The Killing Season 4 Overview: Tremendous Acting Outweighs Any Potential Plot Holes (Series Finale)

Season 4 of "The Killing" has an abbreviated six episode run. AMC originally canceled the series and left us on a cliffhanger. What becomes of our two favorite Seattle detectives after Sarah pumped two bullets into love interest (and boss) Lieutenant James Skinner upon discovering he's Pied Piper Killer.

Luckily we get some closure thanks to NetFlix. How will Linden and Holder deal with the aftermath of Skinner's death? Will Holder conceal his partner's crime? The decision weights heavily-- especially since he has a child on the way with girlfriend Caroline (Jewel Strait of "Firefly" fame).

There's also a new and interesting case involving the death of four members of the Stansbury family. The teenage son (Kyle) is seriously wounded and has no memory of the attack. He quickly heads back to military school where he is continually hazed by the other cadets. Why is this academy only populated by troubled rich boys? Joan Allen plays Colonel Margaret Rayne with steely determination. She scares the bejesus out of me and seems to keep the little monsters in line (for the most part).

One of the best scenes of the season is when the police dredge the lake near Skinner's cabin where they find a number of his victims as well as his car. Excellent cinematography.

I will not give the specifics of the finale away but, suffice to say, things are not as they seem. Colonel Rayne has a special interest in Kyle (and we eventually learn why). Kyle gradually regains back his memory which leads to all sorts of other problems.

Grade: 5 Monsters (out of 5). Sure there are some issues. The plot at times doesnt make sense. If they're trying to ensure Kyle doesnt regain his memory why do Lincoln and AJ keep doing things to jar it? There's almost no motive for Kyle's actions. Why does he just snap all of a sudden? I also dont buy that, upon Linden confessing to killing Skinner, Mayor Richmond just wheels in and sweeps it all under the rug (so as not to embarrass the police department).

But none of this matters. It still doesnt negate my enjoyment of the season. The actors blow it out of the water. Mireille Enos (Sarah Linden) and Joel Kinnaman (Stephen Holder) continue to deliver powerful, nuanced performances. Tyler Ross (as Kyle Stansbury) is also excellent. I really felt his pain... up until the finale. Joan Allen is wonderful as always.

There has also been some rebate about the final scene (and the seven year time jump). Do Holder and Linden have a love connection (or did that come out of left field)? They might NOT have one in the traditional Hollywood sense (where its all lust and hormones). I do think they have a more adult relationship that's based instead on companionship and understanding each other. In the end "The Killing" is a story about two damaged people who try not to let the ugliness of their jobs (and the world) completely destroy them. So I think it's only appropriate that they reconnect in the end (since both are better people when they're together).