Is ‘The Killing’ Worth a Second Chance?

‘The Killing’ starts up its second season on AMC this Sunday, and you know what that means… Rain, and lots of it. Will you continue to watch the series after how it ended the last season?

Thinking over the show’s first season, perhaps I was too harsh on it. After waiting for 13 episodes to finally figure out who killed Rosie Larsen, viewers were given a slight backhand from the writers that basically said, “Gotcha! But, we promise to reveal the killer next season.” That was frustrating.

I kept watching ‘The Killing’ because of its characters. After sitting through the character development drought that was the second season of ‘The Walking Dead’, I’m down for watching a show with richly developed personalities, rather than stereotypes who are placed in the way so the plot can unfold.

Sure, I was a little perturbed at the way ‘The Killing’ ended its first season. After all, this is a story that could fit into an hour-long episode of ‘Law & Order: SVU’. In my last recap of Season One, I wondered if I’d have enough energy to make it through another season. Admittedly, I’m curiously optimistic at this point, if only to see how far the show can string out a story that’s centralized on just one murder. In the show’s time, it’s only been days since the murder happened. As we all know from the great Reality show ‘The First 48’, if a perpetrator isn’t caught within two days of the murder, the chances of finding him decrease by 50 percent.

I thought that the first season’s climax seemed a little off. The way Linden found out about Richmond’s involvement still feels downright silly. (Does anyone really use sound effects for incoming emails anymore?)

As Sunday approaches, I find myself wanting more and more to watch what the show has to offer this time around. Truthfully, I felt burned at the end of Season One. Yes, many shows end on cliffhangers, but this isn’t a plot centered on mysterious disappearing islands with smoke monsters. This is one murder. I think that’s what’s so hard to stomach. At times, it felt like the writers were stretching the story along, trying to add in parts that seemed out of place. (For example: Linden searching for her kid an entire episode.)

For the most part, I found myself sucked into the grief that was displayed by the Larsen family. That’s something you don’t get in a ‘Law & Order’ episode – the slow descent into depression and what that grief and anguish can do to a person. Just ask Bennet Ahmed about the side effects of a grieving father.

Like many shows, ‘The Killing’ had its ups and downs, but I find myself wondering what will happen when we reconvene with the investigation. I’m sure that there will be more red herrings to distract us, and maybe even “Search for Linden’s Son: Part 2,” but I’m excited for a character-centric show after struggling through ‘The Walking Dead’, where some of the zombies had more personality than the living.

Will You Tune Into the Second Season of 'The Killing'?

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3 comments

  1. Niea Vickstrøm

    Why watch a mediocre American translation? The original Forbrydelsen is easily found, and is extremely good! They’ve produced an awesome second series, with a third on the way… and I grantee you there is a lot more intrigue to be found the originals vs. the adaptation.

    • CK

      I was considering checking this show out, but I’ve heard that the show goes down hill as the season goes, so I’ll probably skip it.

      I’d like to see the original, but the only place I can find it is Amazon, where it is too expensive for me to get at the moment; particularly for a blind-buy. I’m too tired to go on a major hunt for it. Is there a better place to get it?

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