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The Killing season 1

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The Killing
Season 1
Season 1 promotional poster
No. of episodes13
Release
Original networkAMC
Original releaseApril 3 (2011-04-03) –
June 19, 2011 (2011-06-19)
Season chronology
Next →
Season 2
List of episodes

The first season of the AMC American crime drama television series The Killing premiered on April 3, 2011 and concluded on June 19, 2011. The series was developed and produced by Veena Sud and based on the Danish series, Forbrydelsen (The Crime). Set in Seattle, Washington, this season follows the investigation into the murder of local teenager Rosie Larsen, with each episode covering approximately 24 hours. The first season covers the first two weeks of the investigation and has three main storylines: the police investigation into Rosie's murder, the attempts of her family to deal with their grief, and the fluctuating electoral fortunes of a political campaign that becomes embroiled in the case. It stars Mireille Enos as homicide detective Sarah Linden and Joel Kinnaman as rookie detective Stephen Holder.

Cast

See also: List of The Killing characters

Main

Recurring

  • Brandon Jay McLaren as Bennet Ahmed, a teacher at Rosie's high school
  • Tom Butler as Lesley Adams, the mayor of Seattle
  • Garry Chalk as Lt. Michael Oakes, the detectives' boss
  • Liam James as Jack Linden, Sarah's son
  • Evan Bird as Tom Larsen, Rosie's brother
  • Seth Isaac Johnson as Denny Larsen, Rosie's brother
  • Katie Findlay as Rosie Larsen
  • Kerry Sandomirsky as Principal Meyers, principal at Rosie's high school
  • Ashley Johnson as Amber Ahmed, Bennet Ahmed's wife
  • Callum Keith Rennie as Rick Felder, Sarah's fiancé
  • Lee Garlington as Ruth Yitanes, local senator endorsing Darren's campaign
  • Patrick Gilmore as Tom Drexler, a wealthy entrepreneur who contributed to Darren's campaign
  • Richard Harmon as Jasper Ames, Rosie's ex-boyfriend
  • Colin Lawrence as Benjamin Abani, Adams' campaign manager
  • Kacey Rohl as Sterling Fitch, Rosie's best friend
  • Brian Markinson as Gil Sloane, Holder's NA sponsor
  • Gharrett Patrick Paon as Kris Echols, Jasper's tweaker friend
  • Alan Dale as Senator Eaton, Gwen's father
  • Claudia Ferri as Nicole Jackson, the manager of the Wapi Eagle Casino
  • Barclay Hope as Michael Ames, Jasper's father
  • Don Thompson as Janek Kovarsky, Stan's former mob boss
  • Patti Kim as Roberta Drays, the security chief at the Wapi Eagle Casino

Plot

Set in Seattle, Washington, the series follows the investigation into the murder of local teenager Rosie Larsen, with each episode covering approximately 24 hours. The first season covers the first two weeks of the investigation and has three main storylines: the police investigation of Rosie's murder, the attempts of her family to deal with their grief, and the fluctuating electoral fortunes of a political campaign that becomes embroiled in the case.

The main character is Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos), an experienced homicide detective who is about to retire at a young age to follow her fiancé (Callum Keith Rennie) to Sonoma, California. On her last day on the job, Linden is partnered with rookie homicide detective Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman), who has recently transferred from an undercover assignment in vice and narcotics. Holder's erratic and aggressive style contrasts with Linden's more reserved demeanor. The two are sent to investigate a possible crime scene in a local wilderness park, where a bloody woman's shirt and a credit card belonging to Stan Larsen (Brent Sexton) have been discovered. The detectives talk to Larsen's wife Mitch (Michelle Forbes), who reveals that the family has just returned from a weekend camping trip and their seventeen-year-old daughter Rosie had not gone with them. It soon turns out that no one seems to know where Rosie was, and her father Stan and the police frantically search for her. Eventually, a car belonging to the mayoral campaign of city councilman Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell) is pulled from a lake in the park, and Rosie is discovered dead in the trunk.[1]

As the Larsen family tries to cope with its grief, police suspicion initially focuses on Rosie's rich, dissolute boyfriend Jasper and his drug dealing friend Kris, who had been at a party with Rosie the night she went missing. This suspicion only increases when a video surfaces of Jasper and Kris having sex with someone wearing Rosie's Halloween costume, and blood is discovered in the room where the video was shot.[2] However, one of Rosie's friends comes forward to admit that it was her on the tape.[3]

The police next begin to suspect Rosie's English teacher Bennet Ahmed (Brandon Jay McLaren), after the police discover that he had written her letters[3] and is now married to a woman who used to be one of his students.[4] Police suspicion grows after it is discovered that Rosie had visited Bennet's house the night she disappeared, and that Bennet had lied about the visit.[5] The police's interest in Bennet is leaked to the press, resulting in attacks on Bennet's mosque.[6] The revelation also damages the Richmond campaign, as Bennet had worked as a volunteer at a community program sponsored by Richmond, and the candidate refuses to denounce him without proof of his guilt.[7] After the police fail to obtain enough evidence to arrest Bennet, Mitch Larsen goads her husband, who had previously worked as an enforcer for a local criminal syndicate, into savagely beating Bennet, leaving the man in a coma.[6] However, the police soon discover Bennet is innocent, when a friend who was at Bennet's house provides him with an alibi. On discovering Bennet's innocence, Stan Larsen turns himself in to the authorities.[8]

Now without a prime suspect, the police discover Rosie had been making trips to a Native American casino located on an unnamed island in Puget Sound, where she had been making regular deposits into a secret bank account she had opened under the name of her aunt Terry (Jamie Anne Allman). Terry, it is discovered, had been working as a prostitute for a high-end escort service, which the police suspect Rosie may have been involved in as well. From Terry, the police learn of an intimidating client who had threatened to drown another prostitute.[9] They soon discover this client is Darren Richmond. Richmond had earlier been eliminated as a suspect because his campaign manager (Kristin Lehman), with whom he was romantically involved, had provided him with an alibi. However, after discovering Richmond has been engaging in other romantic relationships, she tells the police Richmond was gone for several hours the night Rosie was murdered. Later, Holder provides them with a photograph from a toll booth camera showing Richmond leaving the casino in the car in which Rosie was found. The police arrest Richmond, potentially destroying his campaign, while Linden boards a plane to Sonoma with her son. Richmond is shown in a perp walk outside the police station. Belko Royce (Brendan Sexton III), a family friend of the Larsens, and a suspect in the case, approaches Richmond and draws a gun.[10]

The season one finale ends with a plot twist. As her plane readies for takeoff, Linden receives a phone call from the state police informing her the toll booth cameras, from which Holder had supposedly gotten the incriminating photograph of Richmond, have been broken for months and no footage is available; she therefore realizes the photograph was falsified evidence and the case against Richmond is compromised. Meanwhile, Holder meets with an unidentified person with whom he discusses his falsification of this evidence.[10]

Crew

Series developer Veena Sud also served as executive producer and showrunner of the first season, she wrote three episodes, including the pilot episode, and she co-wrote the season finale.[11] The remaining writing staff consisted of co-executive producers Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin, who co-wrote two episodes together; consulting producer Aaron Zelman, who wrote a single episode; and co-producer Jeremy Doner, who wrote two episodes. The other episodes were written by freelance writers: Soo Hugh and Nic Pizzolatto each wrote two episodes, while Linda Burstyn and Dan Nowak each wrote one. Kristen Campo served as producer, while Mikkel Bondesen, along with producers from the original Danish series, Søren Sveistrup, Piv Bernth, and Ingolf Gabold, were executive producers.

Patty Jenkins directed the pilot, Ed Bianchi directed three episodes in season one, Agnieszka Holland directed two episodes, and Gwyneth Horder-Payton, Jennifer Getzinger, Phil Abraham, Dan Attias, Nicole Kassell, Keith Gordon, and Brad Anderson each directed one of the remaining episodes.[12]

Episodes

See also: List of The Killing episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
11"Pilot"Patty JenkinsTeleplay by : Veena SudApril 3, 2011 (2011-04-03)BDH179/S1792.72[13]
22"The Cage"Ed BianchiVeena SudApril 3, 2011 (2011-04-03)BDH101/S1012.72[13]
33"El Diablo"Gwyneth Horder-PaytonDawn Prestwich & Nicole YorkinApril 10, 2011 (2011-04-10)BDH102/S1022.56[14]
44"A Soundless Echo"Jennifer GetzingerSoo HughApril 17, 2011 (2011-04-17)BDH103/S1032.51[15]
55"Super 8"Phil AbrahamJeremy DonerApril 24, 2011 (2011-04-24)BDH104/S1042.25[16]
66"What You Have Left"Agnieszka HollandNic PizzolattoMay 1, 2011 (2011-05-01)BDH105/S1051.81[17]
77"Vengeance"Ed BianchiLinda BurstynMay 8, 2011 (2011-05-08)BDH106/S1061.83[18]
88"Stonewalled"Dan AttiasAaron ZelmanMay 15, 2011 (2011-05-15)BDH107/S1071.98[19]
99"Undertow"Agnieszka HollandDan NowakMay 22, 2011 (2011-05-22)BDH108/S1081.69[20]
1010"I'll Let You Know When I Get There"Ed BianchiNicole Yorkin & Dawn PrestwichMay 29, 2011 (2011-05-29)BDH109/S1091.97[21]
1111"Missing"Nicole KassellVeena SudJune 5, 2011 (2011-06-05)BDH110/S1101.98[22]
1212"Beau Soleil"Keith GordonJeremy Doner & Soo HughJune 12, 2011 (2011-06-12)BDH111/S1111.83[23]
1313"Orpheus Descending"Brad AndersonVeena Sud & Nic PizzolattoJune 19, 2011 (2011-06-19)BDH112/S1122.32[24]

Production

The pilot was ordered by AMC in January 2010, and then was picked up for a full series order in August 2010.[25][26] The series is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, and production began on the pilot episode on December 2, 2010.[27] The pilot is written by series creator and executive producer Veena Sud and is directed by Patty Jenkins.[26]

In contrast to the original Danish series, executive producer Veena Sud explained, "We're creating our own world. We are using the Danish series as a blueprint, but we are kind of diverging and creating our own world, our world of suspects and, potentially, ultimately who killed Rosie Larsen." Sud describes the series as "slow-burn storytelling in a sense that every moment that we don't have to prettify or gloss over or make something necessarily easy to digest, that we're able to go to all sorts of places that are honest, and dark, and beautiful and tragic, in a way that is how a story should be told."[28]

Reception

Critical reception

The series premiere received universal acclaim from critics, and received a Metacritic score of 84 out of 100 based on 29 reviews.[29] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter gave the series a very positive review, calling it "excellent, absorbing and addictive. When each episode ends, you long for the next — a hallmark of great dramas." Goodman also praised Mireille Enos' performance as the lead character Sarah, saying "It's not until you watch Enos play Sarah for a while that it sinks in — there hasn't been a female American character like her probably ever."[30] Entertainment Weekly's Ken Tucker gave it a B+, saying "The acting is strikingly good" and that "Some viewers may find The Killing a little too cold and deliberate, but give it time. Its intensity builds steadily, giving the series unexpected power."[31] Alex Strachan of The Vancouver Sun says the series "is soaked in atmosphere and steeped in the stark realism of Scandinavian crime novelists Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson" and that it "is not as much about a young girl's murder as it is a psychological study of what happens afterward, how a tight-knit community tries to recover and how a dead child's mother, father and siblings learn to deal with their pain in their own private ways."[32] Matt Roush of TV Guide applauded the series, calling the acting "tremendous" and that he "was instantly hooked by the moody atmosphere of this season-long murder mystery set in Seattle." He went on to say "What really stands out for me, in this age of cookie-cutter procedurals, is how The Killing dramatizes the devastation a violent death has on a family, a community, on the people involved in the investigation. Nothing about this show is routine."[33]

Subsequent episodes were met with lesser praise by some critics, criticizing the show's reliance upon increasingly implausible red herrings to drive each episode and the withholding of details about each character's background, especially Rosie's, thus making them difficult to relate to or empathize with.[34][35] The first-season finale was met with negative reviews from a number of critics. The Los Angeles Times called it "one of the most frustrating finales in TV history",[36] with Alan Sepinwall of HitFix calling the end "insulting".[37] Finally, Maureen Ryan of AOL TV said the season "killed off any interest I had in ever watching the show again."[38] "[The show] began last spring looking like the smartest, most stylish pilot in years," complained Heather Havrilevsky in The New York Times Magazine. "Fast-forward to the finale, in which we learn that what we've been watching is actually a 26-hour-long episode of Law & Order, and we're only halfway through it."[39]

Ratings

When it premiered, the pilot was AMC's second-highest original series premiere following The Walking Dead. The premiere drew 2.7 million viewers and a 2 household rating. The two encores of the premiere episode brought the ratings of the premiere up to a total of 4.6 million total viewers and a 3.7 household rating.[40] The UK premiere on Channel 4 brought in 2.2 million viewers.[41]

Awards and nominations

Year Association Category Nominated work Result
2011 1st Critics' Choice Television Awards[42] Best Drama Series The Killing Nominated
Best Actress in a Drama Series Mireille Enos Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Michelle Forbes Nominated
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards[43] Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series Mireille Enos Nominated
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Michelle Forbes Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series Patty Jenkins (Episode: "Pilot") Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series Veena Sud (Episode: "Pilot") Nominated
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Drama Series Elizabeth Kling (Episode: "Pilot") Nominated
Outstanding Casting for a Drama Series The Killing Nominated
2012 38th Saturn Awards[44] Best Television Presentation The Killing Nominated
Best Actress in Television Mireille Enos Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in Television Joel Kinnaman Nominated
Best Supporting Actress in Television Michelle Forbes Won
64th Writers Guild of America Awards[45] Best New Series The Killing Nominated
69th Golden Globe Awards[46] Best Actress – TV Series Drama Mireille Enos Nominated
Directors Guild of America Award[47] Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Series Patty Jenkins Won

Home media releases

The first season of The Killing was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on March 13, 2012 in region 1. The set includes all 13 episodes, an extended version of the season finale, two audio commentaries, a featurette called "An Autopsy of The Killing", deleted scenes and bloopers.[48]

References

  1. ^ "Pilot". The Killing. Season 1. Episode 1. April 3, 2011. AMC.
  2. ^ "El Diablo". The Killing. Season 1. Episode 3. April 10, 2011. AMC.
  3. ^ a b "A Soundless Echo". The Killing. Season 1. Episode 4. April 17, 2011. AMC.
  4. ^ "Super 8". The Killing. Season 1. Episode 5. April 24, 2011. AMC.
  5. ^ "What You Have Left". The Killing. Season 1. Episode 6. May 1, 2011. AMC.
  6. ^ a b "Undertow". The Killing. Season 1. Episode 9. May 22, 2011. AMC.
  7. ^ "Vengeance". The Killing. Season 1. Episode 7. May 8, 2011. AMC.
  8. ^ "I'll Let You Know When I Get There". The Killing. Season 1. Episode 10. May 29, 2011. AMC.
  9. ^ "Beau Soleil". The Killing. Season 1. Episode 12. June 12, 2011. AMC.
  10. ^ a b "Orpheus Descending". The Killing. Season 1. Episode 13. June 19, 2011. AMC.
  11. ^ "Veena Sud - Executive Producer". AMC. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  12. ^ "The Killing: Cast & Details". TV Guide. Retrieved February 17, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Seidman, Robert (April 5, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Ax Men,' 'Chopped,' 'Army Wives,' Kardashians Lead Night; + 'The Killing,' 'The Borgias,' 'Breakout Kings + Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 8, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  14. ^ Gorman, Bill (April 12, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Army Wives,' 'The Killing' Steady; 'Breakout Kings' Falls; Plus 'Human Planet,' 'Khloe & Lamar,' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 17, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  15. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 19, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: NBA, 'Storage Wars,' 'Ax Men,' 'Khloe & Lamar' + 'The Killing,' 'Breakout Kings,' 'Sam Axe,' 'Game of Thrones' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 23, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  16. ^ Gorman, Bill (April 26, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: NBA, 'Khloe & Lamar,' 'The Killing,' 'Breakout Kings,' 'Housewives,' 'Game of Thrones' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 29, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  17. ^ Seidman, Robert (May 3, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: More 'Death of Bin Laden' Ratings; 'Khloe & Lamar,' 'Law & Order: CI,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Army Wives,' 'Housewives,' 'Game of Thrones' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 6, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  18. ^ Gorman, Bill (May 10, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Bulls/Hawks Tops + 'Law & Order: CI,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Army Wives,' 'Housewives,' 'Game of Thrones' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  19. ^ Seidman, Robert (May 18, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Heat/Bulls Slam Dunks + 'Law & Order: CI,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Army Wives,' 'Housewives,' 'Game of Thrones' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 21, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  20. ^ Gorman, Bill (May 24, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: Heat/Bulls Scores Big + 'Law & Order: CI,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Army Wives,' 'Housewives,' 'Game of Thrones' & Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 27, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  21. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 1, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding,' 'Game of Thrones,' 'The Killing' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 3, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  22. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 7, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'MTV Movie Awards' Leads Night, 'Game of Thrones' Series High, 'Real Housewives,' 'ABDC' & Lots More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 9, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  23. ^ Gorman, Bill (June 14, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Game of Thrones', 'Real Housewives,' 'Kardashians,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Army Wives' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  24. ^ Seidman, Robert (June 21, 2011). "Sunday Cable Ratings: 'Falling Skies,' 'Game of Thrones', 'The Killing,' 'In Plain Sight,' 'Law & Order: CI,' 'The Glades' and Much More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  25. ^ "AMC Orders Two Pilots, Building on Network's Original Programming Strategy" (Press release). AMC. January 20, 2010. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  26. ^ a b "AMC Picks up Next Original Series - Untitled Project Formerly Known as The Killing". AMC. August 11, 2010. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  27. ^ Eng, Joyce (December 2, 2010). "AMC Begins Production on The Killing". TV Guide. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  28. ^ Goldman, Eric (January 10, 2011). "The Killing Brings Murder to AMC". IGN. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  29. ^ "The Killing: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  30. ^ Goodman, Tim (March 27, 2011). "The Killing: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  31. ^ Tucker, Ken (March 25, 2011). "The Killing". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  32. ^ Strachan, Alex (March 25, 2011). "AMC's The Killing a taut psychological study". The Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  33. ^ Roush, Matt (March 21, 2011). "Ask Matt: SNL, Castle, Fringe, Glee, Being Human and More!". TV Guide. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  34. ^ "The Killing". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  35. ^ Zoller Seitz, Matt (May 23, 2011). "How "The Killing" killed itself". Salon.com. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  36. ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (June 20, 2011). "'The Killing' recap: One of the most frustrating finales in TV history". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  37. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (June 19, 2011). "'The Killing' - 'Orpheus Descending': Reviewing the season finale". HitFix. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  38. ^ Ryan, Maureen (June 19, 2011). "'The Killing' Season 1 Finale Recap". AOL TV. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  39. ^ Havrilevsky, Heather (December 16, 2011). "'Clues That Lead to More Clues That Add Up to Nothing'". The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  40. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (April 4, 2011). "AMC's 'The Killing' Premieres Strong". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  41. ^ Laughlin, Andrew (July 8, 2011). "'The Killing' debuts with 2.2m on Channel 4". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  42. ^ Ausiello, Michael (June 6, 2011). "Mad Men, Fringe, Good Wife, Modern Family, Community, Justified Lead Critics Choice Kudos". TVLine. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  43. ^ "Emmy Nominations 2011: Full List". The Hollywood Reporter. July 14, 2011. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
  44. ^ "RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES and SUPER 8 lead Saturn Awards with 3 awards each". saturnawards.org. July 26, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  45. ^ "2012 Writers Guild Awards Television, News, Radio, Promotional Writing, and Graphic Animation Nominees Announced" (Press release). Writers Guild of America. December 7, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  46. ^ Hibberd, James (December 15, 2011). "Golden Globe TV nominations list: 'Homeland,' 'Game of Thrones,' 'American Horror Story'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  47. ^ Stanhope, Kate (January 29, 2012). "The Artist and Curb Your Enthusiasm Win Top Prizes at Directors Guild Awards". TV Guide. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
  48. ^ Lambert, David (January 11, 2012). "The Killing - Blu-ray and DVD Releases this March for the Deadly 1st Season". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
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