It was only after seeing that the US had begun screening a remake of this Danish show that I finally decided to give it a go. In any case, I spent enough time watching it, and don't really want to spend any more time thinking about it. Maybe the first two series of this were a lot better, or maybe it's just a case of "the king's new clothes". The ending comes out of left field and sees one character acting in a completely unbelievable way, just for shock value. Yet way too much time is devoted to political shenanigans which don't have enough impact on the central thrust of the plot to justify their inclusion. The thriller aspects of the story are well handled and there are some great, tension-filled set-pieces as a cat and mouse game ensues between the kidnapper and the police. The actress playing her is adequate, that's all. The heroine, Sarah Lund, is rather dull, despite her taste for homely jumpers, and she displays little of the drive or emotional depth that seasoned actors in police shows, such as Helen Mirren or Robbie Coltrane, were able to bring to their parts. It falls far short of the highs of the GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO trilogy, with its story of murder and kidnapping kept deliberately murky and infuriating for much of the running time. THE KILLING III is a typical detective show that will be familiar to any fan of Scandinavian crime. By the end of it, I was left wondering what the fuss was all about. Having heard the first two series of THE KILLING raved about since I don't know when, I decided to sit down and actually try out this third and final offering. I liked the pacing, I think it brought out of the complexities of the stories and characters this way, the series is adeptly directed and the acting across the board is one of those instances where nobody is bad. I think the dark lighting further added to the atmosphere, and what an effective atmosphere it was too, and the photography and scenery are some of the best and most striking so far on TV airing this year in my opinion. Not just in the always absorbing plots, but especially in the characters who are refreshingly realistic in that they are so well written and relateable while having their faults too. Never does The Killing dissolve into cliché or stereotype territory(not always a bad thing, but it is dependent how the character or such is written and developed), instead it is complex and multi-layered. One outstanding example is the show's writing. I do have a few favourites so far this year(Exile for example), but if I had to choose one TV programme that was my favourite so far this year, it would be this one, The Killing. I watched this because I love TV series of this genre, and although I was expecting it to be at least very good, I was not expecting something as brilliant as this.
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