The Killing v Homeland: Two great, but very different, series

Finished episode 9 (of 13) of the excellent series "The Killing," and it still completely holds our interest: I love the simple structure, each episode a single day in a 13-day investigation of a murder - no flashbacks, and much (though not all) scene from the main detective, Sarah Linden's (?) point of view. The story, you'd expect, is full of false leads and even red herrings, but they are very well worked in: they don't seem like a screenwriter's attempt to keep the story moving (as in, for example, the popular but to me idiotic The Usual Suspects and many other movies of that ilk); the twists and turns are exactly what a detective would deal with in a complex murder investigation. This is also one of the few murder mysteries to get the scope and mood of the operations down right: it really feels like the kind of crime and investigation, against the background of a mayoral election and neighborhood racial tensions, that would and does take place regularly in every mid-sized to larger city (Seattle, in this case). As M. points out, this series actually carries a message to viewers, which is: don't jump to conclusions. The detectives, particularly one of them, are pushing against the edges, eager to make an arrest before they have all the facts in hand, and, in episode 9, this leads to some dire consequences. In a very plausible way, as the plot unfolds, we see that our first impressions may be way off the mark and the seemingly guilty may be innocent - but finding out who is actually guilty proves to be extremely elusive, which is what makes this series work. The actress in the lead is terrific as well. The theme of terrorism and of American Muslim communities becomes important at about episode 7 or 8 - this has become a real trope of mysteries and thrillers these days, and seems to echo some of the same notes played in the equally strong Homeland - but the two series are vastly different in mood and in context: Homeland, on the surface, is about a vast conspiracy to destroy the U.S. government, and, in fulfilling this end, becomes a story about people and their emotions and flaws and weaknesses; The Killing, on the surface, is a story about the murder of a young girl who was otherwise a completely ordinary high-school kid, and, in fulfilling this end, becomes a story about the conflicts and forces and hatreds pulling apart American society.