Grab your umbrella and pop that Nicorette—The Killing is back.
AMC's atmospheric mystery drama returns Sunday night with a two-hour second-season premiere. Whether you were infuriated by last season's open-ended finale or a devoted fan, there are plenty of reasons to tune in.
Plus, the murder of Rosie Larsen will be solved…
…eventually.
As we reported at the TCA Winter Press Tour, we won't learn the true identity of Rosie's killer until the end of this second season. But based on Sunday's premiere and what the showrunner and cast told us, it's worth the wait. Here's why:
1. FAQ Answers: "Season one was about asking questions, season two is about answering them," showrunner Veena Sud told us at The Killing's L.A. premiere this week. As for the fan outrage that Rosie's murderer wasn't revealed, "We always knew this would be a two-season story and the story was constructed as such," Sud insisted. "There is so much more to discover this season about every single world we introduce. Everything that we introduced last season and this season was for a reason—and you will discover that at the end of the season when we answer the question." One thing we do learn is what Darren Richmond was really doing the night Rosie Larsen died. Billy Campbell told us, "The second season divulges a good amount of secrets on my part, and I'm looking forward to divulging them." His gut-wrenching performance will also divulge a virtual Seattle downpour of tears on your face. You have been warned.
2. Skeletons Come Out of the Closet: "Another theme we have been working on this season is everyone has a secret; everyone has a secret, so those secrets will start to be revealed," Sud promised us. "Sarah Linden has a secret, Holder has a secret, the politicians have secrets, the family has secrets, and even Rosie Larsen, our victim, has secrets that we will learn about this season." And star Mireille Enos added, "The case takes everybody to their most personal dark secrets—and asks them whether they are willing to face them."
3. Action! If you weren't a fan of last season's slow burn (for example, that entire episode devoted to Holder and Linden's search for her son), you'll be delighted by Sunday's action-packed premiere. Suicide? Try two (OK, one is unsuccessful, but still). Fistcuffs? Check. Political intrigue and corruption? You got it in spades, including a Deep Throat parking garage scene. And the quiet moments are so fraught with tension and emotional complexity, you will be riveted.
4. Holder! Holder! Holder! "We're definitely going to see more of Holder's backstory," Joel Kinnaman revealed (in his Swedish accent that so did not make us swoon at all—no sir, we are professionals here!) about his damaged, enigmatic character. "We are going to meet his family, Liz and Davie, his sister and nephew. They turn out to be spitting images of Sarah and [her son] Jack, so then we also understand his infatuation with them and Jack and that's his image of a family. He hasn't been allowed to meet his real family because of his addiction problems, so we can really see that Jack and Sarah in Holder's world became sort of a substitution for that." Aw. Linden, can you please stop hating on poor Holder?
5. Dirty Campaign: Despite his tragic shooting, Darren Richmond isn't bowing out of the race for mayor. "The whole thing breaks open," Campbell told us. "It's kind of this eggshell that breaks open in the second season, which is terrific." And as Linden learns, Richmond's opposition is heavily involved in Rosie's murder case. Meanwhile, Eric Ladin, who plays Richmond's campaign manager, said, "Jamie really has to contemplate is how far he is willing to go for his boss—how does the line of work and friendship blur and where that line is actually finally drawn." Most important: Billy Campbell is back. As Ladin astutely observes, "With Billy Campbell, there is too much handsome on one screen, so they have to dial it down a little bit."
There you have it: handsome, intrigue, action and heartbreak—is that reason enough for you to tune in to The Killing's second-season premiere Sunday? Sound off in the comments!