Donnie or Marie
First part of the two-part season finale.
"Donnie or Marie" is the twenty-fifth episode of the AMC drama *The Killing*, serving as the second season's eleventh installment and the first part of a two-part season finale. It aired on June 3, 2012, and was co-written by Wendy Riss and Aaron Zelman, with direction from Keith Gordon. In the episode, detectives focus on Richmond's campaign staff as potential suspects while he prepares for the election, and Mitch and Stan Larsen attempt to restore normalcy to their family.
The plot picks up after the previous episode, with Linden and Holder identifying Gwen and Jamie as the most likely people in Richmond's campaign to have arranged a deal between the Indians and Michael Ames. They strike a deal with Mayor Adams: he keeps Lieutenant Carlson off their backs, and they keep quiet about his role in the doctored toll booth photo of Richmond. Linden argues they share a common enemy, as Richmond's camp planted the Indian bones at Adams' waterfront construction site.
At the Larsen home, Terry returns with the boys from trick-or-treating. Denny hugs Mitch, but Tommy walks away. Terry surprises Mitch by revealing Stan bought a house, and they argue when Mitch defends her long absence. Terry says she has been holding the family together while Mitch was on "some vision quest."
Linden and Holder check Jamie and Gwen's alibis for the night of Rosie's murder. Holder notes Jamie was with his father all night, then went to the city hall gym at 4:37 a.m. without his keycard, according to a guard. The next morning, Holder learns Jamie's father confirmed the alibi. At City Hall, Linden asks a campaign worker to identify the owner of a blood-stained keycard. The worker says the list of keycard IDs was deleted from his hard drive soon after Rosie's murder, but adds that Gwen requested a new keycard afterward.
At the casino, Holder and Linden see Chief Jackson and Roberta Drays arguing and deduce they are romantically involved. Jackson gives them security footage from the night of Rosie's murder, minus the elevator camera footage, which she claims is broken. However, the missing footage actually shows Rosie, Chief Jackson, Michael Ames, and Gwen entering the elevator together. Linden spots a photo from the casino's grand opening showing Gwen and Senator Eaton alongside Chief Jackson.
Councilwoman Ruth Yitanes tells the detectives that Gwen canceled their dinner plans on the
- Series
- The Killing
- Season
- 2
- Episode
- 11 (overall 25)
- Air date
- June 3, 2012
- Network
- AMC
- Writers
- Wendy Riss, Aaron Zelman
- Director
- Keith Gordon
Lore & Background
In the episode, detectives Linden and Holder peg Gwen and Jamie as prime suspects in Rosie Larsen's murder, believing they had enough power in Richmond's campaign to broker a deal between the Indians and Michael Ames. They enter Mayor Adams' office and strike a deal: he will keep Lt. Carlson off their backs and they will not expose Adams' involvement in the doctored toll booth photo of Richmond. Linden insists they are fighting a common enemy, noting that Richmond's camp planted the Indian bones at Adams' waterfront construction site.
At the Larsen home, Terry and the boys return from trick-or-treating. Denny embraces Mitch, but Tommy walks away. Terry later surprises Mitch with the news that Stan bought a house and argues when Mitch defends her long absence. Stan smiles upon hearing about Janek's death on the radio. Mitch says she knows about the secon
Reader's Guide
"Donnie or Marie" received positive reviews. Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic rated the episode 4.6 out of 5 stars and "could barely move" after watching. Brandon Nowalk of The A.V. Club rated it a B, calling it a "suspenseful cliffhanger." William Bibbiani of CraveOnline was pleased to see an episode dedicated to the murder investigation, though he noted it was not so revelatory as to forgive the season's earlier failings. The episode was watched by 1.84 million viewers, making it the most viewed episode of the season, and scored a 0.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
Did You Know?
- The episode is co-written by Wendy Riss and Aaron Zelman and directed by Keith Gordon.
- It was watched by 1.84 million viewers, the most of the season.
- The missing security footage shows Rosie Larsen, Chief Jackson, Michael Ames, and Jamie entering the elevator on the night of the murder.
- Jamie's grandfather confirmed Jamie's alibi for the night of Rosie's murder.
More in The Killing episodes 1-24
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