monesque TV doesn't get much better. You can tell because you actually have to pay attention to the tightly-plotted episodes to keep up with everything going on. Gritty, suspenseful--overused, but accurate words for this series. Everything is dark and edgy in atmosphere and plotting, but what clearly seals that deal is the richness of the characters. Fully fleshed out, they are wildly imperfect human beings with a burning desire for justice--a corny proposition that they probably could not even acknowledge to themselves. Their flaws, their problems and their disorders are obstacles to be overcome, but never seem hackneyed for one obvious reason: the acting is brilliant and makes it real. Mireille Enos is particularly amazing. She always seems one step away from a real nervous breakdown and it never seems contrived as she tries to juggle all the balls in her life. The only really sad part here is that in the little coda that was produced to wrap things up, there was at least one, huge false note. I don't want to set out spoilers, but that penultimate scene with the Mayor, et al in collaboration was simply absurd. None of it rang true. It couldn't have happened with that many people, witnesses. Ok--4 seasons, 1 false note (although that was a doozy that really marred the finale). I can forgive it.

samtzu-2 I don't write reviews. I did that for a living for a couple of years and hated it; you're not sure if you read or saw things correctly; a lot of the crap you see and read is just that: crap; and only those who disagree with you make comments on your carefully scripted prose. I swore off about thirty years ago. Soooo.... on the advice of my son and his wife I prepared to watch the first episode of "The Killing". I didn't read any reviews, just the personell list on IMDb. The personell list was a bit impressive: Jonathon Demme (fantastic director who just passed away recently) Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Greg Henry, Joan Allen, etc. I figured it couldn't be all bad with that lineup, so I tuned in. Yes, I became hooked. I binge-watched it for about five days and just finished the last episode about half an hour ago, and I have having the same feeling right now that I used to get watching a sunrise from the crest of the Sierra, a sunset into the bay off of Santa Cruz, or good sex. Seattle, in this setting (and with these filters that they used on the cameras) is a wet, grey place, filled with grit and grime that doesn't want to wash away (Seattle is actually prettier)and the people, especially the two officers the stories are centered on, are getting ground into this grit until there is almost nothing left of them. But this is also about the human spirit and the fight to remain, if not normal, then, sane.... sometimes by the tips of your fingers, clawing for an edge to hang onto, and sometimes failing and falling far below that. I won't go into the stories, mainly because I couldn't do that without pouring spoilers all over the page, so I'll just say this; it is the best human/police procedural series I've ever seen, and while it moves at a glacial pace, at the end you have a beautifully carved piece of earth that would rival Yosemite Valley.

Lynne A Phillips My wife and I loved Season 1-3. The acting was superb. We liked the way that they kept providing new suspects, each of whom was soon exonerated. However, the season 3 ending was disappointing, which then cast a dark shadow over season 4. Season 4 caused us to change our review from 9 to 8. However, overall, this is one of the best detective series, domestic or foreign, that we have ever seen.

peteingram Season 1 was truly excellent. Both characters and plot evolved with great depth. I really enjoyed the suspense and the twists and turns.Season 2 really seemed to me to be incomprehensible. I know nothing of teenage street life. However if I did not have a place to live I am certain that I would not spend any money I had on designer haircuts and cell phones. Additionally I know nothing of life on death row other than I never want to experience it. It turned out that the whole death row was a waste of time having little effect on the final outcome.Season 3 postulated a highly unlikely military academy and an obscure set of circumstances surrounding murders. Totally unbelievable.For the main characters however there was a fitting but unlikely happy ending.Bottom lie for me. I shall probably watch Season 1 again but not 2 and 3.