Holder’s not around until halfway through the episode. The man continues his self-pity parade by drinking, throwing beer cans at tombstones and just bumming everybody out. Well, at least he’s kind enough to bring Linden the evidence she needed to sway the attorney general into considering a stay for Seward, which buys her some time to calm him down, speak to his son, and deal with Holder all at the same time. Needless to say, this is one of Linden’s finest moments ever since the show started.
Nevertheless, Linden eventually learns from Adrian that Seward had been in the crime scene before, which he had lied to Linden about. The detective feels cheated, and storms off. Holder confronts her, and cites the numerous times Linden has walked away from someone or something, describing it as a pattern. He claims she does it in order to avoid getting hurt, but I digress. I believe she’s afraid of what she’s capable of doing to others, yet fails to see that all her running away wounds her loved ones nonetheless. More than a pattern, it’s a vicious cycle.
Seward admits afterward that when he went back to get his son, he found his wife laying in a pool of blood. It’s not enough to grant him a stay (which ultimately doesn’t happen), but it’s valuable information that will come in handy later on, I’m sure. As Seward gets ready to talk to his son, Becker locks him up once again, and a deeply frustrated Linden tells him to look out the window to see Adrian for the last time. The walk towards the gallows is a ponderous one — he’s overflowing with remorse, and his agony is palpable.
And then we find out Becker has incorrectly weighed him on purpose, as he wants him to choke for several minutes. How do we know this? He’s visibly frightened, nervous. We don’t find out why until we hear Seward gagging as he hangs. The ward looks away, ashamed of his unjustified brutality. Linden’s taken by surprise, the look on her face priceless. Roll credits.
This was, by and large, an emotionally charged yet brilliant episode. Fantastic, flawless, wonderful. You know what the best part is? I truly have no idea what’s going to happen in the finale. I utterly ignore what awaits us in the two remaining episodes, and I’m loving every minute of it.
What did you think of this week’s The Killing? Sound off below.
