Beau Soleil (The Killing)
Detectives trace Rosie Larsen to an escort service called Beau Soleil.
In "Beau Soleil," the twelfth episode of *The Killing*, first broadcast on June 12, 2011, detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder examine ATM photos from a casino that show Rosie Larsen wearing the pink sweater found in the park. Holder reveals that for six months, Rosie made large cash deposits at those machines, but not into her own account. Meanwhile, construction workers at Mayor Lesley Adams’ waterfront project uncover a human skull. Nicole Jackson, speaking for a local Indian nation, goes on television to demand a halt to construction due to potential burial grounds, a development that Adams and his campaign manager believe will doom their campaign. At Darren Richmond’s office, the team celebrates the news, and campaign manager Jamie Wright informs Richmond of an invitation to a party from Tom Drexler. Richmond declines, sending Wright instead. Later, Mayor Adams gives an envelope to Gwen Eaton, Richmond’s assistant, as a gesture of friendship to her family.
At the Larsen garage, Mitch Larsen hears a message from Janek Kovarsky and asks Belko if Stan is working for Janek again. Belko does not answer, and Mitch fires him. Stan calls from jail, where he must speak with a therapist before posting bail. Detectives tell Terry that Rosie was depositing money into an account opened in Terry’s name. Terry denies opening it, but admits she loaned her ID to Rosie to get into a club. The detectives then show a photo of Rosie to Cami, an undercover cop posing as a prostitute, who says the girl looks like a Beau Soleil escort and mentions a customer roughed up one of them over the summer. At Drexler’s penthouse, Jamie notes the girls in the pool look like high-schoolers; Drexler replies that Beau Soleil girls are discreet. Mitch visits Stan in jail, refusing to post bail because the account is empty. She accuses him of dealing with Janek again; he blames her for his imprisonment.
Holder tells Linden that the description of the escort-beating customer matches Drexler, who has a record for soliciting prostitutes. Greg, Jack’s father, asks Linden if he can see their son; she threatens to have him arrested for kidnapping. A police tech shows the detectives that Rosie’s laptop accessed the Beau Soleil website multiple times, last on the Wednesday before her disappearance. Though the escorts’ faces are hidden, Linden recognizes a jacket Terry has been wearing. At th
- Series
- The Killing
- Episode number
- 12
- Air date
- June 12, 2011
- Writers
- Jeremy Doner and Soo Hugh
- Director
- Keith Gordon
- Viewers (millions)
- 1.83
Lore & Background
In the episode, Detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder review ATM camera screenshots showing Rosie Larsen wearing the pink sweater found in the park. They learn that for six months, Rosie made large cash deposits at those ATMs, but not to her own account. The investigation leads to a high-end escort service called Beau Soleil, accessed multiple times from Rosie's laptop. Terry, Rosie's aunt, admits to being a Beau Soleil escort and recalls a warning from another escort about a customer using the pseudonym "Orpheus," who drove her to the waterfront and discussed drowning. The webmaster reveals Orpheus's email address, noting the account was closed and files erased at 4 a.m. on the night Rosie disappeared. Meanwhile, Mayor Lesley Adams' waterfront development project uncovers a human skull, and the Richmond campaign gains momentum as the Mayor's falters. Mitch Larsen learns her jailed husband Stan has drained their bank account. At the episode's climax, Linden traces an email response from Orpheus to Darren Richmond's computer, and Holder arrives at an address given by the escort Aleena, finding campaign posters of Richmond.
Reader's Guide
"Beau Soleil" received mixed reviews. Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic gave the episode five stars, praising the series' "fresh take on the crime drama" and its weaving of interesting characters with a murder mystery. However, Meredith Blake of The A.V. Club rated it a C+, criticizing the writing as haphazard and the plot as full of holes. The episode was watched by 1.83 million viewers, a notable drop from the previous episode. The episode is significant for introducing the Beau Soleil escort service and the Orpheus pseudonym, which become central to the murder investigation, and for the dramatic reveal that Darren Richmond may be connected to the case.
Did You Know?
- The episode title "Beau Soleil" refers to a high-end escort service accessed from Rosie Larsen's laptop.
- The escort Aleena, who used the pseudonym Celine, warned others about a customer named Orpheus who drove her to the waterfront and discussed drowning.
- Detective Linden traced an email from Orpheus to Darren Richmond's computer after sending four lure emails.
- The episode was co-written by Jeremy Doner and Soo Hugh and directed by Keith Gordon.
More in The Killing episodes 1-24
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