THE KILLING “Orpheus Descending” Season 1 Episode 13 - I won’t bother to summarise the events of the episode, suffice to say that Linden and Holder gathered the necessary evidence to charge Richmond with Rosie’s murder. There was a bit of overwrought ‘he hunted her, she suffered’ somewhere in the middle there, but it was a fairly average, decent episode.
I honestly never thought Richmond could be the murderer and I’m still not sure. The planted photographic evidence could be proof he’s innocent – or it could be a way to ensure a guilty man’s conviction. It could even be a way to get him off scot-free; after all, if that evidence has been planted can the rest be trusted? And more importantly, will it matter either way?
The ending of the episode was brilliantly done, although I’m now conflicted – I honestly cannot decide whether I liked the episode or not. On the one hand, the ending was a perfect setup for season 2, wherein the hunt to find Rosie’s killer would continue, we would learn whether or not Holder is a ‘bad guy’ and we would see whether the Larsen family manage to pull themselves back together. On the other hand, we still don’t know who killed Rosie, a character we have grown to trust may be a ‘bad guy’ and by the time season 2 airs there’s a good chance a lot of viewers just won’t give a damn about the Larsen case anymore.
But let’s look back at the season as a whole. This show took the best of stark Danish crime drama and transfered it to US television in a surprisingly effective way. The pacing could have done with some work (some events were too compacted, some drawn out too long) and I’m still not entirely sure that the bottle episode (1.11 ‘Missing’) was effective in its placement so late in the season (although it does make the possibility of Holder being a dirty cop even more distressing), but overall it was a really enjoyable watch.
That said, let’s be completely honest here. What has The Killing really got going for it that will draw viewers back for season 2? The plots are all intertwined, the only outside drama away from the Larsens (Jack’s father, Linden’s fiance, Holder’s family) firmly shoved into the background in almost all but one episode. Even if you liked the characters, the murder case was probably your main reason for watching — and now the season ends with no resolution in that case. Will you care enough and remember enough about the Larsen murder to come back for season 2?
I don’t ask this in a judgmental way at all; I’m genuinely curious. I want to say that I’m eager to watch season 2 but right now I’m a little tired of The Killing. I can only hope my enthusiasm returns by next year. Hopefully we’ll finally be given some real, solid answers.
What did you think of ‘Orpheus Descending’ and The Killing‘s first season? Let us know in the comments below!
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