Linden’s obsession revolves around the idea that the convicted killer, Ray Seward (Peter Sarsgaard), is not guilty of the crime he is about to be hanged for. One of the things I find most interesting about this season is that Seward is about as unlikable of a character as it gets. We don’t really want him to be innocent. He is a scary guy – every time someone steps near him, I’m afraid of what he will do to them. Nonetheless, if he is innocent of the crime he has been convicted of, he shouldn’t die for it. It’s an interesting dynamic. In no way do we feel sympathy for this character, making it hard to root for Linden to figure out what really happened. It’s a great morality play.
The reason Linden thinks Seward is innocent is one of the things that ties that past case to the present. The murder of Seward’s wife was carried out in the exact same way as the murder victim of this season. It also matches a slew of bodies Linden discovered in a remote pond. The bodies are all young prostitutes. They were all killed three to five years ago (according to the medical examiner), and now the killer seems to be going after teenage prostitutes again. Kallie Leeds may be the killer’s most recent victim. Since it seems the other victims had been kept for several days before being killed, Holder and Linden have a chance to save her.
By far the most interesting character so for is the condemned Seward. As I mentioned earlier, he is not a good guy at all. He is manipulative, mean, and extremely violent. He also seems capable of just about anything, as evidenced by his self-injury in this episode – and by self-injury I mean he took a razor blade to his own flesh (presumably so he could end up in the infirmary?). He may or may not have a soft spot for his son. That remains to be seen. I really don’t know what’s in store for this character, but the tension rises whenever he is on screen, which adds another level to the show.
So far I think season three of The Killing has gotten off to a good start. I’m looking forward to seeing where they go with all the interconnecting storylines.
(Photos: Carole Segal/AMC)
I’m loving this season so far!