TV Review: The Killing 2.8, 'Off The Reservation'

The deeper we get into this season of The Killing, the more it becomes apparent that it’ll be impossible to truly gauge the success of the show’s overarching narrative before it can be looked at as a whole.

rating: 4

The deeper we get into this season of The Killing, the more it becomes apparent that it€™ll be impossible to truly gauge the success of the show€™s overarching narrative before it can be looked at as a whole. €œOff the Reservation€ is chock full of information that does a lot to suggest that nearly every major plot point the show has focused on €“ the mayoral campaign, the waterfront project, the casino, the mob €“ are all part of what ultimately lead to Rosie Larsen€™s demise. And, barring any additional twists and turns that have been The Killing€™s fatal flaw since its beginnings, the key thing that makes this a lot more promising than it has been in weeks past is that there€™s a chance, however fleeting, that this could all fall into place in a way that€™s actually believable. We haven€™t seen this sort of plot coherence from the show in quite some time €“ in fact, despite an increasing amount of evidence suggesting the show runners truly did learn from their mistakes last year, €œOff the Reservation€ is the first time this improvement can be applied to the Larsen mystery itself. But because there€™s still so many unknowns, and plenty of chances for the whole thing to fall apart again, let€™s take a step back from the plot and instead focus on the episode€™s other, more immediately tangible success: its treatment of character. Much like €œOpenings,€ €œOff the Reservation€ pulls double duty and gives us just as much to chew on from a character standpoint as it does from a plot perspective. Let€™s start with the biggest revelation first: Linden€™s acceptance of her failings as a mother. All season long, the show€™s had a much more prominent focus on Linden€™s relationship with her son Jack. We€™ve seen them eat out of vending machines, live out of motel rooms, and deal with increasing pressure from both Linden€™s ex-husband and Child Protective Services. While Jack played a significant role in season one, the handling of his story left much to be desired from a dramatic standpoint. It€™s the same story with most of the background narrative in season one €“ there was a lot of opportunity for depth that was squandered through half-assed narrative exploration and constant clichés, often resulting in moments that did little more than ring hollow. Everything that has allowed the viewer to get insight into the characters this year was present in some shape or form last year, but the reason it works so much more now is because of how better executed it€™s been in season two. When Linden puts Jack on a plane to Chicago, we€™re treated to a scene with an uncharacteristic amount of dramatic heft and catharsis. Linden, in tears, assures Jack that it is his strength, not hers, that has prevented the two from suffering from utter collapse €“ this despite the ever-increasing sense that it€™s them against the world. That this comes after Linden€™s lost her badge and nearly lost her partner makes it all the more poignant €“ and finally makes the show€™s trademark sense of loss and depression cut far deeper and more meaningfully than it ever normally manages to. These same successes can also be applied to Holder€™s story. Taking full advantage of the assault that happened at the tail end of last week€™s installment, we€™re treated to a thrilling police search that takes up a sizable chunk of the episode, and meaningful character moments with two members of Holder€™s family. While it all works incredibly well, what stands out the most is the development between our two primary protagonists €“ an element that has been slowly building traction since the beginning of the season. Despite all of the show€™s flaws, Linden and Holder€™s natural chemistry with one another has always served the show well €“ even when it amounted to little more than the two having been assigned to the same case. Unlike last year, where their involvement in each other€™s personal lives was mostly regulated to a single episode (season highlight, €œMissing€), it€™s all over the place in season two, and in €œOff the Reservation,€ it hits a promising peak. All these two truly have is each other, and with Linden now off of the police force, their ability to survive a case that is becoming increasingly dangerous and intertwined with their personal lives is contingent on their ability to aid one another. That leaves us in an exciting position heading into the last five episodes, and, with any luck, the show will be able to keep both its newfound depth and skillfully constructed momentum going.
Contributor

Cole Zercoe hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.