Mike Proper and Lucas High wrap-up their three part TVGA Roundtable chat about The Killing by discussing predictions for next season.
Mike: Well, I think that brings us to a nice segue about what direction The Killing will take in Season Two.
Lucas: Does anyone give a sh*t? You gonna watch?
Mike: Well, no one, but let's hypothetically pretend we will.
Lucas: Haha, okay.
Mike: Where does this show go from here? And is there ANY way for it to redeem itself?
Lucas: It doesn't seem like Sud has learned anything from this season, so I have to assume that Season Two is going to be exactly the same as the first season. And if we are going by the formula that Season One laid out, isn't it safe to assume that big twist at the end of the prior episode is going to be revealed as a red herring?
At the end of the finale we are left with the sense that Richmond is being framed by Holder and some mysterious guy in a car. Right?
Mike: I will say that's probably the impression we're SUPPOSED to have.
Lucas: Exactly.
Mike: But, like you said, red herrings tend to occur on The Killing.
Lucas: And the implication of that supposed impression is that Richmond is probably, or at least possibly, innocent and the victim of a frame job. Agree?
Mike: Agree.
Lucas: Okay, so just throw those assumptions out the window and go with the exact opposite. (This is my new strategy for predicting the show, by the way).
We presume that Richmond could be innocent. He isn't. He's really guilty.
We presume that Holder manufactured the evidence because he's part of some political plot to take down Darren by accusing him of doing something he didn’t do. He did do it.
But Holder has become so desperate to solve the case that he's willing to do anything to keep Richmond from slipping out of his grasp. You see? Holder isn't really a bad guy, just a cop who was at the end of his rope.
Mike: Okay, I can buy that.
Lucas: What about you? Gimme some predictions.
Mike: My theory: Rosie's boyfriend (I don't care enough to look up his name) is the killer.
Lucas: Jasper? Or Kris?
Mike: Yeah, Jasper.
Lucas: Okay.
Mike: Or maybe Kris.
Lucas: Haha.
Mike: One of the meth heads.
Lucas: The rich kid or the dumpster diver?
Mike: Probably both, if anything, but I lean towards Richie McHaloShooter.
Lucas: Ahhh, yes, Master Chief himself. You must be talking about Jasper.
Mike: And I think it's him because Sud had built up The Killing so much in her own mind that it was breaking every convention that every cop show had laid before it, so she'll bring back the character that had been non-existent for the last nine episodes as still being the killer.
BECAUSE NO ONE WILL SEE IT COMING.
Lucas: Certainly possible.
Mike: And if I thought the producers cared enough about the details, I could point to the fact that Kris seemed really scared that the cops were going to find out about something really bad he did (when it turned out to be the sex tape with Sterling), but that was just completely dropped.
Lucas: Yeah, that pissed me off. You know how much better this show would have been if it focused on Sterling, Jasper, and Kris instead of Richmond and Bennett?
Mike: Very true. Not exactly believable high school characters, but a step in the right direction. But then again, we're talking about a show that made it's central character a murdered Koran-reading, butterfly-loving, Super 8-shooting prostitute who, in spite of all those details, we end up knowing nothing about.
Lucas: Oh yeah, they were terrible as real life high schoolers.
I couldn't get over Kris' hair cut. His hair cut was The Killing's one and only attempt at comic relief.
Mike: I disagree with you on the haircut, I'm gonna try it out soon.
Lucas: You just gonna waltz into Hair Cuttery and demand the "Joel Madden"?
Mike: Great Clips, but yes. But I think since we committed over an hour discussing a show we both hated, it might be time to call it a night.
Lucas: Good call. G'night, Joel/Mike.
Mike: G'night. And just remember, at least Breaking Bad is less than a month away.
Guys, hilarious end to this tvga roundtable !
As much as I enjoyed the first season as a whole far more than the two of you, totally agree that it needs to step up its game -- and break away quickly from the repetitive errors of Season One (pay better attention to details, lose the red herrings like a bad habit, etc.) to have any shot at holding an audience.