This week’s episode of The Killing, picks up right where we left it; looking at the haunting image of Kallie on screen, sitting on a bed in a dingy room. Except it’s not just Holder and Linden watching the video. Bullet is there, called in by the cops to help look for clues. Bullet recognizes the backdrop — it’s the seedy Queens Motel. Kallie is also wearing the ring Bullet stole for Lyric. That means the video can only be a couple of days old. The Seattle PD spring into action, getting a warrant and raiding the hotel. While questioning Mrs. Dips, the owner, Linden notices her acting shady (well more than usual), eyeballing a buzzer behind her desk. Linden and Holder bust through the door and discover a false panel, hiding a room set up with lights and a wooden box containing handcuffs, and teddy bears. Right then you know that this room has seen its share of horrors.
When we last saw Seward, he was writhing in a pool of his own blood, after taking a razor blade to his chest. Turns out, he attempted to cut out the tattooed “A” on his chest. The tattoo, in honor of his son Aiden is no more, replaced by a jagged stitched up scar. The guards lead him back to his cell, where his cell neighbor Anton continues his never-ending monologue.
Holder questions Mrs. Dips back at the station, but she’s clammed up. She’s not about to reveal who the voice is behind the video, and is even willing to implicate herself. Whoever this guy is, Mrs. Dips is scared shitless of him. Also, she wants a damn soda, Holder. Behind the scenes, Reddick shows up, complaining as usual and tosses a few insults Linden’s way. She doesn’t take the bait.
Holder finds a sleeping Bullet at the police station. She asks if he’s found Kallie, he shakes his head. He offers her a carrot, but she wants real food, like Doritos. Holder proceeds to eat his carrot like a character from a Beatrix Potter book and Bullet teases him about looking like a raggedy assed rabbit. She tells him that rabbits have weak abdominals and can’t throw up. Holder is impressed, as am I. He asks where she learned something like that. Boarding school, she tells him. Well, that was unexpected. Add another layer to the awesome onion that is Bullet.
Linden pays another visit to Kallie’s mom, and once again her mom doesn’t want to be bothered. Linden tells her to sit the hell down and absorb the reality of this situation. Linden plays the video of Kallie, and her mother musters up a small amount of emotion when Linden asks if she recognizes the man’s voice. She tells Linden that Kallie came by the night she disappeared, but she locked her out and didn’t answer the door.
Twitch’s parole officer swings by, wanting to talk. He drives Twitch to a secluded location and tells him that he failed his drug test. Twitch is flabbergasted because he’s been clean for a while, and finally has what he needs to get to LA. The PO starts a weird speech about decency while Twitch looks on, utterly bewildered. The PO then unzips his pants and tells Twitch to get in the back of the car. Twitch tells him he doesn’t do that, only oral, but the PO is holding Twitch’s future in his hands. The next time we see Twitch, he’s shooting up. Bullet finds him, tweaked out in his squat.
Anton’s non-stop prattling somehow works his magic on Seward, and the two begin a bit of a bromance. CO Becker doesn’t like this one bit. Seward hasn’t been taking his antibiotic, which Becker finds out from GreenTag CO Henderson over the most awkward bowl of chili ever.
The whole police force is meeting to discuss the serial killer case, and they are joined by the ADA. (Who happens to be Holder’s girlfriend Caroline. Nicely done, Holder.) They are looking for any links between the dead girls and the videos they confiscated from Goldie. Linden finds a possible match. She brings in another set of eyes from vice who tells her he recognizes one of the girls, Tiffany, in the video. The good news is she is very much alive. Linden goes to meet with Tiffany, who has a toddler and one on the way, but she tells Linden very little about the guy on the video. He was white, short and a decent guy. He bought her a burger, shared his fries. (You know who else likes to share potato products? Joe the taxi driver from last week. Hmmmm.)
Holder and Reddick are still watching Goldie when the pimp tears out of the parking lot, and sets off a chase. Goldie heads to the lake where the bodies were dumped, as well as a lot of reporters, and starts an impromptu press conference about his innocence. Now the killer has a nickname: The Pied Piper.
Bullet follows Twitch through the streets, trying to stop him from scoring more heroin or harming himself or others. Twitch however is supremely stupid and extremely high, and starts a fight at a skate park with a bunch of scary punks. Bullet is powerless to help him, and he gets his pretty face kicked in. Bullet helps him back to the squat where a nervous Lyric is waiting. He’s a real mess and should go to the hospital, but Lyric promises to heal him with Band-Aids and ice and strawberry popsicles. Then, right in front of Bullet, Lyric starts kissing and straddling Twitch. Bullet makes a quick and heartbreaking exit.
Linden knows that Tiffany is hiding something and wants to get to the bottom of it. Reddick insults Linden again, which she decides she’s had about enough of. She tells him she doesn’t give a damn about all of his experience because “23 years of experience and all you are is in the way.” She storms off, and Holder heads after her. She may have fallen apart searching for Rosie’s killer, but Holder knows she’s got the right instincts for this job.
CO Becker confronts Seward and gives him his antibiotics. Seward takes the pill and promptly spits it back in Becker’s face. Taking full advantage of Seward’s newfound affection for Anton, Becker proceeds to beat Anton in front of him. Seward finally takes the pill to spare Anton any further pain.
Linden and Holder question Tiffany again, and this time Holder steps in and takes lead. It seems to work because Tiffany caves and gives them a name: Joseph Mills. Back at the station, Linden and Holder run a check on the name. Holder recognizes the suspects picture and name because they picked him up during the raid at Queens Hotel, and he was released hours earlier.
There is a knock on Kallie’s mother’s door. It’s the guy that she’s been seeing. He turns his face before shutting the door, and we see that it’s none other than Joe Mills.
What did you think of this week’s The Killing?
The Killing airs Monday nights on AMC.
