"The Killing" is an adaptation of a Danish TV series, and was billed to me as "Twin Peaks meets 24". Well it certainly does seem like an updated "Twin Peaks" so far, minus some of the bizarre twists and turns. Not that there's anything wrong with that, beautiful-girl-murdered is a time-tested premise that makes for a good crime drama.
In the first two episodes I was relieved to find some serious, quality television. The story isn't terribly remarkable - so far we know that a pretty typical teen girl has been murdered, that her parents are genuinely crushed with grief, and that the detective who caught the case, Sarah Linden, was due to leave the job and move to San Diego to get married had the case not come up.
The story is told with impressive direction and good enough writing, with plenty of details and realism to hook in most viewers. Like any good mystery, the introduction simply raises questions, and gets the viewer to care about what's going on. Mission accomplished.
The music is a bit hokey, drifting into melodrama at times, but that's the only real fault I can find. This is a fine start. It seems unlikely to dethrone "The Wire" as a pinnacle of realism but it's already better than any crime drama the networks have going. I'm looking forward to the next episode.
