Episode 1, The Jungle is written by show developer Veena Sud and introduces several new characters, and we also get to see what is happening with a few old favorites that will likely have less of a presence this time around. I am so excited The Killing is back for a third season!
Holder is looking sharper, more mature in a long black coat, shirt and tie. He looks cleaned up, professional; we can see that he is moving up the ladder. A dead girl is found in a garbage bag. The atmosphere is dark, rainy, grotesque. When Holder uncovers the body, he steps away from the corpse as if her death is something never seen before. Later we find out through the autopsy that the deceased has vaginal bruising, she is sixteen or seventeen years old, and she broke a finger attempting to fight back. Holder becomes fascinated by the murder of this young girl and immediately senses a connection to an older case.
We find out that Linden is working for the transit authority,and is no longer a detective. She's also in love, or at least finding sexual satisfaction from Cody, who appears to be a younger man; she's moved on from the broken relationships we saw last season. She lives in a small house that vaguely looks like Jamie's grandfather's house (interior) from last season. Perhaps some of the same props are being reused. Holder show's up at Linden's house, away from the city. She's been running everyday, she is happier with her life. Holder is doing great, solving seven out of seven cases with his new partner. and plans to take the sergeant's exam. "Ain't that sweet, Linden's dating." She receives an envelope from the Department of Corrections, but does not open it right away.
Chemistry still rides high between Linden and Holder and it's wonderful. They talk about Jack, he has a girlfriend. Holder comes to her with his new case and explains the working girl's death that was revealed earlier in the show. He tells her that the file box on a case he was looking for was checked out by someone else. Sarah states that they're always misplacing files. Holder leaves his case photos behind on her table, knowing she cannot resist the psychological impact of the girl's death, nor completely deny that there isn't a connection between Holder's case, and Linden's from three years ago. "Not every victim is worth it," she says, but Holder doesn't buy it. The sound is a bit stifled in this episode, or perhaps I need hearing aids, but he mumbles something about never thinking he would ever hear that from her.
Holder continues investigating the opening murder and stops street-side to interrogate the two street kids, Callie Leeds (Cate Sproule) and Bullet (Bex-Taylor Klaus). Holder answers his phone, "Hey baby... " maybe he has a new love interest too. We find out later that her name is Caroline. The young butch street kid
We also see that Regi with her partner Ellen for the first time. Jack looks a little older, and definitely taller than his mom. Following a celebratory drink, Jack sits with his mom, who smokes after telling Holder she's quit. Jack is living with his dad. Their conversation is poignant. Jack asks her if she ever thinks about moving to Chicago, "Why are you still here then?" She checks her watch. "We should go, we don't want to miss your plane." Sarah is still controlled by her past experiences, which prohibit her from moving forward and developing closer relationships with the people in her life. Everyone remains at a distance.
Holder and his partner have lunch in the office; he inquires about the Jane Doe and his partner... the ID comes in over the phone. Holder meets with the parents. He finds out their daughter is fourteen. "Your daughter, her body was found this morning. I need you to come down to the coroners office and identify the body."
Callie tries going home. Her mom has changed the locks. Her mom doesn't let her stay there, and doesn't look much older than Callie; they could be sisters. She puts on the TV, cartoons play in the background. "You can't stay here. Maybe this weekend, but not tonight." They argue over the mom's boyfriend. Callie is a red-head like Linden, which reminds me of Linden's own childhood trauma with her abusive mother who came to abandon her. Callie's situation is very similar. We see a child who is unwanted, and mom sees her more as competition than as a daughter.
Later, we see Sarah running and a thunder storm breaks. She finds shelter under what looks like an old barn. Inside is a dead animal, several carcasses. She looks out over and there is nothing by cow skulls. One cow is still breathing, lying near death, but we see the head move slightly, the mouth release a bleating sound. She cannot escape the depravity she has lived with her entire life.
We meet Twitch (Max Fowler). He is the boyfriend of another street girl named Lyric (Julia Sarah Stone). Bullet is jealous. S/he tosses the ring to Callie. Callie's number for a bed doesn't come up. She lies and says she can stay at her mom's. The kids without a bed leave, go back on the street.
Sarah gets home from running to find Cody looking at the pictures Holder left behind. Sarah runs upstairs and comes back with a hand gun. Flash over to Holder-- he looks for the rings in the picture the parents brought with them.She goes back to the barn, puts the dying cow out of its misery. Sarah begins going through the evidence boxes from the case. She looks at photos of a murdered woman and we see the killing is identical. The first hour closes with Callie getting into a car driving away for the night.
Episode 2: That You Fear the Most, written by Dan Nowak
Linden goes to the murder scene. In the dark of night, the rain still pours. Her flashlight moves over the blood that remains on the floor. Net we see her walk into Holder's office. She leaves the photos on his desk, but he flips on the lights. "You miss it?" he asks. He knows she went to the murder sight. As she walks down the hall, you can see the difficulty in leaving, her expression confused, pained.
Bullet tries calling Callie-- she can't be reached. S/he tries going to her mother's house. The mother slams the door in her face. Twitch and lyric hang in a room together, she begins to cry while he talks about his fantasy of Hollywood parties and the desire to look sharp and good like the magazine add. Lyric looks so young. "I don't want you working today," he says to her. Maybe he's her pimp. He's a little creepy.
The jungle is a section of the city. The tombs. Bullet goes to the police looking for Callie. and runs into Holder. Bullet shows her picture and he notices the ring, but it doesn't register with his murder victim. Seward tries to manipulate a prison guard into letting him call his lawyer. And it works. He cuffs him in the the cell.
Linden stops by to see someone-- maybe her old partner that helped put Seward away. Linden says she always had questions. "What if there's a connection?" "What if Ray Seward didn't kill his wife?" Turns out Seward called him earlier inviting him to his execution. "I just want to be sure we're executing a guilty one." She leaves, gets in her car. His wife comes out and tells her to "Stay away from us. I've forgiven him, but I never want to see you again." Either Sarah and her ex-partner had an affair, or perhaps she entrenched him so deep in the case that his absence was unforgivable.
Sarah is heading back over to the island; Cody jumps in her car. "I break things" she says, "I break them and they never get fixed. But this thing, this one thing..." Cody offers to help her, but she won't allow it. We see there is no relationship going anywhere.
Holder and his partner go to the boarding house in the jungle. Ashley, the murdered girl. The Beacon is the name of the place.
Twitch is with his probation officer for his last piss test. Twitch isn't interested in getting his GED; he's got Hollywood dreams. Flash to Lyric, who is telling a girlfriend about Twitch inviting her to California. This vile guy makes a crack about a girl getting her throat slashed.
The other security officer, Frances Becker, (Hugh Dillon) lays into the other who let Seward use the phone. He goes to talk with Seward-- "... it's a family business-- prison guards and race car drivers." Frances describes death by hanging.
Holder and his partner go to the hotel on 'nine' as suggested by the Pastor back at the Beacon. His partner gets pissed when Holder decides to look around, maybe talk. He lays on the horn, "Get in or I'm leavin' ya." Holder knows something is up with Callie.
Regi walks in on Sarah looking at case files. Adrian drew that, over and over after I found him in the apartment. He had been trapped in the apartment for six days with his mother's decomposing body." Sarah discusses seeing him, the boy who drew the tree pictures over and over. She goes to see Seward. He picks up the phone, stares at her through the glass. "I remember you from the trial , you're his partner." Seward is... "What did you do with your wife's ring?" "I pawned it." Not once does he look away from her. She asks him about the trees. He immediately breaks his gaze. he calls for a guard to take him back.
Ray spends a lot of time facing away from the cell doors, looking outside toward the trees. A new prisoner comes in that knows Ray.
Twitch attempts to die his hair; he spent Lyric's money on hair die to get head shots with the hopes of modeling. His attempts are delusional. Lyric says she'll go out to turn tricks to get more money. Twitch makes some comment about Callie going with some guy. Bullet breaks in somewhere, it's dark and filthy, the guy she had an altercation with on the street. He comes up behind her, holds her down the camera pans away and we hear him shush her, slight cry escaping her lips. The knife is wide and curved. bullet had tried to force her way through a locked door when he came up behind her.
Sarah goes to check on Adrian. the foster mom takes her into his room. He's playing in the backyard. The foster family haven't ... a copy of the woods drawing is hanging on the wall. Sarah finds the scene, matches the drawing to a real place. I'm not sure where this location is. She walks through the woods, the area is dense with trees, nothing but her own footsteps, peep frogs. A mist grows thicker and the scene becomes more and more frightening. Across the water-- she has discovered several decomposed bodies, in red trash bags. The camera frames her back centered, moves away and we see this is a killer's dumping ground. How does Adrian know this place?
Drink of choice: Lots of coffee.
