The Killing Review: “Eminent Domain” (Season 3, Episode 6)

Is The Killing one of the finest shows on TV? Perhaps not yet, but it’s definitely good enough to deserve its slot on AMC. Though certain episodes seem to drag on forever, we’re oft presented with miraculous episodes that serve as reminders of why we started watching the show in the first place. Sure, it’s not for everyone — some might deem it dull and convoluted, others may find it unrealistic and over-indulgent. Personally, I have no trouble sitting through an entire episode, or suspending my disbelief. I’ve questioned some of the decisions the main characters have made in the past, yet I understand that grievous mistakes are needed for storyline purposes.

Last week I argued that the show needed to stop focusing on character development and start advancing the plot. At this point, we know much about Linden and Holder’s backgrounds and motivations, enough to comprehend their methods and actions. The murder of Rosie Larsen somewhat stymied Linden’s obsession with the Seward case, and now that she’s working on a similar investigation, she consistently finds clues linking both murders (similar wounds, weapon, etc.), nevertheless her former partner, Skinner, discards her findings. He’s shown to admire and respect her (even if he doesn’t fully approve her way of doing things), and even compliments her instinct. But he doesn’t trust her judgment. He knows she’s flawed, broken and unbalanced. That she sought Seward’s kid at his school and subsequently caused him to go back to sleeping in the closet certainly didn’t help.

In fact, everyone seems entirely lost in this show. Lost in Seattle, lost in their obsessions, lost within their own lives. After last week’s episode, most of the main characters have fallen into desperation or despair. Danette Leeds gets arrested for going berserk on an unhelpful police officer. When she finally gets to see Linden (a great, tense scene), she finally seems to grasp the severity of the situation, which eventually leads her to start looking for Kallie on her own. She finds “Trigger” (Bullet), who’s coming to terms with her friend’s apparent death, and appears to have lost all hope of finding her alive. Danette asks her if she’s seen her daughter around, which Bullet doesn’t respond to. She’s aware that Danette is probably only looking for a corpse at this point, albeit the two of them briefly bond over old stories of the seemingly deceased Kallie, therefore Bullet lies about the girl’s fate.

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