The Killing: "Try" (Episode 3.08)

“You get out of here right now before I bury you so deep in the foster care system that you never get out.”

Well, that puts an abrupt end to my Bugs & Bullet spin-off, doesn’t it? I didn’t exactly believe that Bullet would lie that blatantly to Holder (yes she’s in love with Lyric, but still). Nor did I really believe that, despite his obvious concern for Linden, Holder would be that cruel. Would he really tell Bullet “I don’t give a shit about you?”

“Try” was an odd episode of The Killing. The first half of the hour was consumed by the search for Linden, once they realized she was missing and that Pastor Mike, despite what Bullet had told them, was not in the woods. For an oh-so-brief moment I was hopeful that Pastor Mike was the culprit and not just another red herring. But no, just like he told us, poor, slightly psychotic Pastor Mike is merely misunderstood and under-appreciated.

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The whole kidnapping provided another opportunity for Linden to talk about what a bad and neglectful mother she was—but hey, we already knew that. And we know that Linden sympathizes with the downtrodden. It didn’t surprise me at all that she threw her body in front of Pastor Mike. I liked that Holder called her “Sarah” (if he’s done that before, I don’t remember), and I like that he brought her Chinese food. “Thought I lost you there for a second. Just when I was getting used to you,” he tells her. However, their whole tete-a-tete made me a little nervous. Please, The Killing, I beg of you. Do not turn Linden and Holder into a romantic couple. Please.

While Pastor Mike and Linden are driving the streets, Ray is desperate to get in touch with her. He begs his lawyer for help. “There’s got to be something. I don’t want to hang. I’ll take injection,” he begs. His lawyer, however, is more concerned with where to bury his body after he’s put to death. Peter Sarsgaard continues to be phenomenal. His desperation is palpable and, by the end of the episode, he’s promising Linden he will make it possible for her to talk to his son. “I didn’t kill my wife. I wasn’t there, and you believe me, don’t you?” he tells her.

After wasting police resources with false information, Bullet suddenly decides to become a detective. Despondent after Lyric informs her that she’s back with Twitch because she’s not gay, Bullet buys drugs. But the dealer leads her to Angie (she of missing finger) and Bullet promises her drugs in exchange for the name of who attacked her. By the end of the hour, Bullet is calling Holder telling him she knows who the killer is. Alas, she’s the snitch who cried “wolf,” so Holder isn’t even picking up the phone when she calls. The final moments show a menacing figure staring at Bullet as she sits in a diner.

With only three episodes left, this season hasn’t been as tedious as the previous two. But it still isn’t the show I know it can be.

Other thoughts on “Try”:
· Not sure what the show is trying to do exactly with the prison guards. Suddenly Becker is the sympathetic one helping Ray through his panic attack while Henderson, who previously seemed like a tired dad of a newborn, is increasingly suspicious.
· Linden’s phone was off. Who turns their phone off in this day and age? People with flip phones.
· If something happens to Bullet, I’m never talking to The Killing again.

The Killing: “Try” (Episode 3.08)