You know a series is really starting to get good when you’re finding it harder and harder to narrow it down to only three must-see moments in an episode, but this week’s episode of “The Killing” offered a full-fledged OMG moment even before the opening credits began to roll, closed with another one and offered several more eyebrow-raising incidents between.
Girl meets car
It’s rough enough just being a teenage driver, but imagine having an already-bloodied girl run out of the woods and in front of your car. This horrifying moment sets off the major story line of the episode, with the victim doing her best to shrug off the effects of the accident and continuing to run for her life, thereby sending Linden and Holder on a quest to find her, one that leads them to another biohazard bag, a severed finger, a trail of blood heading in the direction of the shelter for wayward teens, and — in short order — another team-up with the ever-spunky Bullet. Before episode’s end, the girl is found and, although her identity isn’t confirmed, we at least discover that it isn’t Kallie. But what lingers longest is the girl’s scream when she opens her eyes. Whatever happened in those woods, she won’t be forgetting it anytime soon.
Worst. Valentine's Day. EVER.
Up to this point, most of Bullet’s bonding has been with Holder. Indeed, the two get a very sweet scene at the end of this week’s episode as well, but when she and Linden share some time alone in the car, smoking and shooting the breeze, her questions about what’s going on between Linden and her partner clearly cause Linden to contemplate her feelings for Holder. After an awkward encounter back at the station with Skinner’s wife, reminding her of the affair she had with her former partner, Linden apparently makes the spontaneous decision to have history repeat itself by knocking on Holder’s front door. Bad call: His girlfriend, Caroline, is there. Even worse, though, is the fact that Caroline soon drops a bombshell that clearly neither Linden or Holder realized: It’s Valentine’s Day. Still, you’ve got to give Holder credit for thinking on his feet and asking Caroline, “You know I celebrate on Feb. 15 ‘cause it’s less commercial, right?"
A tale of two mothers
Grace Zabriskie returned as the mouthy motel owner who — as viewers discover in short order — is actually Joe Mills’ mother. “He’s a young soul, that’s why all those kids love him,” she assures Linden and Holder, who promptly execute a search warrant on Danielle Lutz’s house, having learned that Joe’s mama has been calling him there. Although he’s conveniently absent during their visit, the information they provide Danielle about her beau coupled with the missed call she received from Kallie’s phone in the wee hours of the morning finally succeed in turning her into a worried mother and send her onto the streets to search for her daughter. It’s still not enough to turn her against Joe, however, so she meets him for another rendezvous, but she can’t resist trying Kallie one more time while he’s in the shower. When her daughter’s phone rings in Joe’s bag, she realizes that she’s made a terrible mistake. And given that Joe emerges from behind her as it’s still ringing, there’s a very good chance it could be the last mistake she ever makes.