Let’s say there’s a show you’re really starting to dig. It’s not your favorite show, not by a long shot, but you’ve been getting into it recently. And let’s say you’ve thoroughly enjoyed the last three episodes of the aforementioned series — you’ve described them as works of art and pure poetry. The season finale approaches. You’re almost as excited as when Game of Thrones premiered back in March. You believe you’re about to witness a TV miracle. Before you even watch the episode, your brain goes into overdrive as you think of ways to praise the magnificent acting and brilliant dialogue in your review. Let’s say you watch the episode, and… “Meh.”
That’s right. “Meh.” It’s not “Meh, this is a subpar show anyway.” This is more like “Meh, after Try, Reckoning and Six Minutes, I sorta expected something majestic.” Don’t get me wrong — the two-part season finale is not awful at all, but ultimately pales in comparison to previous episodes. Nevertheless, there are three or four truly sublime scenes that remind us why we’re into this show in the first place. Linden walking in slo-mo as she realizes Skinner is the killer, Holder outsmarting Internal Affairs, and Bullet’s wake were some of my favorite moments in the finale.
If you’ve been reading my weekly reviews, you know that I’ve been continuously praising the show, the actors, writers, directors and Veena Sud. As a matter of fact, I hardly even recall the last time I criticized any aspect of The Killing. Well, it just so happens previous episodes were practically flawless, whereas this one turned out to be slightly disappointing.
Let’s recap what happened…
The Pied Piper’s identity was revealed. I don’t really have a problem with Skinner being the bad guy — I just didn’t care for the way it was unveiled. For someone who had been extremely careful ever since he started murdering stray girls, he sure seems sloppy when it comes to the rings. How could he think it’d be a good idea to give his own daughter Kallie Leeds’ ring? It doesn’t look expensive or anything. Why not just buy a new one? Why hold on to the one that could be used as evidence against you? You think he’d know better than that, being a cop and all.
Lyric and Twitch. I begged for their storyline to become relevant, but it just wasn’t meant to be. Their scenes fell flat and were as inconsequential as ever. So what if Twitch stays clean? What if Lyric’s got a new job? I simply don’t care. The diner scene was awful — I didn’t even enjoy Amy Seimetz in it, and I’ve been praising her ever since the show started.
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