JANUARY 19 ― There was a time when shows from Scandinavia were very trendy. I remember when the Swedish Lisbeth Salander series of movies first burst onto the UK movie scene.
This was 2010 and it totally routed Shutter Island (yes, the movie directed by Martin by Scorcese and starring Leonardo Di Caprio!). I actually watched both films in one evening and despite being a Scorcese fan, I had to concede The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo was by far the better film.
The Killing follows in this dark, morose world which seems to coincide with the long winter nights in Scandinavia.
It was originally set in Denmark but I watched the Americanised version which was, so I was told, very close to the original and not watered down in any way.
I binge watched it during the last Christmas and New Year holidays. It was not a planned binge; a friend had suggested I try an episode or two since I mentioned to her how much I liked The Wire. However, like the old Pringles ad, once I popped, I simply could not stop!
The first two seasons (out of four in total) of The Killing are centred on and around the murder of a teenage high school girl, Rosie Larsen.
She was found murdered in the trunk of a car at the bottom of a lake. She was not dead when she was locked in that trunk so this added to the gruesomeness of the murder.
Her case is being handled by Detective Sarah Linden who, coincidentally, was transferring to sunny Los Angeles that very day. LA is the polar opposite of Seattle where The Killing is set.
Sarah has to handle the case as well as train her partner Detective Holder as well. Sarah’s working relationship with Holder was at first amiable but opened up to a deeper friendship when her own personal issues became apparent.
Parallel to this main narrative, there is also how Rosie’s parents handled her murder. They are a closely knit family and needless to say, her murder rips them apart. Not that this was a tangent to the main narrative either, their family situation would eventually tie in back to the main narrative later on.
Another perhaps more interesting parallel story arc is the one involving a city councilman who is running for the mayoral elections. He becomes involved when it is found out that the car in whose trunk Rosie was found was leased by his campaign.
His relationship with his campaign managers, an ambitious young man and a well-connected woman (with whom he was having sexual relations), also contributes to the depth of the story.
What was so compelling about The Killing? The right place to start would be its characters, most specificially the protagonist, Detective Sarah Linden.
She is always on the verge of leaving (to get married) to LA but never does (this is not a spoiler, if she leaves there is no story!) which adds a sense of urgency to her character. Her partner, Holder, has a history of drug abuse as well and this adds an edgy side to their partnership.
The mayoral candidate, Darren Richmond, is another very compelling character. While I thought he was just another deceptive politician, he very clearly was not.
There is a strong conviction in him to become mayor just so he can keep doing more good things for his community. His dedication to his late wife too is most endearing.
One thing I don’t care for in these type of series is how various threads get left behind or untied at the end or worst of all, defies logic. This is simply not the case with The Killing. The writing is virtually impeccable and it will leave you with a deep sense of being entertained.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
