As the first season of The Killing comes to an end, and we’re about to be given the answer to a mystery that’s lasted thorough the first 12 episodes. At the start of tonight’s episode, AMC’s Suspect Tracker still had Darren Richmond as the most likely culprit, but he was down from 39% to only 27%. A lot of people apparently believe last week was simply another red herring. Tonight, we’ll see if Richmond can ‘Rocketeer‘ his way out of this one…

The finale begins where the last episode left off – with Linden in Darren’s office, and the incriminating e-mails glaring. This seems as damning a situation as you could be in, outside of holding the bloody knife in your hand. That’s when Holder calls and gives Sarah the out she needs. This is quite the ominous exchange between the veteran Detective and the Mayoral candidate.

When the episode gets moving we see the Larsens struggling just to hold it together. Terry bailed Stan out last episode, but tonight, when he gets home he doesn’t go in. Instead, with Mitch in the window, Stan gets in the car and drives to Rosie’s grave, where he spends the night. Mitch meanwhile goes through some old photo albums and scrapbooks, looking back on a life of regret, and all the places she never visited. This chick is a real downer.

As good as things look for the Richmond campaign, it looks just as bad for Darren himself. Evidence and opportunity are abundant, and even his girlfriend Gwen looks like she may  come out against him. Holder and Linden are convinced that they know the route he took and can find the proof they need.

Stan goes to the hospital to see Bennett, but can’t go in when he sees the wife. He does help her at the vending machine though, and he tells her he has 3 kids. It’s clear that Stan is only concerned with the family. He visits the new house he bought the family, but Mitch seems in no position restart in a new place. So when they finally talk, he doesn’t bring it up. He doesn’t explain where their savings has gone. He does however explain how he needs her, she already has a bag packed though. It seems like the family is past saving, perhaps there can be no happy ending for the Larsens…

 Holder maps out the supposed route Richmond would’ve taken based on mileage, and once he and Linden make the trek, they find the gas station where Rosie escaped and fled into the woods. Linden sees it in her head, sees Rosie run though the woods and she loses it. When they get back to town she confronts Richmond, loses her shit, and shows her hand. It’s after this exchange that Gwen comes forward, and debunks Darren’s alibi.

Gwen’s condemning him isn’t enough for an arrest however. It takes the photo from Toll Booth Camera to place him there. This gets our detectives the permission they need to make an arrest…at his rally. In front of everyone.

We see Belko then, disheartened and cleaning his gun. Richmond is now one TV and the media is making him out to already be guilty, much like Bennett. With the case coming to a close Linden finally gets on the plane out-of-town. As has been clear from the start however is, Linden can never leave. Once on the plane she receives a call and learns that the cameras have been out at the Toll Booth for months. That means the picture was a fake. That implies 2 things. 1 – Richmond could be innocent after all. And 2 – Holder could be dirty after all.

After this we see Det. Holder get into a car. The driver of the car is never shown, but Holder utters the following line: “The photo worked. He’s going down.” Now who is in the car is anybody’s guess (I think it’s Gwen’s Dad) but it’s clear Holder hasn’t been on the level for some time. This may be why so many people suspected him earlier on in the season, and how quickly we forgot about his envelopes of cash.

As the episode is coming to a close, and Darren Richmond is being put into the back of a cop car, Belko emerges from the crowd and sticks a gun in Richmond’s face. It would now appear that Belko has been responsible for seriously damaging to suspects in the case that will ultimately be proven innocent. Bennett is in the Hospital, and Richmond for all we know could be dead.

The screen goes black.

I know this is gonna piss some people off. As the episode ends we are left with new questions. Who was Holder with? Does Belko kill Darren? Will is ever stop raining? And we are also left with an old one: Who killed Rosie Larsen?

I’d give the episode a 3.5 and say last week’s was better…

 I liked the show, and had no issue with the end, though I don’t expect everyone to feel the same. How did you feel? Who do you think did it? Are you gonna watch season 2?