After a tumultuous run on AMC, the fourth and final season of The Killing premiered on Netflix August 1. With a tally of only six episodes, each bumped up to an hour and slightly longer than its TV counterpart, it’s a bit different from its AMC form, but not in a disruptive fashion. The Killing ends on a weirdly sweet note, and in the end you’re left happy.
After a tumultuous run on AMC, the fourth and final season of The Killing premiered on Netflix August 1. With a tally of only six episodes, each bumped up to an hour and slightly longer than its TV counterpart, it’s a bit different from its AMC form, but not in a disruptive fashion. The Killing ends on a weirdly sweet note, and in the end you’re left happy.
To understand the journey of The Killing real quick, the first thing to know is that it had an intense fan base; but after season 1 failed to reveal Rosie Larsen’s killer, fans revolted. The murder was not solved until the end of season 2, which got a little tedious, but then again maybe the whole point was to make it seem real. You know how cop shows and movies magically find the killer within an hour and a half time-span? 26 episodes spanning over 2 years is much more realistic when solving an actual murder. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough for The Killing, and AMC cancelled it. By voodoo magic the show was resurrected for an improbable season 3, which delivered everything but ratings. At the end of that season, it once again got the axe. Then Netflix stepped in for one final go, promising to wrap everything up.
And everything did get wrapped up, in a nice little blood-red bow. Season 4 takes place immediately after the end of season 3, with Linden and Holder getting rid of any evidence from the tragic events that had just occurred. The next day a new murder investigation is put on their desks, a family mass-murdered in their luxurious home, with the son and suspect in the hospital after surviving his self-inflicted gunshot wound. Joan Allen guest stars as the colonel and head of the kid’s military school, and does a stellar job, going back and forth from the bad guy to the good guy. The Killing’s best co-star, rain, makes frequent appearances throughout. It rains a lot in Seattle, but nobody apparently uses umbrellas.
The point of any good detective show is to leave you second guessing and wanting more. Think of The Killing as the black sheep cousin of True Detective. Since there are only six episodes, the season is fast-paced, and the no-holds-barred emotions of what Linden and Holder have done cause both of them to unravel. Even in the end, The Killing always keeps you guessing, and makes you question every clue they just threw at you. It all seems wrong until the last episode. Then everything makes sense, and you wonder–why couldn’t I figure that out? Joel Kinnaman and Mirielle Enos are underrated, but for a twice-cancelled show with a tiny fan base, it’s not going to be enough to warrant an Emmy nomination (even though it’s much deserved). Also, kudos to Enos for wanting to look broken so badly she doesn’t put a drop of make-up on her face. After a couple close-ups, you’re begging to give her some chapstick.
Overall, the final season of The Killing is a gripping, emotional ending to an already great show. People just need to give it another chance. All seasons of The Killing are available on Netflix, so what do you have to lose?
