The Killing: Day 6: What You Have Left

Day 6

After last week’s slow, boring episode, I was ready for the series to get back on the horse, introduce some new stuff I could sink my teeth into and get me excited for the case all over again.

And while I think this week’s episode, What You Have Left definitely got us back on track, I can’t help but feel there’s still something missing. It’s certainly taking a long time creating the suspect list. In earlier recaps, I’ve gone into why I don’t think Stan is the murderer, and tonight’s episode offers more evidence of that. I refuse to believe anyone on the police force (or their fiancés) could be involved, because that would destroy all credibility for the show. And the rest of the players, aside from Richmond and Bennett, haven’t had nearly enough attention paid to them to make me invested in their motives yet. So I feel the show is still in a weird holding pattern. And yes, I realize it’s only day 6 of a murder investigation, but I live in the Law and Order generation, where an investigation and trial are finished in an hour. Throw me a bone!

Day 6 starts with at the funeral, as we see the director cleaning up Rosie. I got enough of this watching 6 Feet Under so I try to fast forward, before realizing I’m watching this live. Of course, since we now know it’s funeral time we’ll have to go check in on…

The Larsens are getting ready for the horrible day ahead of them. They bicker, and act awkwardly with one another, and while I understand that one of them could be the killer, it still feels as though this family is dealing with genuine grief, and not hiding a murder. But I also know that most murders are family related, and who am I to argue with statistics I think I heard once?

After last week’s report by the coroner that a “pro” might have been behind this, it looks as though Linden is going through some missing persons reports. Which gives us a chance to also catch up with…Reggie? Seriously, can anyone just brazenly walk into this police station? Reggie goes ahead and fills in some back story for Linden, hinting again that her upbringing wasn’t the greatest, she’s gotten too involved in cases before, and that she almost “lost him before.” I assume Reggie means Jack, and I assume we’ll find more out later, but can I pause here for a second? While I know if a show does well enough it will get picked up for a second season, I’ve always wondered about The Killing. Will it get a second season? Will it involve the same characters? Will it be just another murder investigation? I’m not sure what I want to happen right now, because I’m concentrating on this murder investigation. But are conversations like this one an attempt to fill in the larger picture for a season 2? If so, I guess it’s ok. But if not, I really don’t care about Linden’s back story. She has offered nothing to suggest she is anything other than a dedicated police officer. Everything else has been stuff brought up by Reggie and her stupid fiancé Rick. In fact, we get dragged into the whole Sonoma plot line at the end of this scene, with Linden betting Jack “15 million dollars” that they’re getting on a plane tonight to go to Sonoma. And since by the end of the episode Linden is in the middle of a police chase, I’m going to assume she loses.

Holder, after being told he should dress the part of a detective, steals one of Glen Frey’s 80s outfits and shows up at the station. And gets called on it. Seriously, what’s a drug addict-pedophile supposed to do? Regardless, both Linden and Holder like the teacher for the murder and want to get a search warrant, but their commander says, whoa – not so fast. I guess you two forgot about the Constitution and it’s pesky laws! Circumstantial evidence isn’t enough – they have to go get something that more directly ties Bennett to the murder.

After visiting with the Larsens again to make sure they’re still getting their black garb on, we get our first Richmond sighting of the night, and he’s trying to apologize to Gwen. And I’ll say Gwen’s demeanor is…icy at best. But before he can bat his eye at her one more time, the school principal shows up out of nowhere. And while I think she’s stupid and an idiot and a peripheral character at best, she does keep popping up in the unlikeliest of places, for no reason other than to remind the viewer she exists. Hmmm…

Anyway, she (eagerly?) tips Richmond off about Bennett being prime suspect #1 for the police. And that don’t sit well with Richmond at all. She then goes on to awkwardly suggest she and Richmond can help each other in the future, but Richmond is too far gone about Bennett to even care. Methinks Richmond and Bennett are a lot closer than we have seen so far. I mean even moreso than hugging at the end of a now very poorly timed political ad.

Have you ever wondered what it was cops did when they were told to “canvass a neighborhood?” Wonder no more! Linden and Holder are trying to piece the storyline of Rosie’s death together and get some witnesses. Just as Linden starts asking Bennett’s downstairs neighbor some questions, Holder calls her over because he has a witness that saw a woman/girl go into Bennett’s place Friday night. And if the episode ended there, I would have bet anyone Holder paid this guy off for the information so they could get a search warrant that much easier. That I was wrong about that kinda made me feel the writers missed a pretty good opportunity to go in a cool direction with Holder. Not that he’s a bad cop, but that he’s one that takes shortcuts. It’s not like that would have been coming out of left field.

Hey, things have to be moved no matter what, and Stan and Belko are movers, so these huge metal containers – they get moved. From one spot in the moving store(?) to another. And Stan doesn’t need Belko’s help! The only thing I took from this is that Stan is strong and could move a body easily if he needed to. Oh, and that Belko made contact with his “buddy” at school. What kind of person has a buddy at a high school? Oh, and how would this “buddy” at the high school know about the police investigation? Belk certainly seems to know things…

Unrelated: Is it in poor taste to say I find women in funeral attire attractive? Michelle Forbes is bringing the heat dressed in black!

Bennett and his wife, talk about…things. Is it just me, or could this conversation have multiple meanings? But still…they’re so cute together! Linden and Holder arrive to break it up though and ask a few more questions, including one about Rosie stopping by last Friday night. So it seems Holder’s witness was telling the truth! I would have lost money on that one. Bennett starts off just a little shaky (Oh yeah! Rosie did drop by the night she was murdered. How did I forget that?) but gets real assertive when they ask to search his house. He obviously has TNT on his cable channel lineup. Linden and Holder leave empty handed, and take it out on each other.

Back at campaign headquarters, things aren’t going too well. The TV spot is the big bone of contention here, with Jamie correctly pointing out that Richmond is nothing more “Dead girl in a trunk!” to the voting public. Richmond is getting stupid with his holier than thou approach of proclaiming everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and Bennett hasn’t even been arrested yet, but still…seriously? Even though what he says is right – he’s still posing with a guy who may have killed someone. I’m pretty sure anyone with a little common sense would see that the ad shouldn’t be aired. What if the next day he confesses? That ad lives on forever. Unless, Richmond knows he’s innocent, which would mean…hmmmmm.

Holder is in a car with a bald gentleman, talking about being two people at once and other psycho-mumbo jumbo. Is it his sponsor? It sure seems like it, as this scene was preceded by one where Holder watches a drug deal go down. So yeah, maybe he’s got the itch, but trying to keep it in check. Of course, if we remember back to last week, he was seen in a car with someone, but he left it with a huge pile of cash. Something a sponsor probably wouldn’t be involved in. So yeah, I have no idea if the two meetings are related, and who this person is. I do know that the sponsor knows about Stan, and tells Holder he used to be a heavy for the mob. And he totally knows his way around a dead body.

Funeral moment – one where one of Rosie’s brothers asks and then gets to be a pallbearer. Which, yeah, it’s amazingly sad. Again, these scenes are well done and heart wrenching, and stuff I could do without, simply because it only makes me sad as well.

And here’s where things start to get confusing. Based on the eyewitnesses and other evidence, Holder and Linden are piecing together the timeline. What we know right now: Bennett was at the dance until past 11; his wife was out of town, and witnesses have Rosie showing up and being let in the house at around 10.

Holder interviews Amber’s sister, who she went to visit that weekend, and we learn that Amber got there very late – after 1 AM. And that’s preposterous, since Amber is pregnant, and it’s scientific fact pregnant women don’t stay up past 8:30. Wife’s sister also maybe a teeny tiny bit doesn’t care much about Bennett, but that might just be because he’s black and she’s really pro white power.

Why hello there Richmond and Senator Eaton, meeting together to discuss political strategy. Senator Eaton is an imposing fellow, and yet Richmond holds his ground. I mean, the senator is basically telling Richmond to do what he has to do to get elected, and Richmond won’t hear of it, which I mean, c’mon. I get squeaky clean politicians, but as we’ve seen, Richmond isn’t exactly squeaky clean. He made the backroom deal to get union support and used his right hand man to get inside the incumbent’s campaign!

Cemetery. Sad. Poetic things said. A bug is squashed. I’m sure there’s some sort of symbolism to be gleaned out of this, but…

Debate time! Well, pre-debate time right now. Richmond thinks Gwen sent her daddy to do her bidding but psyche! It was Jamie. I’m not sure I understand why Richmond keeps Jamie around if he’s just going to ignore his advice. I mean, we all know Jamie offers. He’s a political shark, ready to do anything to win. He doesn’t really make that a secret.

Memorial service: At first, I didn’t remember who the guy giving his condolences was (I’m sorry, the Phillies were playing and I needed divert some attention that way), but then realized it was Michael Ames, better known as Jasper the rich kid’s dad. Welcome back into the picture Mr. Ames. He’s appropriately somber, until Terry makes her presence known to him, which causes Mr. Ames to frown. Or possibly glare. Whatever the appropriate description is, it wasn’t anything good, and it sends Terry off to go get stoned and listen to some Neko Case. Yeesh. Regardless, Belko then gets the call from his “buddy,” who confirms the whole teacher as the suspect. Which doesn’t bode well for the teacher, since he just happens to be at the memorial service. We need George Clooney to navigate these waters! Or possibly the captain who replaced George Clooney since George Clooney kinda basically led his crew to their deaths.

Linden is back in the neighborhood, and uncovers a peeping tom, or is at least told about a peeping tom. After a lot of inconsequential talk, he confirms that Bennett was home and was carrying a body with someone else, “a smaller person, possibly a woman.” Linden and Holder then speculate that Bennett’s wife did the deed and then he helped he clean up the mess. Let’s go confront her.

We see Linden and Holder banging on the door as the wife is sitting in the dark with a hammer. Now, I don’t know about you, but seeing anyone sitting alone in a dark house desperately clutching a hammer is a tiny bit creepy to me.

Linden and Holder leave and try to finalize their theory. Holder chooses now to casually mention Stan’s background to Linden, who pieces everything together. Unfortunately, she’s just a little late as back at the memorial service, Stan offers to give the teacher a rid home. If I had to guess, they’re heading out into the woods!

The mayoral debate goes exactly how you’d imagine it would if you thought Richmond was an idiot. He brings up his plan to decrease gang activity, and the mayor brings up his relationship with Bennett, a person of interest with the police. Afterwards, it’s pretty apparent no one thought his strategy would be that good. It seems like the only thing that could save Richmond now is if he uncovered evidence that the mayor had something to do with Rosie’s murder. Hmmmm…

Linden and Holder get to the memorial service, but slightly later than they wanted to, as Stan and the teacher left. Linden heads off after them (though I’m not 100% sure she knows where they’re going) while a stewardess in the airport is most likely opening up 2 seats for standby passengers to Sonoma.

Suspect List

Good lord – people come on and off this thing like a case of herpes…

Stan – I’m not buying it. Why would he be involved with the teacher if he was the murderer? Wouldn’t he be trying to help the police get him? Unless…he’s going to kill him as a kind of alibi to throw the scent off him? But that’s awfully convoluted and Machiavellian for a mover to come up with.

Bennett – So, did he do it? Help with it? There are a lot of pieces stacked against him. It’s getting harder to suggest he didn’t have at least something to do with it, since it’s been confirmed that she was at his place the night of her murder.

Amber (Bennett’s wife) – She’s been acting a little weird. And her timeline on Friday night is a little skewed. But she’s also pregnant, and we all know what that does to women!

Terry (Mitch’s sister) – She comes roaring back into the picture, and shows off her unstable side. Maybe she’s pregnant! Or a murderer.

Richmond – A case can be made that he did it, or that he and the teacher did it. It’s a flimsy case, but it’s not a completely impossible one.

Belko – He certainly has the loner type vibe that most television killers have. He was close to Rosie and seems to have a sordid past.

Michael Ames - He enters the picture based on his reaction to seeing Terry. Did he have something to do with Rosie? Did Terry see something bad? Did Rosie see something bad between Terry and Ames?

So, what did you think of the show? Who did it? Talk about it in the comments!