In this second of a three-part TVGA Roundtable chat, Lucas High and Mike Proper pick apart the season finale of The Killing.
Lucas: So we've talked in general terms about the season as a whole, so let's get into the nitty gritty of the finale.
Mike: I can't wait.
Lucas: Okay, question for you: multiple choice, and you must only pick one. Which did you find more offensively outrageous?
Mike: Well it can't be C because at the very least we got her jogging outfit in "Missing" which was pretty spectacular. So I'll go with B because it's another example of how little attention this show paid to the details.
Lucas: Ah, you’re right, I forgot about the jogging get-up.
Mike: But I'm gonna drop a D on you.
Lucas: Be gentle.
Mike: How in the name of all that is holy would Stan be able to not only visit the ICU where Ahmed was being treated and how would Ahmed's wife not know what the man who beat her husband nearly to death and who is the father of a murdered girl who is all over the news looks like? How?
Lucas: YESSS!
Mike: And the worst part is that it was a great scene for Brent Sexton, but it just made no sense.
Lucas: Okay, how 'bout an E. Linden shows up at Richmond's house alone, at night, AGAIN. This happens AFTER she learns that he is capable of cold-blooded murder.
Mike: I see your E and raise you an F.
The penultimate episode ends with Holder being clearly shocked to discover that Richmond was supposedly the killer and now within 24 hours he suddenly is in on some conspiracy? Which says nothing of the curious decision to make the only generally-liked character into a weak-ass villain now.
And to go back to your point about Linden showing up again to Richmond's, there was at least a somewhat believable reason why she might want to confront him since she thought he was the killer and was all emotional and such, but what exactly was her reasoning for seeing him the night before when she found out he was Orpheus?
Lucas: I agree that the Holder twist was weak. That said, how bad-ass would Joel Kinnaman be as a villain? On a different show, of course.
Mike: The thing is, Holder worked because he had so many flaws as a detective but was likable, dedicated, and sharp enough to overcome those challenges. But as a villain, I don't see how his ghetto-talking, hoodie-wearing schtick comes off in any way as threatening.
Lucas: I think he's got the chops to pull off "subtly menacing," but no, he certainly isn't physically threatening.
