Last Sunday night, however, AMC didn't have to work at all to get my attention. The network could have premiered The Knitting—the Larsen family sits at the kitchen table and purls—and if all I got to watch was yarn and needles slipping through mother Mitch's long fingers, I still would have tuned in. Ms. Forbes has made us wait a really long time for something new.
But will I keep watching on Sunday nights, or will I let the DVR catch the next episode and then enjoy it at my leisure? This review project has made me more aware of what a television series must do to seduce me. Sometimes, I am embarrassed to admit, I require little. I watched both seasons of V because such pretty people composed the cast. Usually, though, I need more substantive reasons to watch a show when it originally airs. I have to want to become a part of its fictional world, even when the conditions are harsh and uncomfortable.
The first evening of The Killing impressed me in these ways:
The Family
Professional reviewers see similarities between The Killing and Twin Peaks, especially in atmosphere, and the first night was wet to the point of torture [I watched dry and barefoot but still couldn't shake the sensation that damp socks clung to my feet]. What no one has noted, however, is that the Larsen family shares the same synergy that the Conners had on Roseanne [1988-1997]—only this time, the series trades laughs for gasps.
Blue-collar Stan [Brent Sexton] is the protective Papa Bear who uses his size to bulldoze through problems, a strategy we saw Dan employ for his family. The Larsen boys swap sass just like the Conner daughters, and on the first evening, the psychic presence of dead Rosie [Katie Findlay] hangs shyly on the sidelines as did brother D. J. in the Conner home.
The loss of a child has so devastated Mitch [Michelle Forbes] that we don't yet know if she has either Roseanne's sourness or strength, but in Terry [Jamie Anne Allman], Mitch's sister, we see the same pursuit of individual identity that made Jackie spurn Roseanne's path of convention for mostly directionless and unhappy wandering. When Terry makes that cruel and cutting remark—"Why didn't you call ... I mean, all weekend?"—we see a younger sister refusing responsibility so that her older sibling will take the blame and shoulder the guilt [Terry didn't call all weekend either, and she was in town]. Jackie would have aimed an identical criticism at Roseanne if something had happened to Becky or Darlene.
Sunday's premiere revealed that the Larsen family, like the Conners, is connected. Rosie's bedroom features more photos of family than teen heartthrobs. Her brothers arrive home from school on Monday and expect that Rosie will take them bike riding, indicating that the children do not isolate themselves from each other with various electronic devices. The cluttered state of the kitchen means that the Larsens avoid microwave and to-go meals. We might learn later that Stan parks himself in front of the TV at night, but first, we surmise, he has dinner with his family. Although the Larsens are dealing with a tragedy, although they fix the dishwasher with duct tape because they cannot afford a new part, they are, like the Conners, the family we want to be.
Nonverbal Communication
We can trust actions better than words. One nice touch in The Killing is that the Seattle weather allows characters to confer "umbrella status," a more authentic insight into their feelings about other people. An umbrella owner will communicate either deference or disrespect by how much cover he gives the other person in conversation.
Does Det. Sarah Linden [Mireille Enos] have a good reputation in the department? Of course she does. Notice that a uniformed officer escorts her with his umbrella shielding her from the rain while he gets drenched outside its protective circle. Does Linden like her replacement, Det. Stephen Holder [Joel Kinnaman]? We assume her feelings are conflicted, for she lets water sluice off the nylon of her own umbrella right down the back of his shirt.
Special message to mayoral candidate Darren Richmond [Billy Campbell]: If you want a surreptitious search of the private email of your most trusted campaign staffers, do not let the tech guy hang his ass out in a downpour while you issue orders from the dry bubble of your vehicle. You should have invited him inside the car, even if his wet clothes touched your leather seats. Should the geek take offense [and I would have], he can really mess up your life. After the disrespect you showed him, I no longer find you as sympathetic and win-worthy as I first did.
Seattle Itself
Aerial photography showcases both the natural and architectural beauty of Seattle while having an unintended (?) effect. Notice that these scene changers alternate between pulling away from downtown, for example, and then rushing across an open field. We can imagine the respiration—giant inhale, bit of story, giant exhale—of a living locale, one perhaps that requires a sacrifice as does the village in Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." Or perhaps these "breaths" mirror Rosie's last terrifying moments in the car trunk. Or perhaps I am imagining things, having misspent my youth reading too many Stephen King novels.
Video Teasers
You can see Michelle Forbes discuss The Killing here:
Will I be watching tomorrow at 10 p.m.? Yes.
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