Stonewalled
Detectives face federal interference and personal revelations.
"Stonewalled," the eighth episode of AMC's *The Killing*, aired on May 15, 2011. Written by Aaron Zelman and directed by Dan Attias, the episode follows detectives whose murder investigation collides with a federal probe. Meanwhile, leaked crime-scene photos confuse both the police and the Larsen family, and glimpses into the pasts of both Holder and Richmond emerge.
Detectives Linden and Holder are released by the FBI after being found handcuffed in a hidden room with a sleeping area and a pink T-shirt. Lieutenant Oakes reprimands Linden for entering without a warrant, but she later asks for the Larsen case files to be emailed to her personal computer, claiming Oakes approved. Stan Larsen insists on taking the boys to school, but Mitch takes over; she leaves them in the running car in the garage, then watches a news report about the leaked crime-scene photos. Her sister Terry finds the boys unharmed in the exhaust-filled garage.
Outside the station, Linden sees Holder pass an envelope to someone in a car. Inside, FBI agents seize the Larsen files, and Oakes shows Linden a newspaper with the leaked photos, suspecting another leak. He excludes Holder from a meeting where Linden learns about multiple border crossings by someone named Muhammed and that maps and falsified passports were found at the market. The FBI refuses to give Muhammed’s last name for security reasons.
At City Hall, Jamie Wright proposes hiring investigators to dig up dirt on Mayor Adams. Darren Richmond approves but forbids personal attacks. Wright meets Tom Drexler at an underground MMA fight, and Drexler offers information against the mayor. Wright later shows Richmond documents, but Gwen Eaton says the information is unproven and irrelevant. Mitch berates Linden at the station over the photos. Posing as a Seattle detective, Linden photographs the pink shirt from the FBI staging area but is caught and reprimanded for breaching chain of custody. She shows the photo to Mitch, who tearfully identifies it as Rosie’s and complains that Bennet Ahmed remains free. Upstairs, Mitch finds Stan has cleared out Rosie’s room, saying they need to focus on the future; he hints at knowing about the garage incident. They argue about Rosie’s secrets, and Mitch restores the room.
Oakes again scolds Linden for her staging-area activity and tells her to remove herself from the case, despite earlier urging
- Series
- The Killing
- Episode number
- 8
- Air date
- May 15, 2011
- Network
- AMC
- Writer
- Aaron Zelman
- Director
- Dan Attias
- Viewership
- 1.98 million
Lore & Background
The episode opens with Detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder being released by the FBI after being handcuffed in a hidden room containing a sleeping area for a young girl. Lieutenant Oakes scolds Linden for entering without a warrant and forbids her from returning. Later, Linden has the Larsen case files emailed to her personal computer, claiming Oakes approves. Meanwhile, Mitch Larsen leaves her boys in a running car in the garage and goes upstairs, where she sees a news report about Rosie's crime-scene photos; her sister Terry finds the boys in the exhaust-filled garage, but they are unharmed.
At the station, FBI agents take the Larsen files and evidence. Oakes shows Linden a newspaper with crime-scene photos and suspects another leak. Linden learns about multiple border crossings of someone named Muhammed and that maps and falsified passports were found at the market, but the FBI refuses to give Muhammed's last name. Later, Linden poses as a Seattle detective at the FBI staging area, takes a picture of a pink shirt from the evidence, and shows it to Mitch, who identifies it as Rosie's. Mitch then complains that Bennet Ahmed is still living his life. Upstairs, Stan has cleared out Rosie's room, and the couple argue about their parenting.
Linden follows Holder to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, where she hears him describe being sober for six months and confess to stealing his nephew's gold coin for drug money. When her phone rings, he spots her. A call reveals that Linden's son Jack emailed the crime-scene photos to a friend. Councilman Darren Richmond attends a parole hearing for the woman who caused his wife's death, then punches a bathroom mirror. He later orders the release of information about the mayor paying rent for his pregnant former intern. Holder tells Linden he has placed a wiretap on Bennet Ahmed's phone; they hear Ahmed speak excitedly about future passports.
Reader's Guide
"Stonewalled" is a pivotal episode of The Killing's first season, advancing both the murder investigation and character development. The episode reveals partial histories of Holder (his addiction and recovery) and Richmond (his unresolved grief over his wife's death), while the investigation becomes entangled with a federal terrorism inquiry. The leak of crime-scene photos causes personal turmoil for the Larsen family and strains Linden's relationship with her son. The episode received generally positive reviews, with critics noting it as a compact and well-developed hour that provided long-overdue developments. It was watched by 1.98 million viewers, the series' highest viewership since the fifth episode.
Did You Know?
- The episode was written by Aaron Zelman and directed by Dan Attias.
- It aired on May 15, 2011, on AMC in the United States.
- The episode was watched by 1.98 million viewers, the series' highest viewership since the fifth episode.
- In the episode, Holder reveals he has been sober for six months and stole his nephew's gold coin for drug money.
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