The Killing of Molly Hartley

There was a remake of "Charade" a few years back. I wanted to see it but couldn't remember what it was called. I knew there was something about somebody named Charlie. So I called it "There's Something About Charlie." In reality it was "The Truth About Charlie" and starred Mark Wahlberg and sylph Thandie Newton. I still haven't seen it though.

Another example: my brother Dennis has a friend named JJ. I could never remember his name for the life of me so I just started referring to him as "RJ Berger." Instead of saying, "Did you go to JJ's?" I would say "How was RJ Berger?" My brother would get very annoyed when I referred to his pal JJ like this so I stopped.

Back on topic, the new AMC show that premiered last night, "The Killing," is something I had wanted to see since I started to hear about it a while back. I remember the ads asking, "Who killed Rosie Larsen?"

I could never remember the Rosie tagline, so I simply referered to the show as "The Killing of Molly Hartley." The mishmash I put together sounded syllabically similar to "The Haunting of Molly Hartley," a movie that came out in 2008 starring Haley Bennett, Chace Crawford, and the grrrrreat looking AnnaLynne McCord. Rosie Larsen sounded like Molly Hartley to me so that's what I call the show.

It was with great anticipation that I waited for and finally watched the first two episodes broadcast last night. For those detective fiction fans out there (myself included), this show is an excellent mystery that utilizes nearly all elements of the genre masterfully.

Based on the runaway Danish hit Forbrydelsen ("The Crime"), it's dark, sad, cynical, and wryly funny at times. It opens with Rosie Larsen's last moments, although in excellent Holmesian fashion, we are made aware something terrible is about to happen but we do not know at the hands of whom.

We follow Detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos, "Big Love") on her last day of work before moving to California with her son and fiance, as she is called in to investigate a report of a potential dead body based on circumstantial evidence. We also meet her cocky new partner, who appears to have secrets of his own.

Molly's (I mean Rosie's) parents are played well, particulary her mother Mitch Larsen (Michelle Forbes, the one who's not Tara from "True Blood," in the picture below, a.k.a. the white lady). Her mother is at the same time laid back and tragic as she grapples with the loss of her daughter. By the way, I'm not really spoiling anything since the name of this show is "The Killing" and AMC has been advertising so much.

A politician named Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell, who played The Rocketeer in the Disney film of the same name) who becomes involved in the investigation later on or a vengeful, stuck up ex-boyfriend, could have committed this crime. Everyone has a motive. Perhaps Linden's fiance who is awaiting her arrival in California had something to do with it?

If you have a chance to catch it on repeat or on demand I highly recommend it. Every time the show builds the motive and opportunity for each character, we are introduced to someone else who has just as much motive. As lovers of detective fiction know, the interconnectivity of the characters is nothing new.

Potential red herrings are flying, and only one will ultimately solve the mystery. But until then we (or at least I) will keep watching, trying to figure out who killed Rosie Larsen.

And swear to Taco is a pretty lame way to end a blog, so I'm considering other options. Any suggestions would be appreciated.