Discussion Thread: The Killing

[Trigger warning for violence; spoiler warning for The Killing.]


Is anyone else watching the new AMC series The Killing...?

I was pretty interested in this series, because not only is it about a female cop working to solve the murder of a female victim, but half of its 12 credited producers are women, Agnieszka Holland is directing several of the episodes, and Michelle Forbes, whom I love (still need to write that post), is in it.

So, I've watched the first couple of episodes, and, even though its homage to Twin Peaks is heavy-handed and there are too many annoying reversals (three—seriously, three—"you totes think this is a dead body but whooooooops it's not—gotcha!" reversals in the first 10 minutes), I'm kind of digging it.

That said, there is still some of the voyeuristic, sexifying of violence against young women of the type endemic to Law & Order: SVU episodes and thrillers starring Ashley Judd.

That said, my expectations are admittedly pretty low, but the violence seems less pornified than usual—and it's balanced with some scenes of surviving family members' pain that feel very authentic. Watching the Larsens try to navigate conveying information to their young sons (what information? how much detail? when?) about their older sister's death is very pointed commentary about the reverberating effects of violence.

Anyway: What do you think?

[There have only been two episodes of the US series, so if you've seen the Danish series on which it's based, please don't leave spoilers in comments.]