'The Killing' pulls you right in

Right from the outset, AMC’s newest drama, “The Killing,” draws you in. We watch as a young girl is being chased down in the woods during the middle of the night. The last we see, her assailant catches up with her, shines a flashlight on her face and the girl seems left with no escape. Throughout the first half of Sunday night’s two-hour premiere, we were left to wonder whether this girl, Rosie Larson, got away.

In comes homicide detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos), a woman on the last day of her job — in the process of relocating her son and herself from a dreary Seattle setting to sunny California to be with her fiance. As a detective, Linden is a quiet force, always methodically thinking over every angle, never jumping to conclusions.

Taking over for Linden is Detective Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman), transferring from the narcotics unit. Holder is the complete opposite of Linden in terms of subtlety — he’s a bit rough around the edges, yet he’s a hard worker and eager to learn the ropes of a new field. He’ll work well with Linden, who as you may have guessed, gets rapped up in the case and never makes it to California.

So what makes this detective show different than any other? First off, it focuses on the people surrounding the case, not just in piecing the puzzle together each and every week. In “The Killing,” we get a core group of three people to whom the disappearance of Rosie Larson matters.
First, there’s Detective Linden. Working in the homicide unit, she sees the worst of the worst, day in and day out. Yet for some reason, Rosie’s case seems to hit her harder than usual.

Second, are Rosie’s parents (Michelle Forbes and Brent Sexton) and two younger brothers. Rosie is known to be an all-around good girl to most and her parents are dumfounded as to how she could have gone missing. After all, she was at her best friend’s house all weekend, right? In the premiere, bit by bit, we find out Rosie may not have been the good girl her parents knew and loved.

Third — and this is the most random connection — you have City Councilor Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell). He’s in the middle of a campaign for mayor, but Rosie’s connection to the councilor could disrupt the foundation on which his mayoral bid rests.

By dividing the script among these three sets of people, it offsets the slow pacing of the show in the same way that the producers of “24” did. In “The Killing” we are conveniently given one day of the case per episode, making for 12 consecutive days to match with 12 weekly episodes. There is no passage of time; therefore, we see just what the characters see. There’s always something new being disclosed about one of them, and it brings to light connections that make everyone a suspect. The writers of the show are very good at planting ideas in the viewers’ head with subtle looks or motions made by every character. The question is, do we, the viewers, catch all the subtle clues?

“The Killing” is a guessing game for sure, but it’s also a beautifully-crafted drama. The scenery alone adds much to the feel of the show. The plain, drab, literally chilling setting creates a tension that builds and builds, adding to the suspense. And the actors, none of whom are widely known, bring their A-game to the screen with a sense of passion and angst all wrapped up in one. Hopefully “The Killing” can continue at a pace where it leaves us wanting more, without feeling too unfulfilled and answerless as to “What happened to Rosie Larson?” Only time will tell.

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“The Killing” airs Sunday’s at 10 p.m. on AMC.