The Killing - The Complete Fourth Season - Blu-ray

Film: Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) don't have time to process the fatal events from the end of season three. While they're sure they've covered their tracks, at the latest when Lieutenant Skinner's daughter sets out to find her father, Linden's colleague Reddick (Gregg Henry) begins to doubt that the missing cop is really just on vacation. His investigation could prove dangerous to Linden and Holder. But there is no time for them to worry about that. For the gruesome murder of the family of Kyle Stansbury (Tyler Ross), the cadet at a private military academy, demands all their attention. Especially as Colonel Margaret Rayne (Joan Allen), the head of the academy, makes the investigation increasingly difficult for them. When Holder also learns that his girlfriend Caroline (Jewel Staite) is pregnant and that he will soon be responsible for more than just his life, the tense situation threatens to explode for good.

The Killing, the acclaimed remake of the hit Danish series Inspector Lund - The Crime, finally bids farewell to its viewers after a bumpy road with its fourth season. Actually, the series had already been cancelled after season 2 by US broadcaster amc due to weak ratings. After negotiations with Netflix and Twentieth Century Fox, the critics' favorite was given another season. However, after the ratings weren't right again, the plug was pulled once more. Fans were threatened with a goodbye with a truly nasty cliffhanger. To bring the series to a rounded conclusion, the streaming service Netflix then commissioned a six-part fourth season, which does a good job of closing the bow.

This final season is admittedly not the best of the series. And the ending is perhaps a wee bit too saccharine, too. But at least fans are treated to a well-rounded and conciliatory conclusion. And two very exciting storylines that offer almost six hours of thrilling, in its best moments even nerve-racking entertainment with great actors and a depressingly intense imagery. In the process, the crime that Linden and Holder are guilty of at the end of season 3 takes a bit of a back seat at first. It is always present, but still only takes up a small part of the first two episodes. Here, the action is focused entirely on the gruesome murder of a family and the events behind the walls of the military academy.

Thanks to the intense acting of Joan Allen, there is an extremely high level of tension built up here that only drops off in the somewhat disappointing resolution. That's not a bad thing, though, as the series returns to its old quality the moment the investigation into the Skinner case points more and more clearly in the direction of Linden and Holden and the noose tightens, leading to a heightening of tensions between the two. Here, The Killing once again shows the viewer what top-notch quality television is all about. The good actors further support this impression.

Whether the epilogue was really needed is up to the viewer. But the fact is that The Killing comes to an end with a really good season, which just because of its brevity doesn't have to struggle with any lengths or unnecessary subplots. If you already liked the first seasons and can accept small dramaturgical quality losses, you should definitely grab this one. Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: Little has changed in the technical implementation compared to the first season boxes. The color scheme is extremely atmospheric, with the somewhat undercooked hues capturing the oppressive mood of the story very well. Image sharpness is at a good to very good level for a recent TV series. Although much of the action takes place in the gloom, smaller details often come through decently. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix is also pleasantly atmospheric, with voices sounding very directional. However, ambient noises like wind and rain and smaller sound effects always ensure that the surround channels get something to do as well. Good!

Extras: Bonus material has the last season not to offer. Too bad!

Conclusion: The Killing comes to an end with the fourth season, which is only 6 episodes long. And even if these last episodes are not the best of the series, the viewer is offered here again gripping thriller entertainment on quite a high level. Tightly staged (among others by Oscar winner Jonathan Demme) and very well acted there is not a minute of boredom in this gripping finale. If you liked the first three seasons, you can't miss this conclusion. The Blu-ray is technically well implemented, but there is unfortunately no bonus material. Nevertheless, it is enough on balance for a very clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp