The Killing - Recap: The Hang of It
Recap video and review of The Killing - Season 3 Episode 10 - Six Minutes:
Ray Seward (Peter Sarsgaard) is not a nice man. You could argue, perhaps, that deep down, Ray Seward is a good man. Flawed, sure. But there's a self-awareness about his own failures, about the choices he's made in his life that put him in this position, innocent or not. Had he not had an extensive record of physical and verbal abusive to his wife/the mother of his child, it might not have been so easy for jurors to believe he'd killed her. Of course, this is needlessly reductive, as he wasn't merely convicted on character. But even taking into consideration that Seward isn't exactly a bastion of human decency, it's hard not to feel heartbroken for him in "Six Minutes".
The Killing has done a remarkable job this season in developing our affection for characters who aren't exactly wholesome, allowing us to see that each person is more than just a collection of easily-identifiable flaws. Ray Seward is more than the sum of his parts, and while his death didn't pack the raw, heartbreaking punch of Bullet's death last week, it was every bit as affecting: there's something to be said for the long, grim drag towards execution, with brief pockets of hope that things might not turn out as badly as we're expecting them to; but then, The Killing isn't the kind of show that does last-minute reprieves. Maybe we've been conditioned, as viewers, to expect that the phone would ring at the last minute with a call from the Attorney General or the Governor, that Ray Seward would be spared. But Ray Seward isn't that lucky. Who is?
"Six Minutes" plays out almost like a bottle episode, in that we don't really leave the prison grounds where Ray Seward in incarcerated. We have scenes that take place just outside the prison, sure, but for the most part, the episode takes place within the claustrophobic walls of the prison, as the figurative noose tightens around Ray Seward's neck the closer we get to the literal noose tightening around his neck. Linden (Mireille Enos) has never been more purposeful in her investigation than she is here, trying to see if Seward can recall anything about the wedding ring he gave his late wife, hoping that the details could provide a lead. She gets on the horn with the Attorney General to try and get a stay of execution, which he briefly considers, and then we're right back to Linden and Seward exchanging stories. For an episode so insular and introspective, "Six Minutes" has a lot more momentum than you might expect. There are quieter moments, to be sure, but the fight to save Seward, no matter how desperate and fruitless it might seem in the moment, takes center stage. And we learn a lot about Seward in the effort. Peter Sarsgaard's performance has been one of the most stellar parts of this season, and it's no different here, as he explains that not only did the choices he made lead him here, he fears it may have been his destiny, since it seems that Seward men have a penchant for prison (as evidenced by Seward's incarcerated father several weeks back). Seward is afraid that there's no way to keep his son, Adrian, from ending up like him -- and for this reason, he refuses to meet with the boy, even while he and his adoptive mother are gathered in the waiting room.
Credit: AMC
Linden wants to believe that Seward is innocent, but she's filled with doubt after Adrian confesses that his father really was there the night of his mother's murder. Mireille Enos is every bit Sarsgaard's equal in these scenes, matching him in intensity as she calls him out on lying to her, believing that she's been defending a murderer. Seward lashes back and tearfully explains that the reason Adrian saw him was because he came back for his son after storming out on the family for the umpteenth time. He's tried to pretend that Adrian doesn't mean anything to him, recounting all the ways he's willingly walked off and left him behind with a mother who hardly cared herself. But in going back to finally take his son away from the poisonous environment, he stumbles onto the crime scene and inadvertently condemns himself. His prints are all over the crime scene, and his son can now corroborate that his father was at the scene. It's simply a tragic set of circumstances, and it sets the wheels inexorably against Seward, as the execution time nears. Even though Seward and Linden reach something of an understanding, if not an uneasy friendship towards the end, it's that slow drag towards the gallows that feels this episode with dread. Ultimately, Linden is unable to get a stay of execution, and worse, the guards come to take Seward away to his cell just as he's finally about to meet with Adrian, since all visits are set to terminate an hour before execution. In one of the most heartrending moments of the season, Seward is carried away by the guard, vowing he's going to kill them all. Linden tries to stick up for Seward, to no avail; in light of any other options, she pleads with Seward to remain quiet, that Adrian can hear him in the next room.
Credit: AMC
This all leads to Seward's execution, which is some indelibly harrowing television. Seward fights against the guards leading him down the hall, knowing what awaits him at the end. He earlier confesses to Linden that he's worried about the state's ability to execute him, since they just weighed him again, meaning they're uncertain about their specifications for the hanging. Seward is understandably mortified by the prospect of his neck not breaking, and being forced to hang there, slowly suffocating for the six minutes it takes for a hanged man to die. His terror is palpable as he's being led down the hall -- at least until he spies Linden and Adrian outside the window. He acknowledges his son and comes to a kind of peace, finding his courage and resolving to meet his destiny. Ultimately, when the time comes, Becker is too distraught to lower the hood across Seward's head, and the task falls to Henderson. Linden watches from the pulpit as the trap door open and Seward falls through. Tragically, just as he feared, his neck doesn't break. In a cruel development, he's left to dangle until he helplessly asphyxiates. The pain on Linden's face in the scene is a real credit to Mireille Enos, and if nothing else, this ought to be her Emmy submission for next year, even if it doesn't result in a nomination (although I'd argue she's been much better here than in the first season, for which she actually was nominated. This is not to say that she hasn't always been among the highlights of the series). And thus ends the life of Ray Seward. Sure, he wasn't a great guy or anything, but it seemed like his final moments were little more than a parade of cruel, unfortunate developments. And we still have ourselves a killer to catch.
Credit: AMC
Holder (Joel Kinnaman) has several good moments here as well, as he is still struggling with Bullet's death. He's been drinking since he last saw Linden, and buys a pack of beer to keep the buzz going. He makes amends with Linden and convinces her not to run away from the hardships that are facing her, regarding Seward. Holder basically feels that they need to rise above their predisposition to flee when the going gets tough, when things get too real. He comically promises that if Linden comes back inside with him, he won't try to kiss her again. "You missed your chance, Linden!" he teases, and she smiles. I probably don't say it enough, but I love this partnership. And I love Joel Kinnaman, as he gets a brief moment in which he decides against drinking the beer he picked up, and instead lobs it at the tombstones of the killers who rest in the prison cemetery, the place where Ray Seward will now spend eternity.
Credit: AMC
"Six Minutes" is exhaustingly grim, yet unmistakably engaging. With next week's two-hour season finale, it's hard to imagine we won't discover the true identity of the Pied Piper, although I wonder if we'll ever learn just who killed Seward's wife, assuming that one crime isn't necessarily tied to the other. I guess we'll see soon enough. Regardless of whether the show sticks the landing or not, this has been a remarkable season of TV for a show that had a lot to prove in its return. If nothing else, The Killing proved that not every show blows it when they're given a second chance.