The Killing Review: “Try” (Season 3, Episode 8)

What’s left to say about Seward? I might be running out of ways to praise Sarsgaard. If you’ve been reading my recaps, you know how I feel about the capital punishment storyline. He’s gone from cocky and careless to insanely anxious and frightened, yet it’s not all his fault. True, he could have chosen to die by lethal injection instead of giving the system the finger and picking the gallows, but Linden’s visit in Hope Kills completely broke the man’s spirit, especially when she acknowledged his innocence.

He attempts unsuccessfully to contact her through his lawyer, who seems much more interested in arranging Seward’s burial service at this stage of the game, which forces the convict to get a hold of her himself. As always, I was deeply impressed with not only Sarsgaard, but also Hugh Dillon as Becker and Aaron Douglas as Gabe Henderson. The latter once again went through an exercise in awkwardness with Becker’s wife, who shamelessly hits on him, alleging loneliness and despair.

Try was an undoubtedly phenomenal episode, thus it saddens me that The Killing is unlikely to come back for a fourth season. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore this show despite its shortcomings, but let’s all be realistic here and admit there’s been a slight decline in overall quality (this episode notwithstanding) and ratings. Sadly, that’s what network executives will notice. It won’t be Sarsgaard’s award-deserving performance nor Veena Sud’s writing — it’ll be numbers. I suggest we make the best of these next four episodes, continue to praise every single talented individual involved with this grandiose production (with the exception of you-know-who), and eventually marvel at the revelation of the murderer’s identity.

What did you think of Try? Did it live up to your expectations? Do you think The Killing will come back for a fourth season, or is it time to call it quits? Sound off below.