I spent two weeks binge-watching this series and after finishing last night, today I re-watched the first 6 episodes. My stomach has been in knots all this time, and frankly, most of the time I felt like I was about to have a heart attack.
That's how intense the show is. Not everything is perfect, and some reviewers point out some 'flaws' but that's a matter of opinion. I personally loved that we see the grieving family so much, and Linden's relationship with her son. Normally in shows the gruesome stuff is hidden, we don't get to feel what it's like to lose someone, to struggle from day to day trying to be the person we want to be. In other shows the focus is on the killer and detective work, and we don't see what a cop's personal life is like when he/she has to deal with the nuances of the job that they chose as their calling. 'The Killing' makes you wonder, who in this world is capable of being a homicide detective? Who wants to do that? If you criticize Linden, try to imagine what it would be like for you. I love how messed up she is, she's been doing it for years, it all must have gotten to her. And Holder, her junkie joke of a partner? That's what he is initially but he slowly becomes a real hero. Both of them are heroes because they care like no one else. They work round the clock to catch the bad guy, and they'd do absolutely anything, and sacrifice everything for the case and their partner. Both are seriously messed up but they 'found' each other and can fix each other - and that's not an easy job. It's beautiful to watch how tight they become in the end.
Well, that's why I wanted to give the show 9 stars - because at the end of season 3 things get crazy, and even though it does make sense throughout season 4, I felt royally cheated until almost the very end. Here you have the good guys with principles go off the rails. They turn on each other and seem like they're gonna lose everything. That wasn't supposed to happen (in my opinion at least). They were supposed to be OK. Now it looks like they didn't have a chance from the start. I hated who Linden and Holder became, and barely managed to get through season 4 because I was seriously expecting them to kill each other, and I couldn't stand the thought.
I love that the show is slow-cooking, but at the same time there's a lot of information coming in from all directions so it's a nail-biting experience. The detectives have such great chemistry that it's insane - and I don't mean they're so into each other. They simply get who the other person is. The acting is brilliant, as is the writing for these two. Most people would spend hours talking on a date and wouldn't find out much about each other, but Linden and Holder need only a sentence each to communicate a thousand words. Their most intimate conversations are about the case, and that's weird but also sweet because this is all they have: this job, and they can only show their true selves in a conversation with another person who knows this job inside out like they do. You get to know them so well through those limited sound bites that you learn to literally read their thoughts. That was the main reason why I was so immersed in the show: I wanted to see how their relationship develops - not a romantic relationship but their relationship as friends who could die for each other if they had to. They will remind you of you in your darkest hours, there is so much to relate to here, no matter where you've been emotionally. How does someone write that into a show and make it so real and authentic? The writers of the show did an outstanding job.
At first I didn't like the fact that Linden's ugly and that they always wear the same clothes and it always rains. But then the little things added up to create a mood that you can't shake off. (OK, I was happy that Holder finally changed into a different hoodie after maybe 8 episodes and that in season 2 it rained much less.) Linden basically has the same facial expression 95% of the time, but with that one face and her emotionless voice she does it all. And Holder, the ex-junkie joker has a whole arsenal of moves and looks that define him and help him connect with Linden in ways that no one ever has. That's why they're such a powerful, unstoppable force that you can't stop watching.
Season 4 is uglier than the previous ones, and of course throughout the show I asked myself sometimes, why this or that, but it does makes sense and the show is amazingly well written and directed. The story lines keep you guessing, and it seems like the writers were in control of all the threads of every story. Either that or they did a good job hiding what didn't work.
Anyone can point out plot holes or weird things in the show but the truth is, there's a lot that isn't said because you can work it out yourself. I like to pick a show or a movie apart. Here, I believed the writers. I think the show scores very high on credibility and it will have you asking until the end: 'Will they or won't they?' You go figure out what I mean.
This is the best crime show I've ever seen, no doubt. And that heart attack feeling isn't going away soon. It's definitely unmissable and addictive as hell. It cost me two weeks of my life but man, it was worth it.
That's how intense the show is. Not everything is perfect, and some reviewers point out some 'flaws' but that's a matter of opinion. I personally loved that we see the grieving family so much, and Linden's relationship with her son. Normally in shows the gruesome stuff is hidden, we don't get to feel what it's like to lose someone, to struggle from day to day trying to be the person we want to be. In other shows the focus is on the killer and detective work, and we don't see what a cop's personal life is like when he/she has to deal with the nuances of the job that they chose as their calling. 'The Killing' makes you wonder, who in this world is capable of being a homicide detective? Who wants to do that? If you criticize Linden, try to imagine what it would be like for you. I love how messed up she is, she's been doing it for years, it all must have gotten to her. And Holder, her junkie joke of a partner? That's what he is initially but he slowly becomes a real hero. Both of them are heroes because they care like no one else. They work round the clock to catch the bad guy, and they'd do absolutely anything, and sacrifice everything for the case and their partner. Both are seriously messed up but they 'found' each other and can fix each other - and that's not an easy job. It's beautiful to watch how tight they become in the end.
Well, that's why I wanted to give the show 9 stars - because at the end of season 3 things get crazy, and even though it does make sense throughout season 4, I felt royally cheated until almost the very end. Here you have the good guys with principles go off the rails. They turn on each other and seem like they're gonna lose everything. That wasn't supposed to happen (in my opinion at least). They were supposed to be OK. Now it looks like they didn't have a chance from the start. I hated who Linden and Holder became, and barely managed to get through season 4 because I was seriously expecting them to kill each other, and I couldn't stand the thought.
I love that the show is slow-cooking, but at the same time there's a lot of information coming in from all directions so it's a nail-biting experience. The detectives have such great chemistry that it's insane - and I don't mean they're so into each other. They simply get who the other person is. The acting is brilliant, as is the writing for these two. Most people would spend hours talking on a date and wouldn't find out much about each other, but Linden and Holder need only a sentence each to communicate a thousand words. Their most intimate conversations are about the case, and that's weird but also sweet because this is all they have: this job, and they can only show their true selves in a conversation with another person who knows this job inside out like they do. You get to know them so well through those limited sound bites that you learn to literally read their thoughts. That was the main reason why I was so immersed in the show: I wanted to see how their relationship develops - not a romantic relationship but their relationship as friends who could die for each other if they had to. They will remind you of you in your darkest hours, there is so much to relate to here, no matter where you've been emotionally. How does someone write that into a show and make it so real and authentic? The writers of the show did an outstanding job.
At first I didn't like the fact that Linden's ugly and that they always wear the same clothes and it always rains. But then the little things added up to create a mood that you can't shake off. (OK, I was happy that Holder finally changed into a different hoodie after maybe 8 episodes and that in season 2 it rained much less.) Linden basically has the same facial expression 95% of the time, but with that one face and her emotionless voice she does it all. And Holder, the ex-junkie joker has a whole arsenal of moves and looks that define him and help him connect with Linden in ways that no one ever has. That's why they're such a powerful, unstoppable force that you can't stop watching.
Season 4 is uglier than the previous ones, and of course throughout the show I asked myself sometimes, why this or that, but it does makes sense and the show is amazingly well written and directed. The story lines keep you guessing, and it seems like the writers were in control of all the threads of every story. Either that or they did a good job hiding what didn't work.
Anyone can point out plot holes or weird things in the show but the truth is, there's a lot that isn't said because you can work it out yourself. I like to pick a show or a movie apart. Here, I believed the writers. I think the show scores very high on credibility and it will have you asking until the end: 'Will they or won't they?' You go figure out what I mean.
This is the best crime show I've ever seen, no doubt. And that heart attack feeling isn't going away soon. It's definitely unmissable and addictive as hell. It cost me two weeks of my life but man, it was worth it.