The Killing

I first came across the Danish series The Killing in two commendable reviews raving about the qualities of this top series, which supposedly represents a completely new level of TV production. The mental processes of intellectuals are unpredictable, so I took this information with a grain of salt because its author had recently praised the film Bastards, one of the biggest failures of Czech cinema in recent years. However, the rating on FilmBooster (albeit with a low number of ratings) was also positive. In the end, I decided to give The Killing a try, but even after four episodes, it is not clear to me what the proclaimed exceptional quality of the series is because, before my eyes, it unfolded as a fairly standard TV detective story unreasonably divided into 20 episodes, for which I have neither the patience nor the desire. If David Lynch once directed Twin Peaks, his focus was not actually on the investigation of a specific crime, and the attraction for viewers lay in the hypnotic atmosphere and fascinating changing characters. Spending twenty hours of my life watching the investigation of a single criminal case is beyond my abilities, despite the likable investigator and the charisma of Lars Mikkelsen as an ambitious player in the political arena. I get the feeling that watching a single episode of Breaking Bad brings me greater satisfaction due to better character development and handling than four hours spent in the presence of these Scandinavians. Stephen King claims that an impatient reader who skips to the end of a book to prematurely find out the ending commits the worst literary crime. I committed a similar offense when I guessed the potential culprit after the fourth episode and then found out that I had hit the mark - which may testify to my genius, but rather to the fact that, despite its reputation, The Killing is too predictable for my taste. In this case, however, I will refrain from giving stars and a percentage rating... (13/02/2013)

The Killing already had an excellent reputation, but watching - as usually happens when you have high expectations - did not live up to my expectations. I disliked a certain fatigue of the series with its multitude of characters, motives, settings, detours, and dead ends. Twenty episodes of investigating one case were simply too much for my taste. Alignment did not come with the second season either, but the third season hit the spot for me. I appreciated its significantly more intense pace. Unlike its older siblings, the third season did not tire me but instead kept me on the edge. In this season, it is worth paying attention to the dialogues, relationships, and facial expressions; everything is well thought out and has its (temporarily hidden) meaning. The script evenly divides attention among several environments and realistically depicts the growing conflict between Danish business and political elites, facing a shocking crime, as well as the rivalry and maneuvering within stumbling security forces. The individual storylines do not mix aimlessly as in the first season. The twists in the investigation do not look like a divine intervention from above, the action elements are portrayed realistically, and the characters do not act in black and white, quite the opposite in fact. Each carries a scar, whether it is a partial or fundamental professional or human failure. Even the emotionally intense scenes of searching for a kidnapped girl whose time is running out do not lead to cheap sentimentality or manipulation of the viewer. As a warning that even the wealthiest societies are not without flaws, season 3 works excellently, and it also represents evidence that even small European productions can achieve great things. Overall impression: 85%. (10/06/2015)