Note: Do not read on if you have not yet seen Season 3, Episode 3 of AMC's "The Killing," titled "Seventeen."
This week's action on "The Killing" picked up where last week left off, with Linden waiting at the crime scene for the cops to arrive. Although Holder accuses her of trying to steal his case, it's obvious he always intended to lure Linden back to detective work when he tells her, "Looks like you found the Seward file." Find the file she did, and after attending Skinner's debriefing and signing some paperwork, Linden is once again in possession of her detective badge (that was easy).
With 17 sets of remains on their hands, Skinner tasks his officers into looking for an active serial killer, whom he acknowledges has major anger issues. He wants his officers and detectives to wrap up the case quickly, and he specifically reminds Linden that she needs to focus on the present investigation and not on a case from three years ago. Sure, having Seward days away from execution and not wanting to give him a reason to appeal is a compelling reason to not connect Trisha Seward's murder with the other 17 bodies, but it seems to me that Skinner is a tad too insistent on denying the similarities.
While Linden goes searching for Bullet, so do Holder and Reddick, but they manage to find our favorite runaway. Poor Bullet is bruised and beat up from her confrontation with Goldie, but she refuses to complain about her assault. Instead, she tells Holder that she heard a girl who she thinks might be Kallie crying out from behind a locked door in Goldie's apartment. This leads Holder and Reddick to seek out the pipsqueak of a pimp, where they stumble upon child pornography at his apartment. (Could this season get any darker?) Luckily, Goldie picked the wrong time to come home, and after a quick chase that leads to him falling down the stairs and Holder delivering a swift kick to the ribs, the scumbag is taken to police headquarters for questioning. Having gone through the system before, Goldie eventually lawyers up, but the detectives continue to trail him, hoping that he'll lead them to a body (again at Skinner's insistence). Do I think Goldie's the killer? Highly doubtful, although with Kallie's appearance in a video he intended to distribute, it's obvious that he has a connection to the killer.
Meanwhile, Linden's portion of the investigation has her seeking out Kallie's mom (nominee for worst mom ever) and Adrian, since she wonders why he's drawing again. According to Skinner, Adrian's not supposed to remember what happened since he was so young and traumatized from the ordeal, but Linden is certain it's not a coincidence he added the factory to his drawing. When asked about the picture he drew, Adrian says that he wants to see his father, which I'm sure Linden will be sure to arrange.
Speaking of Seward, our favorite death row inmate was wreaking havoc on my nerves this episode. Everything involving the razor blade -- from taking it out of the bar of soap, to putting it in his mouth to taunting Becker with the details of maiming his cousin Jimmy's eye -- had me cringing and watching from behind my fingers. I was certain the prison guard was going to sustain some major lacerations, and although Seward eventually decides to turn the blade on himself, I won't be surprised if he ends up attacking the guards next week.
Random notes:
- I actually went back and watched the opening scene several times. The aerial shot was eerily beautiful, until you realize you're supposed to be looking at bio-hazard bags containing dismembered human remains.
And finally, this week's nominations for Holderisms actually include a line from Rayna about Holder:
- "I saw her driving out with some Eminem wannabe with a molester 'stache." Ha!
So what did you guys think of this week's episode? Are you ready to jump to conclusions about a killer yet? Let us know in the comments!
"The Killing" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.