The Killing Season 2 - Worth Watching?

[sojourner]

Yeah, there's subtlety and then there's misleading your audience. The entire marketing campaign was geared to making the audience believe the mystery would be wrapped up in one season.

And back in the day people had no problem with two parters. At least I never did.

 

[Dream]

When will people realize these murder shows that try to solve a single murder over several seasons never last? People come for the mystery but they want answers fast, but once the producers give the answer the audience pretty much dies quickly. It is a lose lose situation.

 

[gblews]

People come for the mystery but they want answers fast,

Yes, thus my comment upthread that T.V. audiences are much less sophisitcated these days than I thought.

 

[Professor Zoom]

People come for the mystery but they want answers fast,

Yes, thus my comment upthread that T.V. audiences are much less sophisitcated these days than I thought.

Again, I think that's a wrong conclusion. You want that to be true. Look at the shows that are talked about. Very sophisticated shows. Mad Men, Lost, Breaking Bad. Listen, no one is telling you NOT to like the show. But people are giving you reasons why THEY didn't like the show. And its not because they aren't sophisticated.

For me, it wasn't about wanting answers fast with The Killing, I grew tired of going down a path that took 2 or 3 episodes to go down and then it was "Nope, this has nothing to do with the murder." Rather than going down a path and opening up MORE of a mastery. The red herrings didn't feel like they were adding to the story, other than spinning wheels. It didn't open up more things, they became roads to travel down and then back to square one. At least for the cops.

Maybe the show should've focused MORE on the characters who were affected by the killing, the family, etc, and the cops be the secondary characters.

I wanted things to deepen, the mystery, the characters, the emotional strain. But everything felt like it was in a holding pattern.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

Exclusive: The Killing Lives? Netflix and DirecTV Each Eye Revival of Axed AMC Drama

 

[gblews]

People come for the mystery but they want answers fast,

Yes, thus my comment upthread that T.V. audiences are much less sophisitcated these days than I thought.

Again, I think that's a wrong conclusion. You want that to be true. Look at the shows that are talked about. Very sophisticated shows. Mad Men, Lost, Breaking Bad. Listen, no one is telling you NOT to like the show. But people are giving you reasons why THEY didn't like the show. And its not because they aren't sophisticated.

I was referring to the people who didn't like the show -- refused to continue watching it because they didn't find out who the killer was in the first season. Nowhere have I posted that I thought today's T.V. audiences are unsophisticated because they didn't find the show engaging for various reasons. Perhaps that is something you want to be true.

For me, it wasn't about wanting answers fast with The Killing,

Um, okay. But you have posted how much not solving the mytery in season 1 was a turnoff to you.

Maybe the show should've focused MORE on the characters who were affected by the killing, the family, etc, and the cops be the secondary characters.

They did focus a lot on how the murder affected the family and the cops. That was the best part of the show. But I suspect many missed this because they were concentrating on the 'who kiiled Rosie' part of the story. I suspect that if one is expecting a "procedural" and you get instead, a character study, it can seem like things are 'in a holding pattern".

I wanted things to deepen, the mystery, the characters, the emotional strain. But everything felt like it was in a holding pattern.

This is exactly what happened in season 2, but you had to get beyond not being told who killed Rosie after season 1 in order to have found this out.

 

[gblews]

Exclusive: The Killing Lives? Netflix and DirecTV Each Eye Revival of Axed AMC Drama

Good lord I hope this happens, with Netflix. Though I'de be happy even if the show continued on DTV, I think I would "somehow" still get to see it.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Yes, thus my comment upthread that T.V. audiences are much less sophisitcated these days than I thought.

Again, I think that's a wrong conclusion. You want that to be true. Look at the shows that are talked about. Very sophisticated shows. Mad Men, Lost, Breaking Bad. Listen, no one is telling you NOT to like the show. But people are giving you reasons why THEY didn't like the show. And its not because they aren't sophisticated.

I was referring to the people who didn't like the show -- refused to continue watching it because they didn't find out who the killer was in the first season. Nowhere have I posted that I thought today's T.V. audiences are unsophisticated because they didn't find the show engaging for various reasons. Perhaps that is something you want to be true.

Listen. You brought up the whole question about whether or not today's tv audience is more or less sophisticated than your mother's time because many people didn't respond to The Killing how you did. I'm sorry your show got cancelled, but its not because today's audience is less sophisticated.

Um, okay. But you have posted how much not solving the mytery in season 1 was a turnoff to you.

Yes, but I also stated that I was pretty much done with the show and ONLY watching to see the resolution. I was, in fact, already turned off to the show. The lack of resolution was the nail in the coffin.

Maybe the show should've focused MORE on the characters who were affected by the killing, the family, etc, and the cops be the secondary characters.

They did focus a lot on how the murder affected the family and the cops. That was the best part of the show. But I suspect many missed this because they were concentrating on the 'who kiiled Rosie' part of the story. I suspect that if one is expecting a "procedural" and you get instead, a character study, it can seem like things are 'in a holding pattern".

I would have loved a character study. But, sorry, I don't think we got one. Endless shots of Michelle Forbes smoking in the rain, the police detective making endless back and forth trips to the airport, that's not character study. That's filling time.

So, no, I didn't MISS anything. I watched the same show that you did. I just have a different opinion.

I wanted things to deepen, the mystery, the characters, the emotional strain. But everything felt like it was in a holding pattern.

This is exactly what happened in season 2, but you had to get beyond not being told who killed Rosie after season 1 in order to have found this out.

I had to get beyond not being bored in order to get to Season 2, thank you very much.

Again, I'm glad you liked the show. I'm glad for you that there is a possibility that it will come back in some form. But me not liking it, nor MANY others, does not mean we missed something, didn't get something, or not sophisticated. For many people it just wasn't compelling TV.

 

[gblews]

Listen. You brought up the whole question about whether or not today's tv audience is more or less sophisticated than your mother's time because many people didn't respond to The Killing how you did.

For the record, your statement above oversimplifys what I actually wrote to the point that it changes my meaning. It also subtlely implies

So, just to clarify, what I wrote (and meant) was that people who bailed on the show because they weren't told who killed Rosie quickly enough (of which there were many), showed a level of T.V. viewing sopistication similar to that of my mother's generation.

I did not write, nor imply, anywhere in this thread that people who "didn't respond to The Killing how you ( I ) did", were as unsophisticated (with respect to T.V. watching) as my mother's generation. If this is what you thought I meant, then you misunderstood.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Listen. You brought up the whole question about whether or not today's tv audience is more or less sophisticated than your mother's time because many people didn't respond to The Killing how you did.

For the record, your statement above oversimplifys what I actually wrote to the point that it changes my meaning. It also subtlely implies

So, just to clarify, what I wrote (and meant) was that people who bailed on the show because they weren't told who killed Rosie quickly enough (of which there were many), showed a level of T.V. viewing sopistication similar to that of my mother's generation.

I did not write, nor imply, anywhere in this thread that people who "didn't respond to The Killing how you ( I ) did", were as unsophisticated (with respect to T.V. watching) as my mother's generation. If this is what you thought I meant, then you misunderstood.

You're right. I did misunderstand. What you mean to say is people who bailed are LESS sophisticated, not unsophisticated, LESS sophisticated than today's generation of TV watchers. Because if they were AS sophisticated they would have seen how great the show is. That's what you're saying.

And I'm saying a sophisticated audience watched the show, some liked it, many didn't. It's not that they didn't get it, that they missed something, or that they are less sophisticated than today's TV watchers. It means it didn't connect, for the reasons many people in this thread have said.

 

[sidious618]

The Killing wasn't subtle like Mad Men. It wasn't anything like Mad Men because Mad Men is good and The Killing is shit. It has nothing to do with audience intelligence and everything to do with the fact that the show was awful and constantly cheating the audience.

 

[gblews]

Listen. You brought up the whole question about whether or not today's tv audience is more or less sophisticated than your mother's time because many people didn't respond to The Killing how you did.

For the record, your statement above oversimplifys what I actually wrote to the point that it changes my meaning. It also subtlely implies

So, just to clarify, what I wrote (and meant) was that people who bailed on the show because they weren't told who killed Rosie quickly enough (of which there were many), showed a level of T.V. viewing sopistication similar to that of my mother's generation.

I did not write, nor imply, anywhere in this thread that people who "didn't respond to The Killing how you ( I ) did", were as unsophisticated (with respect to T.V. watching) as my mother's generation. If this is what you thought I meant, then you misunderstood.

You're right. I did misunderstand. What you mean to say is people who bailed are LESS sophisticated, not unsophisticated, LESS sophisticated than today's generation of TV watchers. Because if they were AS sophisticated they would have seen how great the show is. That's what you're saying.

And I'm saying a sophisticated audience watched the show, some liked it, many didn't. It's not that they didn't get it, that they missed something, or that they are less sophisticated than today's TV watchers. It means it didn't connect, for the reasons many people in this thread have said.

Okay. it's gotten silly now. You've created a straw man and now you're working it. Let me know if you'd like to get back to a discussion of what was actually stated in my posts in this thread.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The parameters of keeping this thread spoiler free don't really facilitate any kind of useful discussion of the show, much beyond "I liked it" versus "I didn't."

I'm bowing out of further discussion in this thread.

 

[Professor Zoom]

Okay. it's gotten silly now. You've created a straw man and now you're working it. Let me know if you'd like to get back to a discussion of what was actually stated in my posts in this thread.

Yes, it DID get silly. Maybe you should clarify the difference between the sophistication to your mother's generation and the current one. That might help shine light on this strawman.

I'm more than happy to discuss what I think were the problems with the show and why it failed to entertain me. But I'm not going to buy the argument of sophistication.