AMC’s ‘The Killing’: Episode 12 – “Beau Soleil”

At the start of tonight’s episode, AMC’s Suspect Tracker currently has Darren Richmond as the most likely culprit at 39%.

Last week’s episode 11 dealt with Linden’s missing kid, and ended with Holder’s discovery of Rosie on the ATM camera. This week we begin with Linden ripping Jack’s father a new hole, Stan still in prison, and Belko losing his job. Also, as ground breaks for the Mayor’s new water front property they uncover a skull. An Indian skull. Looks like the Mayor’s re-election campaign is falling apart. People don’t take kindly to desecrating Indian burial grounds to put up condos and what not…

Spoilers Ahead>>>

While at the office Mitch hears a message from Stan’s old Mob Boss, assumes that has to do with why all the missing money from their savings, and figures maybe that’s what got Rosie killed. When she goes to see her husband through the glass, she tells him as much. He doesn’t bother to inform her about the new house he bought her as a surprise, but instead simply gets pissed and storms off back to his cell.

 Mayor Adams pays a visit to Gwen to let her know that Darren isn’t the man she thinks he is, and gives her a package. The contents aren’t yet made clear. What is made clear however, is Tom Drexler’s intentions and expectations. Jamie visits Tom at ‘Beau Soleil’ and lets him know that he owns Darren once the election is won. And he does so right under the best swimming pool ever.

Linden and Holder also become acquainted with ‘Beau Soleil’ as they convene with Holder’s old partner. And it looks as though our girl Rosie may have been involved. When they attempt to talk to Terry they find her very uncooperative…

Jack’s dad shows up at the police station to apologize to Sarah and ask for another chance to be in the boy’s life. An opportunity to be the father he never has been. She tells him if he goes near Jack again she’ll have him arrested. That’s pretty harsh.

After further investigation, Rosie’s computer leads them to believe that it is Terry, not Rosie who is the escort. Makes sense why no one trusted her now as she was hiding something. It’s also makes sense why they cast an actress who’s most famous role was a hooker to play the aunt… Anyhow, this prompts another talk with Aunt Terry and the cops learn a little bit more. They head to “Pimp My Feet”, which is where the server for the escort service is housed. Their new suspect, a cyber-ghost name ‘Orpheus’, whom Holder believes to be Drexler. The cops set up a ‘date’ through the site and meet with a girl who went out with ‘Orpheus’ and feared for her life. Holder gets too aggressive though and she flies the coop.

As the episode comes to a close several things happen. Terry bails Stan out of jail, Linden sends an e-mail to the mystery man, and Gwen opens up the Mayor’s damning package. This is when Holder gets a call from the scarred escort. She tells him to come to the pay phone she’s calling from.

Expecting to be bailed out by his wife, Stan seems disappointed to instead find his Sister-In-Law downstairs. That’s the bummer man.

While this is happening Linden pays a visit to Darren Richmond. She wants to question him about his connection to Drexler. This is when, at the same time, Holder and Linden both learn who the real Orpheus is – Richmond.

 Looks like my prediction is shaping up nicely…

Pretty solid episode overall, and especially the last 5 minutes, tension was built and I can’t wait for next week. That last sequence with Holder and Linden both figuring it out at the same time – excellent. 4/5 Bears.

AMC’s ‘The Killing’: Episode 10 – “I’ll Let You Know When I Get There”

After last week the overwhelming assumption thus far is that Belko is the killer. In AMC’s latest poll, Belko was voted most likely with 39%, and Aunt Terry 2nd place with only 10%. Personally I don’t think Terry would’ve murdered her niece in such a brutal manner, but I guess people just don’t trust her. Maybe it’s because she’s still best known for playing a crack whore on The Shield…

At the end of last week’s episode we learned a little too late that Bennett Amhed was not to blame for the murder of Rosie Larsen. Stan and Belko had already grabbed him, and as the credits roll we see them beat Amhed savagely.  And more than that, as Stan is kicking the suspect killer of his child, we see Belko punching a rock and looking quite guilty. Something isn’t right there. Not to say he’s the killer, just that something there is not right.

As this week’s episode we open on Bennett’s beaten body. Lying in the mud as Mitch tries desperately to reach her husband. The husband whom she blamed for not ‘handling’ the suspected killer sooner. Lucky for the Amhed family the teacher survived the attack, but Mitch must now live with knowing she sicked her husband on the wrong man. And upon learning he attacked what appears to be the wrong man, Stan does the right thing and turns himself into the authorities.

Our detectives however, now need a new suspect. Linden arrives at the residence of Darren Richmond and informs him that Amhed is not only innocent, but in critical condition at the hospital after the beating he received from Stan. This seems to be the perfect opportunity for Richmond to jump back into the race. The man who all along stood by Amhed and was crucified for it, can now use his integrity to re-establish his stand. And that’s just what he does. Using the media outside the hospital he launches an all out attack on not only the Mayor, but the cowardly City Council that helped to shut down his basketball center.

As Stan’s preliminary hearing for his crimes begins, Linden meets with a cabbie that picked up Rosie that night. Picked her up and took her home. The video from the cab shows Rosie getting out in front of the house, and someone inside. We see a light turn off in the house, a house that is supposed to be empty. Holder is convinced that the light was turned off by Belko.

‘Empire Records’ fans will recognize Belko as the young shoplifter Warren. (Picture from Lilotchka)

Upon a visit to Belko’s house they find several pictures of the Larsen family pinned to the ceiling above his bed. With some further questioning Holder’s suspicion is confirmed, Belko was there the night of the murder. Though, despite this, and as I’ve thought all along, Belko doesn’t appear to be our killer. He is too scared of not being ‘part of the family’ to piss off Stan. He did however overhear a phone call she made, and he heard something that rang through to our Detectives – Adela. The same name from the note they found earlier.

Sarah returns home to find her fiancée Rick waiting at the door. Things there do not go well. The following morning she goes for a run and stumbles upon what could be a huge break in the case. A ship. A ship named Adela. In fact, a ship named Adela that passes the Wapi Eagle Casino. A Casino bearing the same logo as the key-chain in evidence.

 

So Linden has a new lead, Stan is in jail, and Mitch is searching the books for their missing life savings, a cold realization just heaped upon her already troubled life. Bennett remains in the Hospital and Richmond it would appear, at least for a moment, had met Rosie.

I have a feeling that the 40% of the vote Belko has now, is gonna drop. Myself, I don’t have a clue who the killer is at this point. Who do you think it is?

 

AMC’s ‘The Killing’: Episode 9 – “Undertow”

After last week’s episode I’ve found a stronger interest in the show. Not that I lost interest, but this week certainly held more anticipation than the past few did. The show has found a flow as Linden and Holder have grown closer. Their relationship is what is now driving the show. Richmond’s campaign seems to be spiraling downward since going negative, and the Larsen’s have been promised that Bennett will be arrested soon.

We see Stan and Belko back to work, unloading a house and Stan is asked by a little girl for her bike out of the moving truck. As Stan gives it to her, you can see him pretending she’s Rosie. He puts her on the bike, and fixes the chain, and straps the helmet on her head. As he sends her down the road and tells her to be careful, it seems symbolic of letting Rosie go. Stan is moving on.

Linden and Holder’s warrant falls through and their wire is inadmissible. And Richmond? His release of info on Mayor Adam’s mistress has been spun by Adam’s to look like lies and Darren’s problems just continue to grow, as his supporters jump ship in the wake of the perceived lies.

As Richmond’s political aspirations dwindle, his buddy Bennett attempts to return to work. He garners support from neither co-worker or students, and his class actually walks out on him. If this isn’t a bad enough way to start the day, unbeknownst to him,  his wife has gone to Linden with the phone number of Muhammad she seeks.

Using the number given to them by Mrs. Ahmed, Linden and Holder track down the elusive Muhammad, but not before being confronted by Mitch Larsen. She is irate that Bennett is still free. And this is something that Stan is gonna hear about.

Richmond has hit rock bottom and must once again crawl to Tom Drexler for another handout. This time he wants $5 Million to fix the Somali community damaged by recent events and bad pub. He believes this will be the gesture that wins him an election. It’s a ‘Hail Mary’, or more accurately, a $5 million shot. Drexler gives Darren the Basketball and tells him the money is his if he makes it, but if he misses, he must withdraw his name from the race. Cut to commercial…

Once we return from commercial break we learn that Muhammad and Bennett didn’t kill Rosie, but have instead taken the missing girl from the Muslim community. They are trying to get her to Canada to help her escape her parents. Mitch then finds Rosie’s pink ‘Grand Canyon’ shirt in the wash and quickly realizes what we already know – Bennett didn’t kill her daughter. It’s realized too late however, as Mitch has already sicked her husband on the teacher. As the Stan and Belko open the back of their van we hear Bennett scream in terror.

Richmond returns to his office with a basketball in hand. This means of course, he hit his shot. He has his funding. The screen then cuts back to Stan and Belko as they proceed to beat Bennett. Beat him to viscously to hear Stan’s phone ring. Mitch is unable to call off the attack.

It’s a good follow-up to last week, but it does re-open the suspect list and it doesn’t get us any closer to a solution. Though, as many people have already guessed, the ‘Belko Theory’ gained some grounding tonight. As Stan is beating Amhed, Belko can be seen punching a rock in frustration. I give it a a solid 3.5/5 Bears.

 So who’s your guess?

AMC’s ‘The Killing’: Episode 7 – “Vengeance”

If you’re behind, maybe read these first:
–  AMC’s ‘The Killing’: Episodes 1 to 5 – Suspect List
– AMC’s ‘The Killing’: Episode 6 – “What You Have Left”

Sunday night’s episode of The Killing started off strong, so let’s get right to it… We start off with where we stopped last week. Detective Linden pounding on Bennett’s door while he is trapped in Stan Larsen’s car. After it appeared unlikely, Amber Ahmed finally comes to the door and lets in Linden. She does this about the same time Holder is questioning Mrs. Larsen about Stan’s whereabouts. Neither interview goes well. Bennett’s life is spared only by Stan’s self-control and a promise he made 18 years earlier. Bennett’s wife seems to have been eliminated from the suspect pool, and Holder got himself kicked out of the Larsen house.

Linden then, as expected, misses her flight. You know, the one she guaranteed she would be on. In the wake of Rosie’s funeral everyone is having a terrible day, including Councilman Richmond. His refusal to abandon and publicly condemn Bennett Amhed has giving the Mayor enough ammunition to publicly attack him for “supporting a murderer”.

The Mayor’s attacks hit home with the bigots and racists, that’s an important demographic – they vote. Richmond’s campaign seems to be forever doomed, though I seem to think that once Bennett’s innocence is proven it will only strengthen his cause. This however, at least to me, is the most interesting aspect of the show. After all, I don’t care about Linden leaving – cause she won’t. And Holder’s ‘is he/isn’t he’ a drug user aspect seems a little forced, and I believe he will yet prove himself an asset. So until Stan Larsen actually kills someone to avenge his daughter, I’ll turn my focus to the election and Richmond’s self-destructive actions. I mean, doesn’t he know politicians are supposed to be morally corrupt? We get to see a little more of Richmond’s background here as he visits the mother of his dead wife, killed by a drunk driver. He does so just before her daughter’s killer is released from prison.

So the episode closes with 2 events: The first is the Mayor using the City Council against Richmond to kill his basketball program, effectively removing Bennett from the payroll. The second, and significantly more substantial event has to do with our beloved pair of Detectives. After visiting a mosque to follow-up a lead, they are mysteriously slipped an address. Upon arriving at said address they break in only to be met by an FBI swat team. Maybe this has introduced a new motive for Rosie’s murder…

Overall the episode wasn’t great, just a lot of set up, but it looks to be headed in the right direction…I give it 3 Bears.

AMC’s ‘The Killing’: Episode 6 – “What You Have Left”

The sixth episode of The Killing starts as we prepare for the funeral of Rosie Larsen. This is a reminder of how little time has passed on the show. Despite this already being the sixth episode, Rosie’s body isn’t yet in the ground. We see Richmond’s campaign is trying to get back on track with the return of Jamie, but there is still friction with Gwen concerning trust issues. And Linden’s investigation just keeps pointing towards Bennett.

Now some people may say the show is moving slowly, but I actually appreciate the pacing. They are taking their time to play all the angles and producing a true ‘who-done-it’. So, what happened tonight?

Episode 6 focused mainly on Bennett and the evidence seemed to just continue to pile up, only now it seems perhaps it wasn’t Bennett who killed her, but rather Chrissy Seaver Mrs. Ahmed who may have committed the crime.

Belko’s source called in with Bennett’s name, which was delivered to Stan. As the episode came to a close, it did so with Stan giving Bennett “a ride home”…something that does not bode well for Bennett. Especially since in this episode we learned a little more about Stan’s past. Before Rosie was born, Stan was muscle for the Polish Mob. And though he has no record, it seems like killing Bennett wouldn’t be a stretch for Stan.

Linden and Holder know Stan has Bennett and are desperately trying to find them. Bennett is also having a major effect on the Richmond campaign without even knowing it. Darren assuming Bennett’s innocence has refused to distance himself from the teacher in fear of ruining an innocent man. The mayor is using this against Richmond obviously and his longshot to become Mayor just got a little longer…

Not an overly eventful episode outside the funeral, but the plot progressed nicely. This was my favorite episode yet, expertly crafted – 4.5 Bears. Boom. I’m quite excited for next week.

AMC’s ‘The Killing’: Episodes 1 to 5 – Suspect List

Through 4 weeks and 5 episodes The Killing has given us a murder mystery full of political intrigue and family drama. That, and a wide array of suspects. A classic ‘who done it’ type that has the patience to build the story up for long enough, so that a one point or another, we’ll have to look at everyone.

The show started off with a missing girl and a police investigation. What was initially thought to be a prostitution exchange gone wrong lead Seattle police Detective Sarah Linden to a Mr. Stan Larsen. The man she assumed was in the fields with a young lady the evening prior. They turn out to be very wrong as the reason they were led to him in the first place, the credit card, was in the possession of his daughter – Rosie, who no one has seen for a few days. As Stan frantically searches the city for his daughter, Detective Linden, and her soon to be replacement – Det. Stephen Holder – find a car in the lake. In the trunk, they find Rosie.

The murder of Rosie Larsen is really no closer to being solved than in was at the end of the pilot, but Detective Sarah Linden’s suspect pool is growing…

Since the discovery of the body, and through 5 episodes, we have seen several suspects introduced. People ranging from fellow students and school faculty, all the way up to city officials. So, let’s start at the top.

Rosie’s body was found in the trunk of a campaign car for City Councilman Darren Richmond who is running for Mayor. The car was reported stolen a few days prior, but that doesn’t clear anyone. Here are the most likely suspects…

Darren Richmond – The almost perfect politician. A widower whose intentions are true and who is refusing to exploit the Larsen family even if it means he’ll lose the election. That’s not very believable. It’s easy to point a cynical finger at him as the viewer because he seems so squeaky clean. Aside from his secret relationship with Gwen, he appears to be the most morally grounded character on the list.

Gwen Eaton – Darren’s right-hand man – err- woman. Aside from their torrid love life, she is only ever shown working towards getting Richmond elected. And while Jamie is sure she is the leak in the campaign, Darren seems to sharp for that. There is something suspicious about her though, and I’m sure she’ll have some secrets pouring out any episode now…

Jamie Wright – The easy pick from this bunch. From episode one he saw Rosie’s death as nothing more than an opportunity to cement the campaign and advance his own career. He seems pretty morally ambiguous. The motive though seems absent as far as connections to Rosie.

Also within the political spectrum, Richmond’s enemies, people who benefit from seeing Richmond’s name tarnished.

Mayor Lesley Adams – The dirty Mayor, easy on crime – easier on big business. It’s clear that the only thing he cares more about than money is his legacy. And losing the election to a Do-Gooder like Richmond would not be good for said legacy. It’s not beyond the realm of believability to see him hiring someone to connect a murder to the Richmond name.

Councilwoman Ruth Yitanes – Now here is a real politician. She’s a long shot to be out killer, but she’s too involved with both Richmond and Adams to be ignored. She is greedy and conniving, and her husband employees a lot of people…

So it was Richmond’s campaign where the cops looked first, but they quickly changed focus to Rosie’s school…

Sterling Fitch – The best friend. The stupid best friend any how. Here she is, lying to the cops about where Rosie is, and every confrontation with anyone ends with her in tears. She was obviously jealous of Rosie, that why she wore Rosie’s wig when Kris and Jasper ran a train on her in the basement. But this crime seems a little brutal for her to have done…alone anyhow.

Jasper Ames – Here is the kid EVERYONE wants to be guilty. He is a spoiled rich, pompous little ass. He treats other people like toys for him to play with and discard. He has no respect for women of any kind, but seems deathly afraid of men that his daddy’s lawyer can’t control…including his father. This may well be our killer even though the evidence has pushed him from view for the moment.

Kris Echols – Jasper’s best friend. I guess. I don’t think Jasper has real friends, but this scumbag is pretty close. He seems to have run his course, but if things come back around with Jasper, he could be involved as well.

Schools aren’t just full of kids though, there are Custodians and Teachers there as well…

Lyndon Johnson Rosales – The pervey janitor. He liked to watch the kids having sex in the school basement. Yes he’s a perv, but I doubt he’s our killer.

Bennet Ahmed – That brings us to Rosie’s English teacher – Bennet. Over the last 60 or so minutes of showtime everything has pointed to this beacon of education. We find out he married the youngest daughter from Growing Pains one of his old students, and he wrote notes back and forth with more than one of his other female students. There were also allegations of misconduct from his old school where no charges were drawn as the girl in question was mentally handicapped. He is who the show wants you to think is guilty, but it’s just too early to tell…

And then there are the Wild Card picks. A few characters that seem to have no motive at all, but with 8 episodes left, who knows what’ll be uncovered.

Belko Royce – Stan Larsen’s right hand man at the moving company. Plenty of talk about ‘the old days’ which, while it hasn’t been explained yet, sounds ominous. He and Stan were obviously into something illegal. And while I don’t see Stan as a viable contender, Belko seems pretty gung-ho about collecting info on the case – perhaps to deflect suspicion from himself.

Michael Ames – Jasper’s dad. Said to have enough money to buy whatever he wants, perhaps he had Rosie killed. Maybe she overheard something she wasn’t supposed to. Anyhow, any one who could raise a kid like Jasper can’t be all good.

Det. Stephen Holder – Ok, not officially on the suspect list, but Linden doesn’t trust him, and neither do most of the audience to this point. He may or may not have both drug and gambling problems. Or maybe he’s on the take? The Lt doesn’t seem to have any faith in him either. Kris calling him out for his drug habit and the envelope of cash from the last episode makes you think there may be something there…

Mitch Larsen – So long as we’re drawing comparisons to Twin Peaks, how crazy would it be if the reason her mother is taking this so hard is because she is responsible? Unlikely, but not impossible.

So the question remains – Who killed Rosie Larsen? for a more In-Depth list, check out AMC’s Suspect Tracker. BUT FIRST, take a second to vote on out poll. Thanks.

AMC Series Preview: THE KILLING

As the fall TV shows are coming up on the end of their seasons, many new shows are getting ready to premier. We’ve already told you about Terra Nova, A Game of Thrones, and Camelot, which we’re predicting will all be good. Now we’ve got another prediction of quality: The Killing.

Here is the synopsis from AMC:

AMC has begun production on the network’s next original series, The Killing. From writer, executive producer and series showrunner Veena Sud (Cold Case), The Killing is based on the wildly successful Danish television series Forbrydelsen and tells the story of the murder of a young girl in Seattle and the subsequent police investigation. Season one will consist of thirteen one-hour episodes and will debut with a 2 hour premiere on Sun., Apr. 3 at 9PM | 8C.

Now, it might not sound like much…unless you were a big TV fan in the early 90’s. Then it might sound like Twin Peaks.

Most Cop/Crime dramas take a week-to-week look at the job, and typically wrap up a case an episode, but with both this and the aforementioned Twin Peaks, you have an entire season devoted to one case, the murder of a young girl. Now that might seem dull to all you Law & Order fans who are used to everything being wrapped up with a bow at the end of the hour, but I can tell you, this has potential to be one of the best shows on TV this year.

Below is the trailer, and for those familiar with Twin Peaks, tell me that it doesn’t seem similar…

So, as there were no midgets in red tuxedos, speaking backwards, it’s obviously not going to be as weird as Twin Peaks, but I’m sure can see the parallels.

Our missing girl is Rosie Larsen. In the trailer, if you’re a True Blood fan, you may have recognized Rosie’s mother as ‘Maryann Forrester’ (Michelle Forbes), but this time with no claws. And Justified fans may know Rosie’s father (played by Brent Sexton) as ‘Sheriff Hunter Mosley’ from Season 1.

The show is set to premier with a 2-Hour first episode this Sunday. I know I’ll be watching, and I have high hopes.