History Main / TheKilling

-->''The Danish original is under Series/{{Forbrydelsen}}. If your moody sweater-wearing detective has black hair, follow the link.''

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the-killing-amc_3046.jpg
[[caption-width:350: Det Sarah Linden and her partner Stephen Holder]]

''The Killing'' is an American crime drama airing on Creator/{{AMC}} based on the Danish series ''Series/{{Forbrydelsen}}'' (literally translates ''The Crime'' but marketed to English-speaking territories as ''The Killing''). Each arc focuses on one crime with each episode devoted to one day in the investigation. Set in UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}, Washington, the first arc (broken into two half-seasons) focuses on the murder of Rosie Larsen, from three different perspectives:

Detective Sarah Linden was about to move to UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco, but the grisly crime persuades her to stick around and solve it herself, accompanied by her would-be replacement, Stephen Holder.

Rosie's parents, Stanley and Mitch, try to move on with their lives to the best of their ability, but it's far easier said than done.

Mayoral candidate Darren Richmond makes the case an important part of his campaign, declaring that this kind of crime will not happen on his watch. But along with the tactic comes struggles with his conscience over exploiting the tragedy.
----
!!''The Killing'' provides examples of:

* ActorAllusion: A character that interacts with Holder in season 3 looks conspicuously like [[TheGirlWithTheDragonTattoo Lizbeth Salander]]. Joel Kinnaman (Holder) had a silent cameo in the American adaptation of the first book.
* AloneWithThePsycho: Linden with the Pied Piper, [[spoiler: aka her ex-partner and lover, Skinner]] in the season 3 finale.
* ArtisticLicenseGeography:
** The Blue Moon bar is a real place, as mentioned below (See DidTheResearch), but it's in Seattle, not Tukwila.
** Wapi Casino island: Is it Whidbey or Bainbridge? The detectives point to Whidbey on the map in one important scene, but the rest of the indications point to Bainbridge.
* BottleEpisode: "Missing" and ''Six Minutes''.
* ButchLesbian: Chief Jackson and her security chief.
** Bullet in the third season.
* {{Cliffhanger}}: Each episode tends to end on the revelation of a dramatic new lead.
* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: Several characters point out that Linden is neglecting her own child, leaving him alone for extended periods of time, while she's busy trying to solve the murder of someone else's child.
* ContinuityNod: In Season 2's "Eminent Domain", Holder briefly mentions "Mayor Richmond's waterfront", which was a plot point in Season 1.
* CrypticBackgroundReference: People close to Linden are routinely bringing up events in her life and past cases which hint that they have a reason to worry about her getting too involved in the Larsen case.
** The case becomes important in season 3.
* DidTheResearch: Jasper says that during the night of the crime, he was at a bar called the Blue Moon in Tukwila. There actually is a Blue Moon Tavern in Washington.
* DownerEnding: '''Season 3'''.
* DrivingQuestion: Who killed Rosie Larsen?
* FirstEpisodeSpoiler: Rosie Larsen is dead.
* FiveFiveFive
* ForegoneConclusion
* FunctionalAddict: [[spoiler: Kris, the resident drug dealer, hints that Holder might be a junkie as well. The only reason he qualifies as this is that they have yet to show him do drugs on-screen.]] Turns out the reason for that is that [[spoiler: he's a functional ex-addict. He's been in a Narcotics Anonymous program for six months.]]
* GenderBlenderName: Rosie's mother Mitch (short for Michelle), and her friend Sterling. Also Reggie, Linden's houseboat-dwelling female friend.
* GoingByTheMatchbook: A variation; one of the casino workers hands Holder a matchbook from her father's barbershop with a date and time scribbled in it, as a subtle way of arranging a meeting in a safe place.
* GoodCopBadCop: Linden and Holder. Lampshaded.
* GreyRainOfDepression: A given in Seattle.
* IvyLeagueForEveryone: Councilman Richmond and his late wife met at Dartmouth.
* LadyMacbeth: Mitch to Stan [[spoiler: which lands him in jail when she pushes him to pursue Ahmed after the police let him go.]]
* LastNameBasis: Linden and Holder.
* MalignedMixedMarriage: Mr. and Mrs. Ahmed. Her racist family doesn't approve.
* MissingWhiteWomanSyndrome: An imam notes that the cops are looking a lot harder for Rosie Larsen's killer than for a missing Muslim girl. Possibly justified by Linden's MysteriousPast and the fact that Linden is a homicide detective, meaning a girl who is only classified as missing wouldn't fall under her caseload, regardless of her ethnicity.
* TheMole: There is one in Richmond's campaign. Also [[spoiler: Holder]], but he turned out to be a {{subversion}} when it was revealed that he had no idea that [[spoiler: the photo implicating Richmond was fake.]]
** ReverseMole: [[spoiler:Jamie]] for the Richmond campaign.
* MyGreatestSecondChance: There have been hints that Linden sees the case this way.
** The main driving force for Linden through season 3.
* NotSoStoic: Linden flips her lid when [[spoiler: Holder gets attacked on the Indian reservation]] and her boss won't authorize a search party. The episode is titled [[DoubleMeaningTitle "Off The Reservation"]], intelligence slang for "[[CowboyCop going rogue]]".
** When she breaks down crying after she believes her son has gone missing definitely qualifies.
*** Linden had an affair with her ex-partner, Skinner.
* RasputinianDeath: The titular killing, which even ends in drowning.
* RedHerring: Too many to count -- the first season is just an endless string of these. Somewhat deconstructed -- following up on all these false leads causes severe consequences for many people, and the Chief puts them on a much shorter leash after all their mistakes.
** Quite a few pop up in season 3 as well; one [[spoiler: is a pedophile scumbag vut not the killer]], another [[spoiler: was a well-intentioned ex-priest who wanted to keep helping poor children despite having been FalselyAccused - and found guilty - of sexually abusing a girl he was trying to help]], and the last [[spoiler: was just a disaffected, pretty lazy cop]].
* {{Retirony}}: A non-fatal version; Linden is about to leave for California the day the Rosie Larson case begins.
* TheRemake: Of a smash-hit Danish show. Some scenes are pretty much identical to the original.
* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: Bullet]] and [[spoiler: Ray Seward]] in season 3.
* ScaryMinoritySuspect: The Somali teacher.
* UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}: The race for mayor is a major plot point.
* SeinfeldianConversation: Holder and a fellow officer are hotly debating whether or not hamburger pickles count as vegetables when [[spoiler:Belko tries to break out of confinement with a gun and takes a hostage.]]
* SleazyPolitician:
** Richmond zigzags on this trope as the series progresses, [[spoiler:ultimately getting charges of obstruction of justice dropped against allies who were closely involved in the Larsen affair]]. His aide Jamie mostly tries to keep the excesses of his sleazy exploits out of his boss's knowledge, because (a) he wouldn't like them and (b) they might tarnish Richmond's own reputation.
** The incumbent mayor is (at least behind closed doors) unapologetic about being one of these; his lowest blow involves [[spoiler: framing Richmond for the murder by tampering with evidence.]]
* TheStoic: Linden
* SweaterGirl: Linden!
** In fact wearing the same type of sweater as her Danish counterpart, Sarah Lund.
* VomitIndiscretionShot: Poor Jamie.
* WhatTheHellHero: Mitch starts to give Stan one for [[spoiler:attacking Bennett]], only for him to turn it around on her, reminding her that she very much pushed him into it.
* YouJustToldMe: How Linden tricks Richmond into revealing that he had someone watching them while they were investigating the school.

* Downer Ending: '''Season 3'''.

* BottleEpisode: "Missing"

* SacrificialLion: [[spoiler: Bullet]] in season 3.

* ActorAllusion: A character that interacts with Holder in season 3 looks conspicuously like [[TheGirlWitTheDragonTattoo Lizbeth Salander]]. Joel Kinnaman (Holder) had a silent cameo in the American adaptation of the first book.

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: The Blue Moon bar is a real place, as mentioned below (See DidTheResearch), but it's in Seattle, not Tukwila.

* TheCobblersChildrenHaveNoShoes: Several people point out that Linden is neglecting her own son, leaving him alone for extended periods of time, in order to try and discover the murderer.

* MyGreatestSecondChance: There ha ve been hints that Linden sees the case this way.

* RedHerring: Too many to count- the first season is just an endless string of these. Somewhat deconstructed -- following up on all these false leads causes severe consequences for many people, and the Chief puts them on a much shorter leash after all their mistakes.
* {{Retirony}}: A non-fatal version; Linden is about to leave for California the day the Rosie Larson case begins.

-->''The Danish original is under {{Forbrydelsen}}. If your moody sweater-wearing detective has black hair, follow the link.''

''The Killing'' is an American crime drama airing on Creator/{{AMC}} based on the Danish series ''{{Forbrydelsen}}'' (literally translates ''The Crime'' but marketed to English-speaking territories as ''The Killing''). Each arc focuses on one crime with each episode devoted to one day in the investigation. Set in UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}, Washington, the first arc (broken into two half-seasons) focuses on the murder of Rosie Larsen, from three different perspectives:

''The Killing'' is an American crime drama airing on {{AMC}} based on the Danish series ''{{Forbrydelsen}}'' (literally translates ''The Crime'' but marketed to English-speaking territories as ''The Killing''). Each arc focuses on one crime with each episode devoted to one day in the investigation. Set in UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}, Washington, the first arc (broken into two half-seasons) focuses on the murder of Rosie Larsen, from three different perspectives:

Detective Sarah Linden was about to move to SanFrancisco, but the grisly crime persuades her to stick around and solve it herself, accompanied by her would-be replacement, Stephen Holder.

!!''TheKilling'' provides examples of: