AMC’s ‘The Killing’ season 3, episode 8 review: Did Linden survive Pastor Mike?

While much of “The Killing” thus far has really been all about a murder investigation, there were at least some moments during Sunday night’s new episode where we saw the show take on a very different tone. Specifically, we are talking about the lengthy series of scenes that we witnessed involving Linden serving as the prisoner for Pastor Mike, and how she was really not allotted the opportunity to do anything for quite a while beyond trying her best to stay alive.

But did she manage to pull through? She did, and it was largely due to the strength of her own character and her story, especially in some key moments where it appeared as though she was about to be shot; not only that, but she also managed to keep the Pastor from being killed himself.

The unfortunate thing about this storyline is that while it made for great television, it ended up having little bearing on the case. Bullet had given Holden bad information thanks to a lie, and Mike wasn’t guilty of anything in connection with what they were doing. As a result, he was of course furious, and decided to cut off all ties. Bullet later claimed to come to a realization about the killer, but Holder may have missed out on it thanks to not picking up his phone … and at the end of the episode, it looked as though Bullet was being watched and could not be staying long in this world.

The stories this week were all pretty excellent in that they were woven together nicely, especially with that phone call between Seward and Linden at the very end. He realizes now what his life means, and Peter Sarsgaard has made that transition with this character beautifully. Unfortunately, it may be too late in the process for Linden to be able to do anything to really help him.

Overall, what did you think about “The Killing” this week? If you do want to read even more news when it comes to this show, just be sure to check out the story over at the link here.

Photo: AMC