Ouch. Blood is running in the streets of Twitter over the frustrating, exasperating season one finale of AMC’s The Killing.
I had a bad, bad feeling early on. The series made me nervous for reasons I couldn’t quite pinpoint, but I feared it might go the way of Lost or (since it’s a mystery set in the Pacific Northwest revolving around the murder of a lovely young woman) Twin Peaks - a plot maze of twists and turns, complexity for complexity’s sake, and audience-dissing red herrings.
My worst fears have been realized.
I don’t know if Twin Peaks is responsible for this sorry television habit of “betraying viewers” - as Maureen Ryan accused the network and The Killing producers of doing - but I clearly recall Twin Peaks was the first show I adored initially, and then ended up hating with equal passion after the writers simply went off a very self-indulgent cliff.
(Remember how Killer Bob reversed time and brought Cooper back to life? Head in hands.)
Then came Alias. and Lost.
Anyway - here’s a smattering of some of today’s chatter:
Jeff Greenwald: “The [The Killing] finale was just the last in a long, frustrating, and soggy line of cheap fake-outs, preposterous 180s, and colossal storytelling disappointments.”
Please click on the next link to the most furious post I’ve ever read coming from Maureen Ryan. Says Ryan: “It was a jaw-dropping instance of a show not just squandering its promise, but betraying its viewers. The tone-deaf arrogance of the writers and executives responsible for ‘The Killing’ is simply astonishing. And depressing, if you’re a fan of quality television.”
Whew!
Some Twitter snapshots:
@marymcnamara
#GameofThrones finale most energetic ep of season but RT @moryan #TheKilling’s Sunday ep is the worst season finale ever
@moryan
2 mo’ #TheKilling links: Greenwald’s funny spot-on review & @Memles’ look at AMC’s branding issues.
@TVMoJoe
Killing finale ratings: 2.3 million viewers (2.1M in the key demo of “Viewers Throwing Things at their TV Set While Flipping the Bird”)
@BastardMachine
Other critics have nitpicked the numerous plot/motivation/character flaws. I held out until the end, giving benefit of the doubt. Mistake.
@BastardMachine
Did “The Killing” just kill itself? My Hollywood Reporter take on the finale.
@Variety_StuartL
2.3 million viewers for season finale of ‘The Killing.’ Or actually 2 million who watched last night, and 300K who will tune in next year.
@LATshowtracker
‘The Killing’ recap: One of the most frustrating finales in TV history
