Missing (The Killing)
Detectives search for a missing boy while the murder case stalls.
"Missing" is the eleventh episode of the American television drama *The Killing*, first broadcast on June 5, 2011. Series creator Veena Sud wrote it, and Nicole Kassell directed. In this installment, the investigation into Rosie Larsen’s death hits a standstill while the detectives await a warrant, and they instead focus on locating Sarah Linden’s missing son, Jack.
At the Wapi Eagle Casino, Detective Sarah Linden talks to manager Nicole Jackson and security chief Roberta Drays, both of whom claim not to have seen Rosie. Sarah learns the casino’s camera footage is erased after 24 hours and requests to interview customers, but Nicole tells her the land is under tribal jurisdiction, not state regulation, and orders her to leave. Outside, Sarah contacts a district attorney for a warrant on the bank that owns the casino’s ATMs, hoping to review their footage. Her partner, Stephen Holder, arrives, and they discuss the case. Sarah notes Rosie’s phone and backpack are still missing and might be inside the casino; the girl took the last ferry to the island on Friday and must have spent the night there. The casino manager refuses to help. Sarah’s phone rings—it’s her son Jack’s school, reporting he’s been absent for three days. Holder drives Sarah to her motel, where she finds Jack’s phone but not him. Thinking Regi might know where Jack is, Holder takes Sarah to the marina, but Regi has already sailed away. Sarah calls the mother of Jack’s best friend, who says Jack leads a group of boys who cut class and meet at a place called The Tunnel.
Sarah drives Holder’s car to The Tunnel, a graffiti-covered area under a viaduct that Holder calls “hooky central.” When asked why kids run away, he says sometimes they do it so someone will come looking. A group of kids arrives, but Jack isn’t with them. Holder suspects Regi has Jack, but Sarah insists Regi, a social worker she’s known her whole life, wouldn’t take him without telling her. After searching the town, they rest at a restaurant, where Holder admits he became addicted to meth while undercover and sought treatment after his boss found out. He asks about the last case that obsessed Sarah; she describes a boy whose father killed the child’s mother, and though Child Protective Services took the boy, she believes he won’t be adopted. Outside, Holder cracks the password on Jack’s phone, and Sarah finds three text messages
- Series
- The Killing
- Episode Number
- 11
- Air Date
- June 5, 2011
- Writer
- Veena Sud
- Director
- Nicole Kassell
- Viewers (millions)
- 1.98
Lore & Background
The episode focuses on Detective Sarah Linden's personal crisis as her son Jack disappears. Linden learns from his school that he has been absent for three days. She finds his phone but not him, and eventually tracks down a group of truant kids at a place called The Tunnel, but Jack is not there. Her partner, Stephen Holder, helps her search, revealing his own past addiction to meth and his efforts to stay clean. Linden also shares her own traumatic childhood: she was abandoned at age five and grew up in foster homes. Holder upsets her by suggesting this explains her flaws as a mother, and later admits that Jack had called him two days earlier for advice. The search ends when Jack returns to the motel, having spent the day with his birth father. Meanwhile, at the police station, Holder reviews casino ATM footage and spots a young woman wearing a butterfly necklace and pink blouse—Rosie Larsen.
Reader's Guide
"Missing" received divisive reviews, as some critics predicted. Positive reviews praised the episode for allowing character development, something the show had been criticized for lacking. Meredith Blake of The A.V. Club rated it a B+, calling it "probably the best installment of The Killing since the pilot" and a "fine example of narrative digression done right." Negative reviews noted that aside from the opening and closing, the episode did nothing to advance the main plot. Sean McKenna of TV Fanatic rated it just over 3 out of 5 stars, expressing concern that with only two episodes left, the story might be wrapped up too quickly. Even some positive reviews said the episode would have been better if aired earlier in the season. The episode was watched by 1.98 million viewers, slightly higher than the previous episode.
Did You Know?
- The episode was written by series creator Veena Sud and directed by Nicole Kassell.
- Detective Holder admits to becoming addicted to meth while undercover and seeking treatment after his boss found out.
- Sarah Linden was abandoned at age five by her mother and lived in many foster homes.
- The final scene shows Holder watching ATM footage and spotting Rosie Larsen wearing a butterfly necklace and pink blouse.
More in The Killing episodes 1-24
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