Orpheus Descending (The Killing)
Season finale ends with Richmond's arrest and a cliffhanger.
"Orpheus Descending," the thirteenth episode of the American television drama *The Killing*, aired on June 19, 2011. Nic Pizzolatto and series creator Veena Sud co-wrote the episode, with Brad Anderson directing. In this installment, detectives look into Darren Richmond’s connection to Rosie Larsen. Mitch and Stan Larsen talk about what lies ahead for their family. Belko Royce acts to shield the Larsens.
After a quiet, tense moment with Sarah Linden in his apartment, Darren Richmond tells her the myth of Orpheus, who lost his wife by looking back while leaving the underworld. Sarah leaves safely and tells Stephen Holder that Richmond knows they suspect him, but they still need to link him to Rosie. They go to the police impound lot to search the campaign car thoroughly. Sarah notices the gas tank is nearly full and, after checking the car’s records, concludes someone bought gas for it the night Rosie vanished.
Terry Marek drives Stan Larsen home from jail. Stan sees his wife Mitch watching from a second-floor window and drives away in his pickup. He wakes up the next morning in his truck at the cemetery near Rosie’s grave. At home with her father, Mitch looks through scrapbooks from her teenage years and an empty travel journal listing places she wanted to visit.
At the station, Holder tells Sarah that 100 miles on the campaign car’s odometer are unaccounted for. They figure Richmond took a longer route back from the casino via a bridge. Sarah asks Holder to get footage from a tollbooth camera. On the campaign trail, Richmond tells reporters that rumors of affairs are unfounded. He pulls aside his assistant, Gwen Eaton, admitting to unhealthy behavior after his wife Lily’s death but swearing it stopped when he and Gwen started dating.
Lieutenant Oakes warns Sarah she needs solid evidence to accuse Richmond. Holder shows her a newspaper featuring Richmond’s affairs with photos, noting the women all resemble Rosie. They meet Meg Connell, Gwen’s predecessor, who admits to an affair with Richmond. The detectives check gas stations along the casino route. Holder speculates Richmond waited until his tank was nearly empty and suggests a station near the park not on their list. The manager there recalls the campaign car and a girl’s screams before the driver sped away. Sarah deduces Rosie broke free and escaped into the forest behind the station. Police arrive w
- series
- The Killing
- episode_number
- 13 (season 1 finale)
- air_date
- June 19, 2011
- writers
- Nic Pizzolatto, Veena Sud
- director
- Brad Anderson
- viewership
- 2.32 million
- critical_rating
- mixed to negative
Lore & Background
In the episode, detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder investigate Darren Richmond's involvement with Rosie Larsen. Richmond tells Sarah about the Greek myth of Orpheus, who lost his wife by looking back while exiting the underworld. Sarah deduces that Richmond knows they suspect him. The detectives find evidence linking Richmond to the murder: a gas station manager recalls the campaign car and screams, a pink sneaker is discovered in a forest, and security-camera footage shows Richmond in the car on a bridge at 3 a.m. Saturday morning. Sarah arrests Richmond at a campaign rally.
Reader's Guide
The episode received mixed to negative reviews from critics and enormous backlash from viewers. TV Fanatic's Sean McKenna gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "a shocking conclusion to an otherwise average episode." Meredith Blake of The A.V. Club rated it a D+, saying: "After 13 episodes, a dozen or so red herrings, and at least 4 different suspects, the first season of The Killing ends with a ludicrous cliffhanger." Series creator Veena Sud addressed the reaction, stating the goal was not to mislead but to take time for the story to unfold. She promised the killer would be revealed in the second season, but not until its end. The episode was watched by 2.32 million viewers, the highest rating since the first four episodes.
Did You Know?
- The episode title references the Greek myth of Orpheus, which Richmond recounts to Sarah Linden.
- The security-camera photo used to arrest Richmond is later revealed to be unreliable, as the toll bridge cameras had been out of service for months.
- Belko Royce, seen cleaning a revolver after Richmond's arrest, approaches Richmond with a gun at the episode's end.
- Holder tells an unseen driver that the photo worked and that Richmond was 'going down,' implying Holder may have fabricated evidence.
More in The Killing episodes 1-24
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