TV Review: The Killing 2.7, 'Keylela'
After a few choice plot decisions that placed The Killing in a better position than it has been in for quite some time, “Keylela” has arrived to call all of this recent progress into considerable question.
rating: 2
After a few choice plot decisions that placed The Killing in a better position than it has been in for quite some time, Keylela has arrived to call all of this recent progress into considerable question. Season twos greatest success has been in its ability to keep its plot focused a far cry from the constant twists and turns that ultimately turned the shows first season into a frustrating mess. After last week, which placed us right around the halfway mark of the season, it felt as if this newly focused version of The Killing was here to stay. Unfortunately, Keylela takes season twos story arc on a major detour one thats likely to cause quite a bit of harm to the bigger picture when all is said and done. Make no mistake Keylela isnt a bad episode. In fact, in some areas (which Ill touch on later), its very good. But the problem lies in how unnecessary the majority of Keylela is to the construction of season twos overarching narrative. Its a chapter that turns the plot focus in a completely different direction when there is very little need to do so. At this stage of the season, the narrative should be slowly heading toward resolution. Instead, Keylela piles on additional complications and questions to a story that already has a wealth of them. Case in point: the Wapi Eagle Casino manager, Nicole Jackson (Claudia Ferri). Now, even if Jackson and her gang of security officers werent portrayed as villains in the most overly bombastic, cartoonish way possible, their inclusion in the show would still come off as sloppy. We all know by now that The Killing cant do sprawling, interlinked stories well, because every time it tries to, it either connects everything together in a way thats so ridiculous it feels like a slap in the face, or it just doesnt bother to do so at all. Given this, the casino angle reeks of the show reaching too far and considering how close it was to finally ridding itself of that very problem, Keylela is a sizable step backward. But its not all bad. At this point, its undeniable that the shows highlight is Joel Kinnamans portrayal of Holder, and hes given quite a bit to do in Keylela. We follow him as he attempts to gain access to the 10th floor of the casino a location that Rosie likely spent time on shortly before she was murdered. Holder solicits prostitutes both male and female tries to score drugs, gets a promising lead from a hotel maid, and gets the shit beat out of him by Jacksons aforementioned gang of security thugs. However misguided the whole plot is, Kinnaman still manages to make it engaging, and its fun to watch him do some investigative work beyond his usual role as a lookout. Frankly, if the episode wasnt so Holder-centric, it wouldnt hold up very much at all, but its enough to label this episode an occasionally engaging, but ultimately troubling installment in a season that was just beginning to find its footing.