The Killing Season 1 Episode 3 El Diablo

I warned you last week that if it was laughs you were into then this TV show is not for you.  I don't think I have ever seen an American TV show involving a police investigation that has proved to be so true to life, ok the story line has probably been done before but the dark and gritty side that is police work is really brought to life in this show.  Unlike your CSI: Miami, New York and how ever many more they have done in that franchise The Killing does not serve up any Armani suits and supremely polished shoes.  Instead we get the feel of real people, police officers who are dealing not only with a stressful investigation but are also feeling the strain of family ties at home.

After three episodes now the question of who killed Rosie Larsen? is still ringing clearly in our ears, although this episode was not quite as gripping as the two part opener the story is setting itself up really well and asking us some great questions as to who is responsible for Rosie Larsen's demise.

To recap, Rosie Larsen was found in the back of a car which had been dumped in a lake.  The car was registered to the campaign of councilman Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell) but had been reported as stolen on the Saturday morning.  No one in the camp of Richmond is currently a suspect but they play such a big role in the show this far that you can't help but wonder that they know more than we know already.  Detective Holder (Joel Kinnaman) went on a little cop initiative and spoke to some students who lead him to a room called "the cage", a place kind of like a torture layer and also would appear to be the spot where Rosie Larsen was subject to some sort of bloody assault.  Noticing a spyhole the cops soon realise they need to speak to the caretaker of the school Lyndon Rosales (VJ Delos Reyes) he informs them that Kris Echols (Gharrett Paon) was in the room with Rosie on the night, he is a kid who has been expelled from the school for his drug use.  Kris clearly knows something about what has happened and is referred to in the episode as El Diablo, a student who was wearing a mask in the room on the night.

From that you would think we now have at least one maybe two suspects lined up , that's not the case this is of course a thirteen part TV series and for the cops to be anywhere near the truth just yet would be to easy, well.  Maybe they aren't close to solving it but at least they may be nearing the truth and getting close to the suspect.  Should it be Kris or one of his fellow students, they are acting shady enough that's for sure.  Maybe it is someone inside the camp of politician Darren Richmond who trusts his own staff no further than he can throw them, maybe Richmond is someway involved himself, who knows?

The family of Rosie Larsen have been left out his episode, well not left out they were in it at times and they would appear to be trying to keep things as normal as possible for their two other sons.  Rosie's mother Mitch Larsen (Michelle Forbes) would appear to be taking it worse than her father, is that a sign of guilt the police have not noticed yet?  I doubt it, the only guilt I think she and Rosie's father Stan (Bret Sexton) are feeling is that they went away camping for the weekend without her. 

One thing I will bring up is that why are the Larsen family just left to get on with it?  I don't know how they work in America but here in England if something like that happened the family would be assigned a family liaison officer, a cop who is specially trained to speak to people about situations like this.  In the Killing the Larsen family are simply left to their devices to get on themselves with the leading investigator popping around to deliver whatever news there is.