The Killing. AMC has once again caught my eye with a new series on their network. In the past 5 years they've released some of my favorite shows on TV including, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and Rubicon. And while I don't yet watch The Walking Dead, I have heard that it is also phenomenal.
The Killing is a murder-mystery crime show based on the Danish show of the same name. In the premiere episode we learn that the story will focus on the murder of a teenage female high school student who, while seemingly pure and innocent at home (pink room, very girly, pictures on the wall, butterflies, etc), may be wrapped up in some deeper darker secrets. It also appears that her death may be tied up with the campaign of a politician as the election draws nearer.
One of the great things about all of these AMC series is that they are headed by more-or-less unknown actors of incredible talent. Yes, I know some of them peripherally from other shows/movies, but with the exception of maybe 4-5 people I could not have named the show that I knew them from before looking it up. The same holds true with The Killing. The cast is headed by the unknown Mirelle Enos, who is absolutely amazing. She plays a female character unlike any that I've really ever seen on TV before. She is strong, stoic, in love - but not obnoxious, and incredibly smart.
Generally we don't have main characters on TV shows that are female who are not strikingly beautiful, and in this series it seems that they not only are not accentuating her looks, but actually playing them down. She looks like a run-down cop ready to leave her job, but hot on the scent of a new case. She is really great in the role. As with most of the AMC shows, there is quite a large ensemble cast, including Billy Campbell, Michelle Forbes, and the Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman (who plays Enos' unconventional partner).
The show presents itself as a sort of extended movie, where you don't really get the feeling that you are watching a TV series with a beginning and an end to each episode, but rather a longer through-developed storyline. It is captivating, very emotional, and quite dark. There is no real horror to the show - it's not a thriller, per se - but it is full of drama. The characters are very real feeling - the scene on the beach where the parents have to tell their young children that their sister has been killed was heart-wrenching. I feel (as with most AMC shows) that I am not watching a put together scene between actors, but that I am watching real people having an actual conversation. Everything feels genuine, and this is an extremely welcome change from normal network TV.
The Killing airs on on Sunday nights, which makes today's post especially relevant. It is, at the very least, worth DVR-ing, and if you have nothing to do, make sure you find the first episode (2hour premiere) somewhere and then watch the second tomorrow. I hope that people continue to tune into this show and make it a success; it would be a shame to have another Rubicon - in which the show was so fantastic and gripping, but the storyline developed slower than the modern TV watcher's 30 second attention span would allow for, and the show was eventually canceled. AMC programing is just too good for that fate.
Until the next episode,
Chris
