Saturday, May 21, 2011

The Killing :: First Thoughts :: Night 7

Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me

"El Diablo," the third episode, had me convinced that Jasper and Kris hurt Rosie. Why? The pink wig in the cellphone video that Bennet confiscated matched the one Rosie wore in the yearbook video from the dance. Now Det. Linden has a pink T-shirt. Actually, just a photo of a pink T-shirt. No forensic evaluation of the garment at all. We're not even sure of its size. Mitch might recognize the T-shirt as Rosie's, but she also admitted that Rosie had lost it. Uh-uh. No way. I'm not doing another Charlie Brown to the writers' Lucy! They can hold that football, but this time, I will not launch a kick at it just so they can pull it away.

Sibling Rivalry

Am I the only one angry at Terry for telling Stan that Mitch almost asphyxiated the boys? On the one hand, I was so relieved that Terry threw open the garage door. But her behavior is typical of a younger sister trying to win points with the authority figure! I am the older of two sisters. Perhaps my own unresolved family issues are keeping me from seeing Terry as the selfless, suffering savior who has dropped everything to help her big sister in this tragedy.

I just get the impression that Terry doesn't have much of a life. She seems to be living vicariously through Mitch because she cannot handle the difficult responsibility of a full-time family of her own. Terry now has three strikes: 1) blaming Mitch for not calling Rosie while the family was camping [when she didn't call either], 2) getting involved with Jasper's father—in what way, I'm not clear, but from the amount of Terry's cleavage I've seen, I'm assuming sexually—and now 3) ratting out her sister, who couldn't help but get distracted in the living room with the local news about to show Rosie's crime scene photos to all of Seattle.

Temporal Relativity

We've been stewing in the Larsens' grief for seven weeks now. I understand that Stan wants Mitch to snap out of it. The only problem is that the audience's seven weeks is Mitch's eight days. Come on, Papa Bear! You can't start removing Rosie's possessions after eight days! I know you box and store things for a living, but please!

Perhaps this scene is a plot device to allow mother Mitch, as she reassembles the bedroom, to find the BIG CLUE that everyone has thus far missed. We're counting on you, Mitch! Keep your eyes peeled!

Got Your Back, Bennet

On the one hand, Bennet says—over a newly wiretapped phone, no less!—"The passports will be arriving tomorrow ... Don't worry about the police. They don't know anything." But does anyone have a translation for the Somali that Bennet speaks before lapsing into the English that conveniently points to his guilt? Does anyone know what this Mohammad is saying at the other end of the line? Do we not realize that Amber is influencing our understanding of this scene as we see her eavesdropping around the corner? We cannot trust her distrust! Remember, poor Amber does not have a cool head. She is exhausted from the pregnancy and worried about the escalating situation and impending birth of her first child. This is the girl who deals with people knocking at the front door by hiding in a corner while clutching a hammer!

Did Det. Holder ever determine why Rosie skipped school to visit the Seattle All-Star gym? Did he find out whom she visited or helped? Or did Holder just see Bennet's photograph in the trophy case and jump to a wrong conclusion?

Tap Your Heels

If The Killing has tapped into an old narrative, the expensive shoes found in Rosie's locker are an important clue, for they are symbolic of transformation. Think Cinderella from the Grimm Brothers and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. If we knew the type of change Rosie desired, we'd have a better idea who the killer is. Why hasn't Linden or Holder tried to find who purchased those $2,000 shoes? How many stores in Seattle could sell such expensive footwear?

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