Jamie lied about the story with him and his leg, old grandad also mentions that Jamie wasn't with him on the night of the murder. Jamie takes Richmond back to the office, and admits that he killed Rosie. She was on the 10th floor of the Wapi Eagle when Jamie met with Jackson and Ames about the bones buried on the waterfront, and Jamie beats her when she can't explain why she's there. He drives her out to the lake thinking she's dead, only to learn otherwise when the car goes in the water. He says he did it - did everything - to get Richmond into office. When the cops finally show up he aims a gun at Linden, and Holder shoots him dead. But as Richmond goes ahead and meets with Jackson and Ames, Jamie's result-oriented approach apparently sunk in.
1. Terry Marek. Now here's the twist. Turns out that Terry was with Ames the night of the killing, picking him up from the ferry. She drives him out to the lake when Jamie calls, and as Jamie and Ames argue, she hears Jamie say that taking care of this problem guarantees the waterfront deal, giving him his own money and a chance to break away from his wife. Ames doesn't want to be party to this, but Terry, seeing her chance at happiness slipping away, gets out of her car, goes to the campaign car, and puts it in drive. She has no idea it's Rosie... until the next day. Linden figures this out when in the Larsen's garage, as she sees Terry's car and figures out that she was the mysterious "cab" with the missing taillight. They get Terry to crack just as Stan and Mitch come back from the house. That's an ugly scene, but Holder manages to get Stan calmed and Mitch, as shattered as she looks, still manages to hug her sister. But where Rosie and Jamie are at peace, Terry gets to live with the knowledge that she put Rosie in the lake. No amount of hugging will clear that up.
Monday, June 11, 2012
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing
Three Up
3. Stan Larsen. With Mitch back, he finally gets a chance to call her out her leaving and the position in left him in. Getting that off his chest, he does try to talk Mitch into moving to the house, but she wants to stay. Mitch seems aghast at the idea that Stan is moving on, but Stan does not have such issues. He also hears on the radio that Janek was killed, so that's a nice bonus for him.
2. Darren Richmond. His speech about his suicide appears to actually be helping him, and on that surprise he finds that he's very much in the race. For all the good he feels about his speech and the possibility of becoming mayor, the mood is tempered when he has to drive out to meet someone. That turns out to be Jamie's grandfather, who appears to have both his legs. Richmond is not amused.
1. Sarah Linden. While she has some concern about going crazy again, she shows her investigative prowess by getting a deal with the mayor to call off the dogs so they can solve the case, then uncovering various leads, and finally making the connection between the Chief and her abusive past to get to the camera footage that was withheld. From there, she and Holder discover their main suspect is Jamie Wright, who was in the casino and going to the 10th floor for the meeting with Jackson and Michael Ames. Things are looking very poor for him indeed, thanks to Linden's dogged pursuit.
Three Down
3. Mitch Larsen. Her husband calls her out for abandoning the family at time of need. Terry calls her out for similar reasons. Tommy can barely look at he. Welcome home, Mitch! And thanks for wallowing rather than following Stan's lead to move to the house, which is bigger, brighter, and will give your troubled sons their own rooms.
2. Nicole Jackson. Not only does Roberta give the withheld footage to the cops, but Linden sees an old photo where the previous security chief was sporting cast. Turns out Jackson is physically abusive, and then likes to hang her lovers out to dry when problems arise (the woman in the photo is doing 20 for something I did't quite catch). Turns out Jackson was dating that security chief, too, but let her take the fall for something. Not the best way to treat your girlfriends. This leads the police to see that the City Hall attendee to the 10th floor Wapi Eagle meeting is...
1. Jamie Wright. While the episode title suggests that it's him or Gwen who did it, the pendulum swings Jamie's way quite a bit. We learn that Jamie got a company owned by Michael Ames expedited approval to bid on city projects. He also appears to have not completely truthful about his grandfather, who still has both legs. And when Jamie shows up on the withheld footage, he quickly becomes the lead suspect. Except Linden has an idea that Jamie and Gwen committed the crime together. which doesn't get followed up but is a tantalizing idea. Assuming Jamie's apparently guilt is explainable.
1.
3. Stan Larsen. With Mitch back, he finally gets a chance to call her out her leaving and the position in left him in. Getting that off his chest, he does try to talk Mitch into moving to the house, but she wants to stay. Mitch seems aghast at the idea that Stan is moving on, but Stan does not have such issues. He also hears on the radio that Janek was killed, so that's a nice bonus for him.
2. Darren Richmond. His speech about his suicide appears to actually be helping him, and on that surprise he finds that he's very much in the race. For all the good he feels about his speech and the possibility of becoming mayor, the mood is tempered when he has to drive out to meet someone. That turns out to be Jamie's grandfather, who appears to have both his legs. Richmond is not amused.
1. Sarah Linden. While she has some concern about going crazy again, she shows her investigative prowess by getting a deal with the mayor to call off the dogs so they can solve the case, then uncovering various leads, and finally making the connection between the Chief and her abusive past to get to the camera footage that was withheld. From there, she and Holder discover their main suspect is Jamie Wright, who was in the casino and going to the 10th floor for the meeting with Jackson and Michael Ames. Things are looking very poor for him indeed, thanks to Linden's dogged pursuit.
Three Down
3. Mitch Larsen. Her husband calls her out for abandoning the family at time of need. Terry calls her out for similar reasons. Tommy can barely look at he. Welcome home, Mitch! And thanks for wallowing rather than following Stan's lead to move to the house, which is bigger, brighter, and will give your troubled sons their own rooms.
2. Nicole Jackson. Not only does Roberta give the withheld footage to the cops, but Linden sees an old photo where the previous security chief was sporting cast. Turns out Jackson is physically abusive, and then likes to hang her lovers out to dry when problems arise (the woman in the photo is doing 20 for something I did't quite catch). Turns out Jackson was dating that security chief, too, but let her take the fall for something. Not the best way to treat your girlfriends. This leads the police to see that the City Hall attendee to the 10th floor Wapi Eagle meeting is...
1. Jamie Wright. While the episode title suggests that it's him or Gwen who did it, the pendulum swings Jamie's way quite a bit. We learn that Jamie got a company owned by Michael Ames expedited approval to bid on city projects. He also appears to have not completely truthful about his grandfather, who still has both legs. And when Jamie shows up on the withheld footage, he quickly becomes the lead suspect. Except Linden has an idea that Jamie and Gwen committed the crime together. which doesn't get followed up but is a tantalizing idea. Assuming Jamie's apparently guilt is explainable.
1.
Saturday, June 09, 2012
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing
Three Up
3. Lt. Erik Carlson. He's not done much on the show except be a by the book pain in the ass for Linden and Holder, but when pushed to choose if he'll support them to find Rosie's killer or continue to play along with the mayor (who dangled a promotion if Carlson would get Linden off the streets) and the other powers that have stymied the investigation, he chooses the side of the angels. Good to see that, even if we still didn't get much screen time for Mark Moses, a shame in its own right.
2. Stan Larsen. Things start to come up for Stan a bit, as he finally gets an offer on the home he bought as a surprise. With that debt off of his shoulders, he hits a bump in the road when Janek threatens the boys if Stan doesn't take out Novak (the guy who broke into the waterfront development and told Holder about it). Stan decides to play along - until he sees the baby in Novak's car. He gives Novak a bit of a beating, tells him Janek knows, and tells him to get out of Seattle and never return. Having avoided falling back into Janek's trap, Stan goes home and finds Mitch has returned. Which I guess makes it win-win-win, though we'll see what Mitch has to say for herself.
1. Sarah Linden. Still fragile from her hospitalization (she retorts that Holder is on "their" side when he suggests she take a nap), she does manage to talk Gwen into using her father to get a federal warrant to search the Wapi Eagle. That search appears to have turned up nothing, but we later learn that Linden found the key card and held onto it, fearing that Seattle PD or County would make it disappear if it entered official channels. She notices that she and Holder are being tailed, allowing them to shake it and head to Seattle City Hall. Once in she tests the card around, and surprisingly discovers it does not open the door to the mayor's office. It does, however, open the door to Richmond's office. Which explains why the upcoming episode is called "Donnie or Marie," as this makes the main suspects Jamie and Gwen.
Three Down
3. Leslie Adams. His lead is evaporating, and the success of the Richmond "viral" video coupled with Abani's revelation that Jamie is getting info on the Larsen case from his ex-girlfriend prosecutor, leads Adams to a desperation play. He gets a copy of Richmond's sealed testimony and plans to expose his suicide attempt if he doesn't withdraw from the race. Only Richmond turns it around and admits to the attempt at a rally, spinning it as a time where he let bitterness win and he discovered the will to live while falling from the bridge. Tying it into the despair that everyone feels at some point, Richmond turns his potential undoing into a humanizing moment. Adams is so busy watching this that he doesn't see Linden test the key card on his door. I expect he'd be too angry at seeing them to realize that (a) Carlson rejected his deal and (b) the card's not working means he and his staff are in the clear.
2. Nicole Jackson. She thinks the search has gone her way until her security chief shows her elevator footage where Linden intentionally shows the key card to the camera and slips it into an evidence sleeve. Jackson is enraged, slamming a door on the security chief's fingers and then calling someone to say the card's been discovered. There's a cut that suggests she's calling the mayor, but that looks like a feint now. In any case, if this plays out the way it looks like Jackson will be lucky to not be in prison, never mind still chief, when all is said and done.
1. Janek Kovarsky. He thinks he has Stan back in his clutches when he orders Stan to kill Novak, but in the ensuing discussion Stan says he killed Piotr for Janek but that was supposed to let Stan be free. Janek's acknowledgement of this seems innocuous, except that Alexei Giffords is back in the garage and hears the whole thing. Later, when Janek gets into his car, a gun is put to his head. He tries to talk Stan into not killing him, saying that Stan doesn't have the will to kill him. Only the gunman is Alexei, who is getting revenge for his father. Alexei pulls the trigger, and the Kovarsky mob has an opening at the top.
3. Lt. Erik Carlson. He's not done much on the show except be a by the book pain in the ass for Linden and Holder, but when pushed to choose if he'll support them to find Rosie's killer or continue to play along with the mayor (who dangled a promotion if Carlson would get Linden off the streets) and the other powers that have stymied the investigation, he chooses the side of the angels. Good to see that, even if we still didn't get much screen time for Mark Moses, a shame in its own right.
2. Stan Larsen. Things start to come up for Stan a bit, as he finally gets an offer on the home he bought as a surprise. With that debt off of his shoulders, he hits a bump in the road when Janek threatens the boys if Stan doesn't take out Novak (the guy who broke into the waterfront development and told Holder about it). Stan decides to play along - until he sees the baby in Novak's car. He gives Novak a bit of a beating, tells him Janek knows, and tells him to get out of Seattle and never return. Having avoided falling back into Janek's trap, Stan goes home and finds Mitch has returned. Which I guess makes it win-win-win, though we'll see what Mitch has to say for herself.
1. Sarah Linden. Still fragile from her hospitalization (she retorts that Holder is on "their" side when he suggests she take a nap), she does manage to talk Gwen into using her father to get a federal warrant to search the Wapi Eagle. That search appears to have turned up nothing, but we later learn that Linden found the key card and held onto it, fearing that Seattle PD or County would make it disappear if it entered official channels. She notices that she and Holder are being tailed, allowing them to shake it and head to Seattle City Hall. Once in she tests the card around, and surprisingly discovers it does not open the door to the mayor's office. It does, however, open the door to Richmond's office. Which explains why the upcoming episode is called "Donnie or Marie," as this makes the main suspects Jamie and Gwen.
Three Down
3. Leslie Adams. His lead is evaporating, and the success of the Richmond "viral" video coupled with Abani's revelation that Jamie is getting info on the Larsen case from his ex-girlfriend prosecutor, leads Adams to a desperation play. He gets a copy of Richmond's sealed testimony and plans to expose his suicide attempt if he doesn't withdraw from the race. Only Richmond turns it around and admits to the attempt at a rally, spinning it as a time where he let bitterness win and he discovered the will to live while falling from the bridge. Tying it into the despair that everyone feels at some point, Richmond turns his potential undoing into a humanizing moment. Adams is so busy watching this that he doesn't see Linden test the key card on his door. I expect he'd be too angry at seeing them to realize that (a) Carlson rejected his deal and (b) the card's not working means he and his staff are in the clear.
2. Nicole Jackson. She thinks the search has gone her way until her security chief shows her elevator footage where Linden intentionally shows the key card to the camera and slips it into an evidence sleeve. Jackson is enraged, slamming a door on the security chief's fingers and then calling someone to say the card's been discovered. There's a cut that suggests she's calling the mayor, but that looks like a feint now. In any case, if this plays out the way it looks like Jackson will be lucky to not be in prison, never mind still chief, when all is said and done.
1. Janek Kovarsky. He thinks he has Stan back in his clutches when he orders Stan to kill Novak, but in the ensuing discussion Stan says he killed Piotr for Janek but that was supposed to let Stan be free. Janek's acknowledgement of this seems innocuous, except that Alexei Giffords is back in the garage and hears the whole thing. Later, when Janek gets into his car, a gun is put to his head. He tries to talk Stan into not killing him, saying that Stan doesn't have the will to kill him. Only the gunman is Alexei, who is getting revenge for his father. Alexei pulls the trigger, and the Kovarsky mob has an opening at the top.
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Three Up Three Down: The Killing
Three Up
3. Darren Richmond. He's back on the campaign trail, and he has a good outing with his Seattle All-Stars program, which results in a viral video showing him shooting hoops. Turns out Gwen paid for the video, but he doesn't know that. He also confronts Gwen about a meeting she had with Adams, and learns about her teenaged dalliance with the future mayor. He's pretty supportive about the failed attempt, which is a good sign.
2. Stan Larsen. At the end of his rope, Stan calls Terry for help trying to figure things out. She gives him some pretty good advice about forgiving, and he does a pretty good job of making amends - he apologizes to Bennett Ahmed - even fixes a light for him, though he doesn't know it - and starts to find forgiveness for himself when he leaves a message on Rosie's still active cell phone. He also gets a dog for the boys. At the end of the episode he turns off a lamp in Rosie's room, which is a good sign that he's beginning to find a way past the murder.
1. Steven Holder. When he's not working to get Linden sprung from the psych ward, he's still working the case. He uncovers a new connection between the existing cabal - the mayor, Ames and Chief Jackson - and Kovarsky, as one of his foot soldiers was arrested the night of the murder breaking into the waterfront site to plant Native American bones on the site. He manages to turn Lt. Carlson around on the case once he comes up with this (and after telling him that the case files never made it to County). He does get Linden sprung, with the help of her former fiance, but is now in charge of her.
Three Down
3. Bennett Ahmed. In show time it's only been a couple of weeks since he got a beating from Stan and Belko, which is easy to forget given how long it's been since we've visited his character. He's still in bad shape, and isn't helped when he sees Stan Larsen skulking around his house. He's not particularly interested in taking Stan's apology (understandably). I suppose things aren't so bad for him - he's alive, mobile, and has a new child - but he still looks like hell.
2. Chief Nicole Jackson. She doesn't do anything in the episode until the end, where we see her supervising the work on the 10th floor of the casino after reassuring someone on the phone that any evidence will be gone. She apparently doesn't know about the key card, which is still sitting where Linden found it, waiting to be discovered.
1. Sarah Linden. The episode starts with Linden waking up in what looks like a hospital ward. Turns out that it's actually a psych ward, where she was put after reportedly trying to kill herself on the 10th floor of the Wapi Eagle. She denies this, but much of her recent behavior suggests a lack of mental health. She will be in lockup for 72 hours unless her new shrink finds a reason to let her out earlier. They talk about the previous case that saw Linden wind up in psych, and comes very close to connecting that case, Rosie's case, and Linden's abandonment as a child (dark, enclosed spaces play a prominent role). Before Linden can make her breakthrough, word comes that's she's being sprung. She sees Rick signing her out, but by the time she gets into the lobby he's gone, leaving her in Holder's care. As much as she's been trying to keep the case uppermost in her mind, she's got to be in a bit of a state to go back out. She did at least get some food in her, based on a brutal scene where she builds up into an eating frenzy over hospital dinner.
3. Darren Richmond. He's back on the campaign trail, and he has a good outing with his Seattle All-Stars program, which results in a viral video showing him shooting hoops. Turns out Gwen paid for the video, but he doesn't know that. He also confronts Gwen about a meeting she had with Adams, and learns about her teenaged dalliance with the future mayor. He's pretty supportive about the failed attempt, which is a good sign.
2. Stan Larsen. At the end of his rope, Stan calls Terry for help trying to figure things out. She gives him some pretty good advice about forgiving, and he does a pretty good job of making amends - he apologizes to Bennett Ahmed - even fixes a light for him, though he doesn't know it - and starts to find forgiveness for himself when he leaves a message on Rosie's still active cell phone. He also gets a dog for the boys. At the end of the episode he turns off a lamp in Rosie's room, which is a good sign that he's beginning to find a way past the murder.
1. Steven Holder. When he's not working to get Linden sprung from the psych ward, he's still working the case. He uncovers a new connection between the existing cabal - the mayor, Ames and Chief Jackson - and Kovarsky, as one of his foot soldiers was arrested the night of the murder breaking into the waterfront site to plant Native American bones on the site. He manages to turn Lt. Carlson around on the case once he comes up with this (and after telling him that the case files never made it to County). He does get Linden sprung, with the help of her former fiance, but is now in charge of her.
Three Down
3. Bennett Ahmed. In show time it's only been a couple of weeks since he got a beating from Stan and Belko, which is easy to forget given how long it's been since we've visited his character. He's still in bad shape, and isn't helped when he sees Stan Larsen skulking around his house. He's not particularly interested in taking Stan's apology (understandably). I suppose things aren't so bad for him - he's alive, mobile, and has a new child - but he still looks like hell.
2. Chief Nicole Jackson. She doesn't do anything in the episode until the end, where we see her supervising the work on the 10th floor of the casino after reassuring someone on the phone that any evidence will be gone. She apparently doesn't know about the key card, which is still sitting where Linden found it, waiting to be discovered.
1. Sarah Linden. The episode starts with Linden waking up in what looks like a hospital ward. Turns out that it's actually a psych ward, where she was put after reportedly trying to kill herself on the 10th floor of the Wapi Eagle. She denies this, but much of her recent behavior suggests a lack of mental health. She will be in lockup for 72 hours unless her new shrink finds a reason to let her out earlier. They talk about the previous case that saw Linden wind up in psych, and comes very close to connecting that case, Rosie's case, and Linden's abandonment as a child (dark, enclosed spaces play a prominent role). Before Linden can make her breakthrough, word comes that's she's being sprung. She sees Rick signing her out, but by the time she gets into the lobby he's gone, leaving her in Holder's care. As much as she's been trying to keep the case uppermost in her mind, she's got to be in a bit of a state to go back out. She did at least get some food in her, based on a brutal scene where she builds up into an eating frenzy over hospital dinner.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing
Three Up
3. Darren Richmond. He takes Jamie's advice and approaches Chief Jackson for an endorsement. Her price - approval for a waterfront museum and gift shop, and tax exempt status on anything build on tribal land. Richmond asks her to let the Seattle PD get into the casino to look for evidence in Rosie's murder, as it's the last place she was seen alive. The chief passes, saying it would be a bad precedent given the tribe autonomy. Richmond tells her no deal. Both Jamie and Gwen push him to make the deal, but he wants no part of the chief. He's more or less back to his idealistic self, which is good for him if not for his electoral chances.
2. Sarah Linden. There are rough parts - she gets a call from Jack and hears how his dad is trying to bribe him with iPods and such - but she gets through the bad to help find the Larsen case files - which Gil hid in his storage unit in another town - and gets the key that gives her access to the Wapi Eagle's tenth floor. Once there she finds a key card with blood on it, evidence of a struggle that involved someone from city hall. And then she gets whacked in the head. As I said, there are rough parts.
1. Stephen Holder. Holder proves he's a stand up partner, even if his partner is not on the force at present. He gets the location of the case files from Carlson, saying he needs personal items. When Linden sees Gil leaving the station, he puts it together that Gil got the files sent to county. Except when he calls the county evidence room, they know nothing about the files. He helps Linden find them, and when Linden decides to go into the casino by the front door (Mary was going to let them in the back, but was either too scared or too busted to prop the door), Holder provides cover by acting drunk and pretending that he wants his phone back, saying he lost it in the beating. He also gives Linden ample warning about dousing her light and getting out, to no avail.
Three Down
3. Stan Larsen. Things get tougher for Stan, when he learns that Tommy killed a number of baby birds at school (he and some other kids knocked a nest out of a tree). Stan's anger gets the best of him, and he and Tommy wind up yelling at each other outside of school, leading Tommy to say he's glad Rosie is dead. That gets him a slap across the face from Stan, and at the end of the fight Stan says he hates Tommy and is mad that he's stuck with the boys and would like to get out like Mitch did. This freaks the boys out but good. In the end it does help them come to terms, but it's more of an emotional workout than Stan needs. He also gets a call from Mitch, and she informs him that Rosie was going to leave and that they were wrong for not asking Rosie what was wrong when she wouldn't talk to them over the last few months of her life. Stan says they did the best they could, but you have to think it puts some new doubt in the back of Stan's mind.
2. Gwen Eaton. When Richmond declines to give into Chief Jackson's demands, she tries to negotiate with Mayor Adams directly. She reminds him that her father is a big fan of his, and that his support for his eventual run for Congress would be very helpful. And he's only going to get it if Adams doesn't do anything to garner Chief Jackson's support. Adams scoffs at the idea, which leads Gwen to remind him of her father's first Senate campaign, when Adams was a staffer and he had some sort of dalliance with a then 14 year old Gwen. She's planning to blow the whistle to stop Adams from getting the endorsement, but Adams retorts that her father already knows about their indiscretion. He gets Gwen good with that revelation, and you can see her image of her father changing in real time.
1. Tommy Larsen. So he stomped these baby birds, and is now getting two weeks suspension, Which screws things up for Stan in terms of work, which leads to the shouting match where Tommy says Rosie did worse things than him and that he's glad she's dead. Then comes the slap and Stan's declaration that he hates Tommy and wishes he could leave. This does more of a number on Tommy than Stan can see, making the mental damage Tommy is carrying around that much worse. He does manage to address this to some extent later - thanks in some part to an apology from Stan, which was nice to see - and while he gets to cry it out and admit how sad he is to his dad. there's still a ways to go for him to get back to normal.
3. Darren Richmond. He takes Jamie's advice and approaches Chief Jackson for an endorsement. Her price - approval for a waterfront museum and gift shop, and tax exempt status on anything build on tribal land. Richmond asks her to let the Seattle PD get into the casino to look for evidence in Rosie's murder, as it's the last place she was seen alive. The chief passes, saying it would be a bad precedent given the tribe autonomy. Richmond tells her no deal. Both Jamie and Gwen push him to make the deal, but he wants no part of the chief. He's more or less back to his idealistic self, which is good for him if not for his electoral chances.
2. Sarah Linden. There are rough parts - she gets a call from Jack and hears how his dad is trying to bribe him with iPods and such - but she gets through the bad to help find the Larsen case files - which Gil hid in his storage unit in another town - and gets the key that gives her access to the Wapi Eagle's tenth floor. Once there she finds a key card with blood on it, evidence of a struggle that involved someone from city hall. And then she gets whacked in the head. As I said, there are rough parts.
1. Stephen Holder. Holder proves he's a stand up partner, even if his partner is not on the force at present. He gets the location of the case files from Carlson, saying he needs personal items. When Linden sees Gil leaving the station, he puts it together that Gil got the files sent to county. Except when he calls the county evidence room, they know nothing about the files. He helps Linden find them, and when Linden decides to go into the casino by the front door (Mary was going to let them in the back, but was either too scared or too busted to prop the door), Holder provides cover by acting drunk and pretending that he wants his phone back, saying he lost it in the beating. He also gives Linden ample warning about dousing her light and getting out, to no avail.
Three Down
3. Stan Larsen. Things get tougher for Stan, when he learns that Tommy killed a number of baby birds at school (he and some other kids knocked a nest out of a tree). Stan's anger gets the best of him, and he and Tommy wind up yelling at each other outside of school, leading Tommy to say he's glad Rosie is dead. That gets him a slap across the face from Stan, and at the end of the fight Stan says he hates Tommy and is mad that he's stuck with the boys and would like to get out like Mitch did. This freaks the boys out but good. In the end it does help them come to terms, but it's more of an emotional workout than Stan needs. He also gets a call from Mitch, and she informs him that Rosie was going to leave and that they were wrong for not asking Rosie what was wrong when she wouldn't talk to them over the last few months of her life. Stan says they did the best they could, but you have to think it puts some new doubt in the back of Stan's mind.
2. Gwen Eaton. When Richmond declines to give into Chief Jackson's demands, she tries to negotiate with Mayor Adams directly. She reminds him that her father is a big fan of his, and that his support for his eventual run for Congress would be very helpful. And he's only going to get it if Adams doesn't do anything to garner Chief Jackson's support. Adams scoffs at the idea, which leads Gwen to remind him of her father's first Senate campaign, when Adams was a staffer and he had some sort of dalliance with a then 14 year old Gwen. She's planning to blow the whistle to stop Adams from getting the endorsement, but Adams retorts that her father already knows about their indiscretion. He gets Gwen good with that revelation, and you can see her image of her father changing in real time.
1. Tommy Larsen. So he stomped these baby birds, and is now getting two weeks suspension, Which screws things up for Stan in terms of work, which leads to the shouting match where Tommy says Rosie did worse things than him and that he's glad she's dead. Then comes the slap and Stan's declaration that he hates Tommy and wishes he could leave. This does more of a number on Tommy than Stan can see, making the mental damage Tommy is carrying around that much worse. He does manage to address this to some extent later - thanks in some part to an apology from Stan, which was nice to see - and while he gets to cry it out and admit how sad he is to his dad. there's still a ways to go for him to get back to normal.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing
Three Up
3. Jack Linden. Finally gets a chance to break out of the homeless nightmare he's been in this season when his mom sends him to Chicago to stay with his dad. He's not happy about this - I know she's his mother, but I swear Jack has some sort of Stockholm Syndrome attachment to Sarah - but it's better than hiding out in various apartments and motels, thinking that every cop who shows up is going to put him in foster care.
2. Stephen Holder. Not the best start for Holder - he's found by a search party after having the crap beaten out of him - but he gets the matchbook to Sarah so she can meet up with the housekeeper from the Wapi Eagle. He later has a nice heart-to-heart with his nephew, most of which is overheard by his mom (Holder's sister) and will hopefully help get the family back together. He also gets to the airport to catch up with Linden, but too late to see Jack.
1. Mary. A housekeeper at the Wapi Eagle, she worked with Rosie, and found her backpack in a dumpster and returned it to the Larsens in case it would help solve the case. She also mentions the chief's purchase of cheap cleaners, which explains why Rosie had chemicals on her hands. We also learn that Rosie worked as a waitress as well, and not as a prostitute. Mary also makes another reference to the tenth floor, and that all of the keys the staff had to that floor were confiscated the day after Rosie died. This sets Linden on the trail of Rosie's key, which is in evidence.
Three Down
3. Darren Richmond. He's out of the hospital and seven points down to Mayor Adams. He's still not talking about where he was on the night of Rosie's murder, which doesn't help the public see him as innocent. He does confront Adams about the source of the tollbooth picture which led to Richmond's arrest, but hasn't figured out a way to use it yet. Looking to get back in the race, he tasks the staff to come up with a grand gesture, and they do - a meeting with Chief Jackson with hopes of ending her work with Adams to develop the waterfront, which is his main campaign promise. But Richmond wants nothing to do with Jackson, and lets Gwen have it about the meeting. They also try to work out some of their personal issues - mainly how Richmond lied to Gwen about his whereabouts the night Rosie died.
2. Stan Larsen. Stan's public offer of a reward has driven all of the crazies to call him, and he's dim enough to think that some of the tips have merit. He tries to get Linden to check some of them out, and she has to break it to him that they're not going to help. He still goes through and meets with some of the callers, and has a good heart to heart with a woman who lost a daughter. And she knows Rosie loved her dad, and for a price she can get in touch with Rosie so they can talk again. Poor, dumb Stan.
1. Sarah Linden. She calls in for a search team to find Holder, but the team is cancelled by Lt. Carlson. She finally gets him to relent by asking how Internal Affairs will look upon his actions if Holder turns up dead. She faces off with Chief Jackson about the search, and Jackson calls what she things is a bluff, but isn't. Holder is found, and Linden gets to meet Mary and get more info on Rosie. Where things start to go south is when she returns to the station and finds the case files being taken away. Carlson asks Linden for her badge and gun, based on her actions at the Wapi Eagle. She then goes back to Holder's and finds the cops checking out his apartment, with Jack nowhere to be found. Jack ran to Reggie's boat slip, but she's gone. So this is how Sarah winds up sending Jack to Chicago and having no case to solve - except she wants to get Rosie Wapi Eagle key from evidence. That will turn out well.
3. Jack Linden. Finally gets a chance to break out of the homeless nightmare he's been in this season when his mom sends him to Chicago to stay with his dad. He's not happy about this - I know she's his mother, but I swear Jack has some sort of Stockholm Syndrome attachment to Sarah - but it's better than hiding out in various apartments and motels, thinking that every cop who shows up is going to put him in foster care.
2. Stephen Holder. Not the best start for Holder - he's found by a search party after having the crap beaten out of him - but he gets the matchbook to Sarah so she can meet up with the housekeeper from the Wapi Eagle. He later has a nice heart-to-heart with his nephew, most of which is overheard by his mom (Holder's sister) and will hopefully help get the family back together. He also gets to the airport to catch up with Linden, but too late to see Jack.
1. Mary. A housekeeper at the Wapi Eagle, she worked with Rosie, and found her backpack in a dumpster and returned it to the Larsens in case it would help solve the case. She also mentions the chief's purchase of cheap cleaners, which explains why Rosie had chemicals on her hands. We also learn that Rosie worked as a waitress as well, and not as a prostitute. Mary also makes another reference to the tenth floor, and that all of the keys the staff had to that floor were confiscated the day after Rosie died. This sets Linden on the trail of Rosie's key, which is in evidence.
Three Down
3. Darren Richmond. He's out of the hospital and seven points down to Mayor Adams. He's still not talking about where he was on the night of Rosie's murder, which doesn't help the public see him as innocent. He does confront Adams about the source of the tollbooth picture which led to Richmond's arrest, but hasn't figured out a way to use it yet. Looking to get back in the race, he tasks the staff to come up with a grand gesture, and they do - a meeting with Chief Jackson with hopes of ending her work with Adams to develop the waterfront, which is his main campaign promise. But Richmond wants nothing to do with Jackson, and lets Gwen have it about the meeting. They also try to work out some of their personal issues - mainly how Richmond lied to Gwen about his whereabouts the night Rosie died.
2. Stan Larsen. Stan's public offer of a reward has driven all of the crazies to call him, and he's dim enough to think that some of the tips have merit. He tries to get Linden to check some of them out, and she has to break it to him that they're not going to help. He still goes through and meets with some of the callers, and has a good heart to heart with a woman who lost a daughter. And she knows Rosie loved her dad, and for a price she can get in touch with Rosie so they can talk again. Poor, dumb Stan.
1. Sarah Linden. She calls in for a search team to find Holder, but the team is cancelled by Lt. Carlson. She finally gets him to relent by asking how Internal Affairs will look upon his actions if Holder turns up dead. She faces off with Chief Jackson about the search, and Jackson calls what she things is a bluff, but isn't. Holder is found, and Linden gets to meet Mary and get more info on Rosie. Where things start to go south is when she returns to the station and finds the case files being taken away. Carlson asks Linden for her badge and gun, based on her actions at the Wapi Eagle. She then goes back to Holder's and finds the cops checking out his apartment, with Jack nowhere to be found. Jack ran to Reggie's boat slip, but she's gone. So this is how Sarah winds up sending Jack to Chicago and having no case to solve - except she wants to get Rosie Wapi Eagle key from evidence. That will turn out well.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing
Three Up
3. Alexei Giffords. He finally confronts Stan at Rosie's graveside, and is able to give him crap about how Stan got himself kicked out of Kovarski's gang (which I'm not sure is true, though giving Stan money to start his business may be the Kovarski equivalent of a golden parachute) and how Stan should have been capped rather than Alexei's dad. Stan pushes back on why Alexei hasn't made a run at him, to which Alexei notes if it wasn't for Rosie, Stan would be dead by now.
2. Gwen Eaton. Back in DC, she's watching Richmond's first interview with some colleagues, who note that he'll never get back into the race unless he can get rid of the stink caused by the murder charges. After (or I suppose during) a dinner with her dad, in which she learns he wants her to resume her role as his "secret weapon" - something she's been doing for him since she was 14 - she decides her path leads back to Seattle. She shows up at the hospital, and says she's back to get Richmond past the murder charges and into the mayor's office. Darren snubs her at first, but later relents and brings her back on - in strictly a professional capacity. Sure.
1. Darren Richmond. He's back on the trail, and while his assumed confidence isn't always believable - he says he never felt down about being shot - he uses the story about Jamie's grandfather to make a point about getting through adversity - and it's clear he's back in the saddle. To then get Gwen back to clean up the murder mess - and perhaps resume her more personal role at a later time? - is just additional firepower in his quest to take down the mayor.
Three Down
3. The Marek sisters. Terry has an awful breakup scene with Michael Ames, who says he's not leaving his wife and even gets a little physical with her in telling her not to call anymore. At the end of the episode she shares a very awkward look with Stan, perhaps wondering if it's OK to jump him on the rebound while he's still technically married to her sister.
Speaking of Mitch, she winds up spending more time with runaway Tina after she's "locked out" of her room by her boyfriend. They spend an entire day together, and after some rough patches (Mitch pushing Tina too hard to get her to call her mom, and Tina awkwardly making a pass at Mitch, thinking this may still be something kinky) Mitch wakes up the next morning to find Tina is gone and has robbed her. No catharsis for you, Mitch.
On the plus side for us, we do learn the name of Rosie's real dad from a letter in the memory box Mitch has been toting around. He's not someone we've met yet, as fas as we know.
2. The Ames family. Jasper gets riled by the cops when they intimate his dad was sleeping with Rosie while Jasper could get nowhere with him. He later confronts dad in public, leading later to Michael going to the police station to confess to sending a (joke?) blackmail text to his dad from Rosie's phone. Michael is happy to let Jasper spend the night in jail based on a felony charge of using the phone to extort money. Later, the cops talk to Mrs. Adams, who says she lets her husband play in return for having money and status. She also notes that they were out of the country when Rosie was conceived (there goes the theory that Rosie is Michael's daughter). So while we have the dysfunctional family circus here, things look even worse when the chief of the tribe that own the Wapi Eagle casino shows up at a Mayor Adams function at the Ames home. A conspiracy seems to be brewing.
1. Sarah Linden. Every time she seems to make progress in this episode, something sets her back. A decent interview with Stan about Rosie's parentage? Countered by a bad theory that Michael Ames is the father. Linden learns about the blackmail text? Turns out it was a joke. Take your kids to Holder's due to a creepy drawing hung on her fridge the neither she nor Jack put up, fall under the surveillance of some guy smoking in his car. And all along, have Carlson and others pull warrants and give reminders of the last time she buried herself in a case. She's getting closer to the truth, but may not be around to see it
3. Alexei Giffords. He finally confronts Stan at Rosie's graveside, and is able to give him crap about how Stan got himself kicked out of Kovarski's gang (which I'm not sure is true, though giving Stan money to start his business may be the Kovarski equivalent of a golden parachute) and how Stan should have been capped rather than Alexei's dad. Stan pushes back on why Alexei hasn't made a run at him, to which Alexei notes if it wasn't for Rosie, Stan would be dead by now.
2. Gwen Eaton. Back in DC, she's watching Richmond's first interview with some colleagues, who note that he'll never get back into the race unless he can get rid of the stink caused by the murder charges. After (or I suppose during) a dinner with her dad, in which she learns he wants her to resume her role as his "secret weapon" - something she's been doing for him since she was 14 - she decides her path leads back to Seattle. She shows up at the hospital, and says she's back to get Richmond past the murder charges and into the mayor's office. Darren snubs her at first, but later relents and brings her back on - in strictly a professional capacity. Sure.
1. Darren Richmond. He's back on the trail, and while his assumed confidence isn't always believable - he says he never felt down about being shot - he uses the story about Jamie's grandfather to make a point about getting through adversity - and it's clear he's back in the saddle. To then get Gwen back to clean up the murder mess - and perhaps resume her more personal role at a later time? - is just additional firepower in his quest to take down the mayor.
Three Down
3. The Marek sisters. Terry has an awful breakup scene with Michael Ames, who says he's not leaving his wife and even gets a little physical with her in telling her not to call anymore. At the end of the episode she shares a very awkward look with Stan, perhaps wondering if it's OK to jump him on the rebound while he's still technically married to her sister.
Speaking of Mitch, she winds up spending more time with runaway Tina after she's "locked out" of her room by her boyfriend. They spend an entire day together, and after some rough patches (Mitch pushing Tina too hard to get her to call her mom, and Tina awkwardly making a pass at Mitch, thinking this may still be something kinky) Mitch wakes up the next morning to find Tina is gone and has robbed her. No catharsis for you, Mitch.
On the plus side for us, we do learn the name of Rosie's real dad from a letter in the memory box Mitch has been toting around. He's not someone we've met yet, as fas as we know.
2. The Ames family. Jasper gets riled by the cops when they intimate his dad was sleeping with Rosie while Jasper could get nowhere with him. He later confronts dad in public, leading later to Michael going to the police station to confess to sending a (joke?) blackmail text to his dad from Rosie's phone. Michael is happy to let Jasper spend the night in jail based on a felony charge of using the phone to extort money. Later, the cops talk to Mrs. Adams, who says she lets her husband play in return for having money and status. She also notes that they were out of the country when Rosie was conceived (there goes the theory that Rosie is Michael's daughter). So while we have the dysfunctional family circus here, things look even worse when the chief of the tribe that own the Wapi Eagle casino shows up at a Mayor Adams function at the Ames home. A conspiracy seems to be brewing.
1. Sarah Linden. Every time she seems to make progress in this episode, something sets her back. A decent interview with Stan about Rosie's parentage? Countered by a bad theory that Michael Ames is the father. Linden learns about the blackmail text? Turns out it was a joke. Take your kids to Holder's due to a creepy drawing hung on her fridge the neither she nor Jack put up, fall under the surveillance of some guy smoking in his car. And all along, have Carlson and others pull warrants and give reminders of the last time she buried herself in a case. She's getting closer to the truth, but may not be around to see it
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing
Three Up
3. Mitch Larsen. Not sure she's actually a winner, but she's at least made steps towards winning. After seeing the same girl on the road and at her motel, Mitch buys her a meal and gets a chance to get into her life a bit. The girl, roughly the same age as Rosie, kind of connects, but is still wary enough about Mitch's questions to keep her distance. She eventually takes off with her no good boyfriend, leaving Mitch alone again. Mitch looks sad at being abandoned again, but also looks like she's beginning to understand where she is now that Rosie is gone.
2. Alexei Giffords. Also not a complete win, as his mom gives him up to the cops, but after playing the hard guy he begins to give Linden and Holder information - until they have to let him go and a Janek-provided lawyer takes him to Janek. But he eventually comes to them and gives them information they need - that Rosie was scared of someone in a Town Car and that she learned (though we don't know how) that Stan was not her real father.
1. Darren Richmond. This was looking like a big loss for Darren, given his nightmare of Belko shooting him and his inadvertent wetting himself. But then Jamie shows up after meeting with a contact (and apparent former girlfriend) in the DA's office, who lets Jamie know about the faked toll booth photo. This changes Richmond's tune dramatically, as he swings from despair to a plan to destroy the mayor in about five minutes.
Three Down
3. Tracey Marek. She's mostly been in the background keeping a handle on the kids, but her role in the Larsen household comes into question when her parents stop by. They're concerned about Mitch, but her dad also notes that her staying at the Larsen household is unseemly, and he's worried she'll end up alone as the men in her life tend to be transient. It doesn't help when, later on, Stan comes into her room and they kiss. Before they can get too into it her phone rings, but the new complexity of her situation hits Tracey hard. Not so hard that she can't keep the Beau Soleil appointment the phone call was apparently about, but whatever she may have been feeling about Stan is now front and center.
2. Sarah Linden. Parental issues come to the fore again, as she tries to help Jack through being sick via phone, which leads to a visit from his dad (he's actually in the room when she gets back, he's lucky she didn't shoot him). He's concerned about Linden caring more about Rosie than her own son, and there's a hint of truth to his accusation. Linden also has work issues, as she continues to run into roadblocks set up by Captain Carlson. There's also a weird blackout at her place before Holder and Alexei show up, which sets her on edge. The professional end of things pick up at the end, but there are troubles looming.
1. Stan Larsen. Let's see, Stan gets grilled by his in-laws about Mitch's absence and then tries to give possible suspect names to Linden when he sees Alexei in an interrogation room. A meeting with a lawyer suggests that Stan's going to do time, and when he gets home he seeks comfort from Tracey. So even when he tries to do good, bad results. He'll be lucky to just get some jail time at this point.
3. Mitch Larsen. Not sure she's actually a winner, but she's at least made steps towards winning. After seeing the same girl on the road and at her motel, Mitch buys her a meal and gets a chance to get into her life a bit. The girl, roughly the same age as Rosie, kind of connects, but is still wary enough about Mitch's questions to keep her distance. She eventually takes off with her no good boyfriend, leaving Mitch alone again. Mitch looks sad at being abandoned again, but also looks like she's beginning to understand where she is now that Rosie is gone.
2. Alexei Giffords. Also not a complete win, as his mom gives him up to the cops, but after playing the hard guy he begins to give Linden and Holder information - until they have to let him go and a Janek-provided lawyer takes him to Janek. But he eventually comes to them and gives them information they need - that Rosie was scared of someone in a Town Car and that she learned (though we don't know how) that Stan was not her real father.
1. Darren Richmond. This was looking like a big loss for Darren, given his nightmare of Belko shooting him and his inadvertent wetting himself. But then Jamie shows up after meeting with a contact (and apparent former girlfriend) in the DA's office, who lets Jamie know about the faked toll booth photo. This changes Richmond's tune dramatically, as he swings from despair to a plan to destroy the mayor in about five minutes.
Three Down
3. Tracey Marek. She's mostly been in the background keeping a handle on the kids, but her role in the Larsen household comes into question when her parents stop by. They're concerned about Mitch, but her dad also notes that her staying at the Larsen household is unseemly, and he's worried she'll end up alone as the men in her life tend to be transient. It doesn't help when, later on, Stan comes into her room and they kiss. Before they can get too into it her phone rings, but the new complexity of her situation hits Tracey hard. Not so hard that she can't keep the Beau Soleil appointment the phone call was apparently about, but whatever she may have been feeling about Stan is now front and center.
2. Sarah Linden. Parental issues come to the fore again, as she tries to help Jack through being sick via phone, which leads to a visit from his dad (he's actually in the room when she gets back, he's lucky she didn't shoot him). He's concerned about Linden caring more about Rosie than her own son, and there's a hint of truth to his accusation. Linden also has work issues, as she continues to run into roadblocks set up by Captain Carlson. There's also a weird blackout at her place before Holder and Alexei show up, which sets her on edge. The professional end of things pick up at the end, but there are troubles looming.
1. Stan Larsen. Let's see, Stan gets grilled by his in-laws about Mitch's absence and then tries to give possible suspect names to Linden when he sees Alexei in an interrogation room. A meeting with a lawyer suggests that Stan's going to do time, and when he gets home he seeks comfort from Tracey. So even when he tries to do good, bad results. He'll be lucky to just get some jail time at this point.
Monday, April 16, 2012
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing
Three Up
3. Steven Holder. He's back to the Holder we recognize, giving Linden crap while taking it in return. He also manages to do some police work, as he helps make connections leading to Alexei Giffords, the anime-tatted bicycling partner of Rosie Larsen.
2. Sarah Linden. She makes the greater connections, using her personal experience of the foster system and relationship with her own case worker, Regi, to get the background on Alexei that connects him to the Larsens by his dad, Piotr, who may have been killed by Stan so he could get out of the mob. On the down side, Linden is getting sued by her ex-husband for joint custody of Jack, contending that she's a negligent parent. And by what we've seen, that may not be that far from the truth.
1. Janek Kovarsky. He gets Belko's body from the morgue and arranges for the funeral, scooping Stan and giving him a chance to mock Stan for his life choices. Later, when Stan figures out that Janek used his trucks to move Beau Soleil, he goes after Janek, only to get further humiliated. Janek continues to get his pound of flesh out of Stan.
Three Down
3. Stan Larsen. He's less stupid in this episode, but he's still getting humiliated by Janek. Home life isn't any better, as he's having issues with Tommy and Mitch is still gone. His business appears to be infiltrated by Janek, as the widow of the man he allegedly whacked stops by to tell him he got what he deserved.
2. Tommy Larsen. He's been reluctant to go to school, and when forced to do so he locks his brother in the trunk of the car and loses it with aunt Terri, screaming at her that she's not his mother and to go home. We then learn that he's getting picked on at school and teased about Rosie. This leads Stan to give Tommy his version of the It Gets Better speech by telling Tommy the kids teasing him about Rosie are stupid, and that the next time he's getting pushed around he needs to punch the biggest kid on the bridge of the nose. For Stan, this is a positive parenting step.
1. The Darren Richmond Campaign. Darren plans to end his campaign, losing the will to continue when the mayor comes in and gets to act all supercilious. Jamie is trying to help Darren, both politically and personally, but fails at both when Darren tells him to get a life outside of the campaign and, when Darren says he needs to get out of the hospital, Jamie tries to haul him out of bed but gets crushed by him instead. Finally, Gwen has to go over Darren's morning routine with Jamie, which makes her realize what she's lost by quitting the campaign and moving to DC. It looks like they're going back on the attack next episode, but for now they're about as low as they can be.
3. Steven Holder. He's back to the Holder we recognize, giving Linden crap while taking it in return. He also manages to do some police work, as he helps make connections leading to Alexei Giffords, the anime-tatted bicycling partner of Rosie Larsen.
2. Sarah Linden. She makes the greater connections, using her personal experience of the foster system and relationship with her own case worker, Regi, to get the background on Alexei that connects him to the Larsens by his dad, Piotr, who may have been killed by Stan so he could get out of the mob. On the down side, Linden is getting sued by her ex-husband for joint custody of Jack, contending that she's a negligent parent. And by what we've seen, that may not be that far from the truth.
1. Janek Kovarsky. He gets Belko's body from the morgue and arranges for the funeral, scooping Stan and giving him a chance to mock Stan for his life choices. Later, when Stan figures out that Janek used his trucks to move Beau Soleil, he goes after Janek, only to get further humiliated. Janek continues to get his pound of flesh out of Stan.
Three Down
3. Stan Larsen. He's less stupid in this episode, but he's still getting humiliated by Janek. Home life isn't any better, as he's having issues with Tommy and Mitch is still gone. His business appears to be infiltrated by Janek, as the widow of the man he allegedly whacked stops by to tell him he got what he deserved.
2. Tommy Larsen. He's been reluctant to go to school, and when forced to do so he locks his brother in the trunk of the car and loses it with aunt Terri, screaming at her that she's not his mother and to go home. We then learn that he's getting picked on at school and teased about Rosie. This leads Stan to give Tommy his version of the It Gets Better speech by telling Tommy the kids teasing him about Rosie are stupid, and that the next time he's getting pushed around he needs to punch the biggest kid on the bridge of the nose. For Stan, this is a positive parenting step.
1. The Darren Richmond Campaign. Darren plans to end his campaign, losing the will to continue when the mayor comes in and gets to act all supercilious. Jamie is trying to help Darren, both politically and personally, but fails at both when Darren tells him to get a life outside of the campaign and, when Darren says he needs to get out of the hospital, Jamie tries to haul him out of bed but gets crushed by him instead. Finally, Gwen has to go over Darren's morning routine with Jamie, which makes her realize what she's lost by quitting the campaign and moving to DC. It looks like they're going back on the attack next episode, but for now they're about as low as they can be.
Monday, April 09, 2012
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing
Three Up
3. Jack Linden. After getting dragged all over Seattle in the last couple of episodes, he and Sarah have finally landed somewhere they can cook, and he shows some independence as he continues watching a meal Sarah started before getting a work call. He also adds a bit of background to the investigation when he talks about the anime character whose tattoo is on a mystery guy in one of Rosie's movies. He also gets to tweak Sarah when he notes that she bought him the anime book at some point in the past, and that it's full of sex and violence. Nice parenting!
2. Janek Kovarsky. Stan brings the Polish mobster back into the case when he asks him to kill Rosie's killer. Janek manages to get under Stan's skin by making contact with his sons, but then gets Stan back into his graces by providing him with details about Rosie's death that the cops didn't tell Stan. Janek also says that the Beau Soleil thing is a dead end, as they only used Russian women, But we learn later that Janek is involved with Beau Soleil, and may have used Stan's employees to torch the building that housed the Beau Soleil servers just before a warrant was to be executed.
1. Sarah Linden. Not only has she managed to find something that passes for a home for Jack, but she makes some decent progress on the case, between the anime tattoo, the footage that links Larsen's moving company to the Beau Soleil arson, and discovering Holder's double cross with Rosie's backpack. She even manages to talk Holder off of a Seattle highway, apparently restarting their partnership.
Three Down
3. Darren Richmond. He's working hard to get back to normal - he's stopped taking morphine, wants to start rehab immediately, and swears he felt the warmth of the sun on his legs. He's even planning to attend an event at the end of the week to get back into the election, spurred in no small part by a mayoral press conference. But he comes back to earth when a doctor's test leads him to report sensation when he's not being touched, followed by a nurse he's been flirting with being able to change his catheder without him feeling it. When he finally stabs himself with a campaign pin, only to find he doesn't feel it, he realizes the road back to the campaign is much, much longer than he wants.
2. Steven Holder. So much for whatever "up" he had from last week. He's in a downward spiral this entire episode, starting with blowing off a N.A. meeting, followed by having his son reject a ride to school because his mom doesn't want him taking rides from dad. After beating up a dealer and stealing meth from him, Holder has sex with one of the former junkies from his N.A. group and, realizing he's hit bottom, winds up walking out into traffic on a Seattle highway. Linden talks him back in and gives up Rosie's backpack, so hopefully he's going to build back up after coming way down.
1. Stan Larsen. Poor, dumb Stan. He's gone back to Janek for help, not realizing that Janek is going to use Stan to protect his own interests. Stan is also told by Terry that he's incapable of taking care of the boys on his own, which past experience suggests is pretty much true. And it turns out that he likely has Janek-connected arsonists - and perhaps Rosie's actual killer - working for him. And unlike Holder, who seems to have realized what direction he was heading in, Stan seems poised to lumber right into whatever ending Janek has planned for him. Or just randomly doing something stupid that'll put him back in the jug.
Monday, April 02, 2012
Three Up, Three Down: The Killing
Not sure how well this concept is going to work for this show, which so rarely has three characters you could define as "up." But I'll do the best I can.
Three Up
3. Jamie Wright. In the wake of Richmond's shooting he manages to keep the campaign going and even gets to take a swing at one of the mayor's aides. He's doing his best to keep everything together. Still, he's not very up given how things are working out.
2. Stephen Holder. As cocky as he is for making the Richmond collar and getting promoted to homicide, he quickly figures out that things don't add up in the Larsen case, especially when the sudden appearance of Rosie's backpack outside of the Larsen house doesn't prompt significant inquiry. He then reasserts his badass self by taking the backpack, though what he'll do with it is up to question as he's been told that he was basically set up to steer the case towards Richmond.
1. Sarah Linden. She's the first to twig on to the idea that there's some sort of conspiracy at play, and makes quick connections to Holder's former boss in Narcotics and a representative of the mayor. She also pieces together some information from Gwen to check out Richmond's favored kayaking area. Still, for the new progress she has no idea who to trust or even if she and Jack are safe. Her personal life is certainly not at the top of the positive scale.
Three Down
3. The Larsen family. You could probably populate this entire section with Larsens. Stan has seen Mitch walk and his right hand man kill himself. The boys are feeling the absence of their mother keenly, and don't even feel safe in their own home. And Terry has to move in after whoever was paying her rent cuts her off, though she covers by taking a maternal role.
2, Belko Royce. He's got one dead (his mom) and one gravely injured (Richmond), and when he tells Stan that he shot Richmond for Stan and Rosie, Stan's sad, pitying looks tells Belko he's lost the trust of the man he looks up to the most. That, coupled with the fact that he's not going home soon, despite Holder's comments to the contrary, leads Belko to grab a cop's gun and kill himself.
1. Darren Richmond. He's been shot, paralyzed, will have a colostomy bag for the rest of his life, and to top it all off, Linden has figured out what Richmond was doing the night of Rosie's murder - trying to kill himself due to the guilt he feels over his wife's death. So while he's been cleared, he now has to live with the aftermath of his shooting and the potential of his suicide attempt going public.
Three Up
3. Jamie Wright. In the wake of Richmond's shooting he manages to keep the campaign going and even gets to take a swing at one of the mayor's aides. He's doing his best to keep everything together. Still, he's not very up given how things are working out.
2. Stephen Holder. As cocky as he is for making the Richmond collar and getting promoted to homicide, he quickly figures out that things don't add up in the Larsen case, especially when the sudden appearance of Rosie's backpack outside of the Larsen house doesn't prompt significant inquiry. He then reasserts his badass self by taking the backpack, though what he'll do with it is up to question as he's been told that he was basically set up to steer the case towards Richmond.
1. Sarah Linden. She's the first to twig on to the idea that there's some sort of conspiracy at play, and makes quick connections to Holder's former boss in Narcotics and a representative of the mayor. She also pieces together some information from Gwen to check out Richmond's favored kayaking area. Still, for the new progress she has no idea who to trust or even if she and Jack are safe. Her personal life is certainly not at the top of the positive scale.
Three Down
3. The Larsen family. You could probably populate this entire section with Larsens. Stan has seen Mitch walk and his right hand man kill himself. The boys are feeling the absence of their mother keenly, and don't even feel safe in their own home. And Terry has to move in after whoever was paying her rent cuts her off, though she covers by taking a maternal role.
2, Belko Royce. He's got one dead (his mom) and one gravely injured (Richmond), and when he tells Stan that he shot Richmond for Stan and Rosie, Stan's sad, pitying looks tells Belko he's lost the trust of the man he looks up to the most. That, coupled with the fact that he's not going home soon, despite Holder's comments to the contrary, leads Belko to grab a cop's gun and kill himself.
1. Darren Richmond. He's been shot, paralyzed, will have a colostomy bag for the rest of his life, and to top it all off, Linden has figured out what Richmond was doing the night of Rosie's murder - trying to kill himself due to the guilt he feels over his wife's death. So while he's been cleared, he now has to live with the aftermath of his shooting and the potential of his suicide attempt going public.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
At Least it Wasn't Raining
OK, I've finally seen the last episode of The Killing, and there are three things that bother me about the finale:
1. There is no way Belko Royce would get that close to Darren Richmond. The police and the press got their show by arresting Richmond at his rally, it seems highly unlikely they'd make him do the perp walk as well. Unless Mayor Adams is hoping for a Jack Ruby moment, in which case, thank you Belko.
2. How long will it take Richmond's defense to figure out the toll photo is a fake? If the cameras haven't been working for weeks, it's not going to be hard to discredit the photo. Unless the conspiracy against Richmond is very thorough, there's not going to be a way to remove all of the documented history of the cameras being out and produce "real" camera footage to back up the photo.
3. There is still no real physical evidence tying Richmond to Rosie as far as I can tell, making this Casey Anthony redux. Which I suppose will be OK if the purpose of Richmond's arrest is just to thwart his campaign.
Still, it was a very solid series and I'm looking forward to the second season. Kudos for the Emmy nods, especially Michelle Forbes, whose depiction of the shattered Mitch Larsen was quietly impressive.
1. There is no way Belko Royce would get that close to Darren Richmond. The police and the press got their show by arresting Richmond at his rally, it seems highly unlikely they'd make him do the perp walk as well. Unless Mayor Adams is hoping for a Jack Ruby moment, in which case, thank you Belko.
2. How long will it take Richmond's defense to figure out the toll photo is a fake? If the cameras haven't been working for weeks, it's not going to be hard to discredit the photo. Unless the conspiracy against Richmond is very thorough, there's not going to be a way to remove all of the documented history of the cameras being out and produce "real" camera footage to back up the photo.
3. There is still no real physical evidence tying Richmond to Rosie as far as I can tell, making this Casey Anthony redux. Which I suppose will be OK if the purpose of Richmond's arrest is just to thwart his campaign.
Still, it was a very solid series and I'm looking forward to the second season. Kudos for the Emmy nods, especially Michelle Forbes, whose depiction of the shattered Mitch Larsen was quietly impressive.
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