The Killing - a review.
Apr. 23rd, 2011 12:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatSpent a lazy day at home playing with my ipod touch device. Only draw back is the only way I can charge the thing is through my home computer. My speakers won't charge it the same way it charged the nano, not supported.
Also, watched two more episodes of the new AMC series, The Killing. I've now seen enough episodes to write a fairly decent or at least informed review of the series. [ETA & Clarification: The Killing is a based on the Danish series The Forbydelsen which aired overseas but has yet to air in the US. Having not seen the original Danish series, I can't comment on how faithful it is to the original. ]
Without going into too much spoilery detail, AMC's original series The Killing takes place in Seattle. On the eve of her going away party, the ranking homicide detective is pulled into one last case. Her replacement just arrived, but the Chief doesn't like or trust him to handle things so requests that she stay on just until it is resolved, a few more days. The case is that of a missing girl - who has been murdered. The story is about the investigation, but the focus is on the people touched and/or affected by her murder. It's not your standard who-dunnit.
It is rather bleak. There's little to no humor in it and the landscape is unlit and gray. It really does rain all the time. But it is worth noting that the bleakness and gray setting are ingredients of this specific trope within the mystery genre/police procedural - which was more or less started with the British series Prime Suspect - or at least that's my first memory of it. It's a rather popular trope in the US, and I'm guessing Britain and Denmark. Northern Europe loves it at any rate. Not sure about elsewhere. As much as I like the trope, clearly because I've watched and read quite a bit of it, over time...it does wear thin and you start to wonder if there are any new ideas or innovative approaches. I'm guessing David Lynch stretched it about as far as it could go with Twin Peaks, because everything else feels a bit like a pale copy of Prime Suspect. That's not to say, The Killing isn't well written and engrossing, it is, just that it makes me miss Prime Suspect.
That said? Critiquing it solely on its own merits? The Killing, like most of AMC's efforts to date, is rather well-written and understated. It's realistic noire - where we see the dirty, grungy, side of life. It's saying something when the only two tv series on AMC that don't leave you depressed or cringing are The Walking Dead and Mad Men. Comfort tv this is not. It's dark and gritty, with
depressed characters, and a tired atmosphere of fog and skies the look like dirty socks.
The Killing's plot winds around each of the characters and doesn't go in a straight line, although this is a linear narrative structure. There are multiple points of view here - the detectives attempting to solve the girl's murder, the girl's working class grieving parents, and the rich politician running for Mayor who has been implicated in the killing. As is the case with most stories within this particular trope - the killing in of itself isn't the most important thing, so much as the triggering event - or string that connects all the stories and propels all the characters. The investigation is the central conflict, while the killing is the through line.
Intricately plotted, the story flows through the character's dialogue without giving away too much information or lengthy and often boring expository speeches. We know what's going on, the writers do not feel the need to hammer us over the head with it. And we, the audience, are trusted to keep up. The dialogue is not quotable or memorable, so much as realistic. It's what people would say in this situation. This is realism, as opposed to fantasy. Different trope, different rules.
The Killing succeeds in introducing intriguing characters who are multifaceted. Unwrapping bits and pieces of them in each episode and the acting is pitch perfect. Michelle Forbes in the role of the dead girl's mother knocks the ball out of the proverbial park. Her performance is understated. Quietly painful. As is the actor who portrays her husband. Actually everyone here is quite good. In particular the female cop's replacement and new partner, an ex-vice cop. There's a fantastic scene in the fourth episode, where the parents accidentally see the police photos of their dead daughter - in it very little is said. And the parents say nothing. They just stare numbly shell-shocked. And the female detective (whose name I forget) sees their faces, and notes that they are looking at the pictures and rushes to hide them, apologizing profusely, as they continue to stare. The actress portraying the female detective exudes a quiet vulnerability and weariness that pulls you in. Unlike many female heroines in these genres, she's not macho or tough, so much as tired and world-weary yet portrayed by a woman in her 30s. There's a gentleness to her character that you don't see very often in these shows, if at all. The fact that her character is the weary detective leaving, the one who has seen one too many crime scenes and yet, can't quite let go, as opposed to the guy - goes against the standard cliche in these things. She's not an old woman. And she's quiet. The characters to date, including the politician, and suspected killers go against expectations. The Killing doesn't subvert the genre, but it doesn't play to its cliches and stereotypes either - which in a way comments on it and expands upon it in a positive way.
I can't say anything in the series has moved me to tears, but little does. I do however appreciate the subtle touch, the lack of emotional manipulation. The intent of this trope is to be as real as possible or to replicate a real situation, to explore it, the emotions underneath - without being a documentary. The attention to detail is as precise as it is in a fantasy such as Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones - because you are replicating reality. You want the audience to believe it.
It's not like Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, Parenthood, Bones, House or Castle - where reality is sort of thrown out the window most of the time - you are often acutely aware that you are watching a tv show. Here, we follow the story in real time. Slowly, methodically.
The story takes place over the course of a couple of days. We know what day it is. What time. We see the boredom. So the pacing is slower than it might be in another type of series. This isn't episodic, you can't plop in at any point, and you can't miss an episode. It's not really a "serial" either, so much as a novel for television. Novels for television are different than serials, they have preplotted endings, the writers know ahead of time where they are going. So the ending tends to be more satisfying. Example - Lost wasn't a novel for television, it was serial, the writers didn't know where they were headed until the end of the third or fourth season (according to interviews). Same with Buffy - not a novel, it was episodic serial. It may have felt like a novel, but if you read the writer's interviews and the commentary, it really wasn't. Nor for that matter was Battle Star Galatica - they didn't know the ending for that one either until sometime during the second to third season. Serials can be frustrating because often when they end, it feels either contrived, abrupt, or just sort of hangs out there. Novels for television have rather satisfying endings because the writer knew the plot before they began the series. They know what will happen next with every single character. The Killing is definitely a novel for television.
In order for this to work, the acting, writing, and direction have to be at the top of their game. The pacing has to be on target - because it is slow by nature. We are plodding through the investigation, showing the dead ends, and difficulties inherent within it. There's no brilliant detective or last minute witness. Things are revealed often by accident. Also, the plot has to work,
since it is being told chapter by chapter, each episode a chapter in a book, intricately connected.
Being AMC - the production value is a bit higher than most network tv series, more polished, and
they've taken more time with the plot and the fine details. Watching The Killing often feels like watching a mini-series on Masterpiece Theater or a film. It has that level of quality to it.
No hammy actors here.
Will warn you, it is slow in places and the tone of the piece is depressing both in musical score and setting. It also is brutal in some ways - there's the murder and there are allusions to rape. In a way, the violence when it is depicted is harder to watch here than it is in a fantasy series - because of the realism. It does make you cringe. Violence should. Cartoon violence at times I think, is far more dangerous. This type of violence shows the painful consequences. And the Killing is all about consequences.
If you haven't tried it, and like this sort of trope, it's not too late - AMC keeps replaying episodes. Much like HBO, AMC tv shows are easier to try out for a test drive, because they replay the episodes constantly. Rather like that aspect. Broadcast networks and certain cable channels (*cough*BBCAMerica*cough) are annoying - you miss an episode and you have to track it down on the internet or wait for either a rerun or DVD.
The Killing airs on Sunday nights, check the internet for local listings.
Overall rating? A (It succeeds on its own merits and engrosses.)
Also, watched two more episodes of the new AMC series, The Killing. I've now seen enough episodes to write a fairly decent or at least informed review of the series. [ETA & Clarification: The Killing is a based on the Danish series The Forbydelsen which aired overseas but has yet to air in the US. Having not seen the original Danish series, I can't comment on how faithful it is to the original. ]
Without going into too much spoilery detail, AMC's original series The Killing takes place in Seattle. On the eve of her going away party, the ranking homicide detective is pulled into one last case. Her replacement just arrived, but the Chief doesn't like or trust him to handle things so requests that she stay on just until it is resolved, a few more days. The case is that of a missing girl - who has been murdered. The story is about the investigation, but the focus is on the people touched and/or affected by her murder. It's not your standard who-dunnit.
It is rather bleak. There's little to no humor in it and the landscape is unlit and gray. It really does rain all the time. But it is worth noting that the bleakness and gray setting are ingredients of this specific trope within the mystery genre/police procedural - which was more or less started with the British series Prime Suspect - or at least that's my first memory of it. It's a rather popular trope in the US, and I'm guessing Britain and Denmark. Northern Europe loves it at any rate. Not sure about elsewhere. As much as I like the trope, clearly because I've watched and read quite a bit of it, over time...it does wear thin and you start to wonder if there are any new ideas or innovative approaches. I'm guessing David Lynch stretched it about as far as it could go with Twin Peaks, because everything else feels a bit like a pale copy of Prime Suspect. That's not to say, The Killing isn't well written and engrossing, it is, just that it makes me miss Prime Suspect.
That said? Critiquing it solely on its own merits? The Killing, like most of AMC's efforts to date, is rather well-written and understated. It's realistic noire - where we see the dirty, grungy, side of life. It's saying something when the only two tv series on AMC that don't leave you depressed or cringing are The Walking Dead and Mad Men. Comfort tv this is not. It's dark and gritty, with
depressed characters, and a tired atmosphere of fog and skies the look like dirty socks.
The Killing's plot winds around each of the characters and doesn't go in a straight line, although this is a linear narrative structure. There are multiple points of view here - the detectives attempting to solve the girl's murder, the girl's working class grieving parents, and the rich politician running for Mayor who has been implicated in the killing. As is the case with most stories within this particular trope - the killing in of itself isn't the most important thing, so much as the triggering event - or string that connects all the stories and propels all the characters. The investigation is the central conflict, while the killing is the through line.
Intricately plotted, the story flows through the character's dialogue without giving away too much information or lengthy and often boring expository speeches. We know what's going on, the writers do not feel the need to hammer us over the head with it. And we, the audience, are trusted to keep up. The dialogue is not quotable or memorable, so much as realistic. It's what people would say in this situation. This is realism, as opposed to fantasy. Different trope, different rules.
The Killing succeeds in introducing intriguing characters who are multifaceted. Unwrapping bits and pieces of them in each episode and the acting is pitch perfect. Michelle Forbes in the role of the dead girl's mother knocks the ball out of the proverbial park. Her performance is understated. Quietly painful. As is the actor who portrays her husband. Actually everyone here is quite good. In particular the female cop's replacement and new partner, an ex-vice cop. There's a fantastic scene in the fourth episode, where the parents accidentally see the police photos of their dead daughter - in it very little is said. And the parents say nothing. They just stare numbly shell-shocked. And the female detective (whose name I forget) sees their faces, and notes that they are looking at the pictures and rushes to hide them, apologizing profusely, as they continue to stare. The actress portraying the female detective exudes a quiet vulnerability and weariness that pulls you in. Unlike many female heroines in these genres, she's not macho or tough, so much as tired and world-weary yet portrayed by a woman in her 30s. There's a gentleness to her character that you don't see very often in these shows, if at all. The fact that her character is the weary detective leaving, the one who has seen one too many crime scenes and yet, can't quite let go, as opposed to the guy - goes against the standard cliche in these things. She's not an old woman. And she's quiet. The characters to date, including the politician, and suspected killers go against expectations. The Killing doesn't subvert the genre, but it doesn't play to its cliches and stereotypes either - which in a way comments on it and expands upon it in a positive way.
I can't say anything in the series has moved me to tears, but little does. I do however appreciate the subtle touch, the lack of emotional manipulation. The intent of this trope is to be as real as possible or to replicate a real situation, to explore it, the emotions underneath - without being a documentary. The attention to detail is as precise as it is in a fantasy such as Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones - because you are replicating reality. You want the audience to believe it.
It's not like Grey's Anatomy, Brothers & Sisters, Parenthood, Bones, House or Castle - where reality is sort of thrown out the window most of the time - you are often acutely aware that you are watching a tv show. Here, we follow the story in real time. Slowly, methodically.
The story takes place over the course of a couple of days. We know what day it is. What time. We see the boredom. So the pacing is slower than it might be in another type of series. This isn't episodic, you can't plop in at any point, and you can't miss an episode. It's not really a "serial" either, so much as a novel for television. Novels for television are different than serials, they have preplotted endings, the writers know ahead of time where they are going. So the ending tends to be more satisfying. Example - Lost wasn't a novel for television, it was serial, the writers didn't know where they were headed until the end of the third or fourth season (according to interviews). Same with Buffy - not a novel, it was episodic serial. It may have felt like a novel, but if you read the writer's interviews and the commentary, it really wasn't. Nor for that matter was Battle Star Galatica - they didn't know the ending for that one either until sometime during the second to third season. Serials can be frustrating because often when they end, it feels either contrived, abrupt, or just sort of hangs out there. Novels for television have rather satisfying endings because the writer knew the plot before they began the series. They know what will happen next with every single character. The Killing is definitely a novel for television.
In order for this to work, the acting, writing, and direction have to be at the top of their game. The pacing has to be on target - because it is slow by nature. We are plodding through the investigation, showing the dead ends, and difficulties inherent within it. There's no brilliant detective or last minute witness. Things are revealed often by accident. Also, the plot has to work,
since it is being told chapter by chapter, each episode a chapter in a book, intricately connected.
Being AMC - the production value is a bit higher than most network tv series, more polished, and
they've taken more time with the plot and the fine details. Watching The Killing often feels like watching a mini-series on Masterpiece Theater or a film. It has that level of quality to it.
No hammy actors here.
Will warn you, it is slow in places and the tone of the piece is depressing both in musical score and setting. It also is brutal in some ways - there's the murder and there are allusions to rape. In a way, the violence when it is depicted is harder to watch here than it is in a fantasy series - because of the realism. It does make you cringe. Violence should. Cartoon violence at times I think, is far more dangerous. This type of violence shows the painful consequences. And the Killing is all about consequences.
If you haven't tried it, and like this sort of trope, it's not too late - AMC keeps replaying episodes. Much like HBO, AMC tv shows are easier to try out for a test drive, because they replay the episodes constantly. Rather like that aspect. Broadcast networks and certain cable channels (*cough*BBCAMerica*cough) are annoying - you miss an episode and you have to track it down on the internet or wait for either a rerun or DVD.
The Killing airs on Sunday nights, check the internet for local listings.
Overall rating? A (It succeeds on its own merits and engrosses.)
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Date: 2011-04-23 03:24 pm (UTC)