Bingeworthy: The Killing
Imagine that every character arc and plot point in Lost had been artfully crafted from the get-go. What a difference it would have made if every little number, every monster, every chess piece all eventually led somewhere, and the places they led lent themselves to a character’s back-story – or even to his or her future.
Ever since Lost ended (culminating in a finale that failed on most of those points) its fans have been chasing that dragon, trying to find a great character-driven, dramatic, mysterious show that would live up to its own intricate plot devices. (Whatever you may hear, do NOT hope that show is Twin Peaks. It isn’t. Just back away from your Netflix now if that’s what you’re looking for in Twin Peaks.)
While not on the grand or fantastical scale of Lost and its dizzying whirlwind of clues – and that’s for the better – The Killing is that show.
Because this is a “bingeworthy” recommendation, this post is spoiler-free so all of you who haven’t seen the show can enjoy watching the mysteries of each season unfurl.
For its first two seasons, The Killing focuses on two detectives, Linden and Holder, working to solve the murder of a young woman as her family unravels. But these detectives are not the steely numb types we typically see on television a la Blue Bloods or Law & Order. Linden and Holder are contending with their own embattled psyches and are anything but stable. As the first two seasons wear on, details are dropped as to why each of them has a tipping point that could crack their resolve with overwhelming fragility.
(just look at all that hair-grabbing angst!)
After the first two seasons, another criminal case and another plot line emerges, begging the question: how can this show continue when for two whole seasons it was based upon one girl's murder? How can it withstand an entire rotation of characters, apart from Linden and Holder?
It survives because the third season, and later the fourth, hinge on clues dropped in the first two seasons that ultimately reveal why Linden’s and Holder’s respective fragilities run so deep. Not only that, but those clues evolve – and some might argue devolve – into some truths that are pretty hard to swallow, but incredibly satisfying as a viewer for the articulate care with which the writers’ planned over all four seasons.
Also quite satisfyingly, it’s nearly impossible to guess well in advance what will happen on The Killing – and that’s not because of meandering, nonsensical writing – just the opposite.
It’s a little thing called foresight, J.J. Abrams. Try to remember that with our precious Star Wars.
