The Killing (2011–2014)

My rating 9/10, is only for the first 2 seasons and only if you have the whole 26 episodes at your disposal.

The trailers for this show came under the phrase "Who killed Rosie Larsen?" That question drove me to watch the whole first two seasons, even though each episode felt like one more step towards an emotional vortex. I see a lot of reviewers stopped watching before getting to the conclusion of the story. Hence, I believe, the strangely low rating. I can't blame them though. The show is gloomy, filled with characters who are broken, emotional, selfish, corrupted, dirty and arrogant. It rains all the time, each scene makes one shiver from either watching people crouched down in the pouring rain or from the raw unpleasantness of what is happening... usually both. But then there is the victim. The tiny snippets of her life, that the viewers get to see, contrast with the rest of the show like beams of sun from cloudy sky. The sickening feeling, that someone snuffed out that light, is what makes this show so outstanding.

I would not recommend this show for weekly viewing. It is not one to look forward to watching. One should be able to dose it according to personal preference. This show is watched for the closure you expect to happen when the mystery is resolved. When all the suspicions, hints and worries come together to reveal the events of the murder. The closure is delivered, I promise. The finale is one of the most heart-wrenching 10 minutes I remember watching on screen.

Season 3 retains the gloom, the broken, raw characters, that are so difficult to empathize with. The rain, the corruption, the flawed human behavior is still there, however there is no contrast to it. The need for closure is missing, as is the closure itself.

As said, the first two seasons are exceptional - 9/10. Season 3, I cannot recommend - 6/10 for a gloomy, well acted who-done-it.

2014 Edit: Season 4 brought the emotion back. Despite being short it wraps up the series in a masterful way, with a crime we care to solve and deeply engaging characters. 8/10.