The Killing: Season 1

On what is supposed to be her last day at work, detective Sarah Linden is called to the scene of a violent crime after a blood-covered woman's sweater is found in a park. There is no body however. The police have also found an ATM card in the name of Stan Larsen. Sarah and her replacement, Stephen Holder, follow-up and when they learn that the Larsen's 17 year-old daughter Rosie did not spend the weekend at a friend's house and has not been seen since Friday night, they suspect the worst. While Rosie's parents Mitch and Stan try to locate her on their own, the police concentrate on searching the park where they eventually discover a car at the bottom of a small lake with the body of a young woman in the trunk. They also learn that the car is registered to the election campaign of city councilman Darren Richmond who is running for mayor.

With Rosie's body now identified, Det. Sarah Linden and Det. Stephen Holder begin the painstaking task of recreating her movements, learning about her circle of friends and tracing her movements after she left the Halloween dance at her high school on Friday night. They question Councilman Darren Richmond who says he has no knowledge as to why Rosie would have been in the trunk of a car registered to his mayoralty campaign. He refuses to play politics with the situation. Linden interviews Jasper Ames whose father interrupts the questioning. At Rosie's school, Holder learns about the cage, a place in the school basement where the kids go for privacy. It may also be the crime scene. The Larsons tell their two boys that their sister is dead.

While the crime scene unit collects evidence in the school basement, Richmond's campaign faces a crisis when news of Rosie's death leaks to the press. He's also found the leaker. He's also scrambling to save his campaign. Linden and holder want to question the school janitor, Lyndon Rosales, who would prefer to jump out a third story window than meet them. He has a pretty good alibi as far as Rosie's death is concerned but he does give hem a new lead, a student named Kris Echols. Mitch Larsen finds herself unable to cope with their loss.

With the video from Rosie's phone, Linden and Holder think they have the killers. It's not that simple however and they soon find themselves back to square one. Linden re-interviews Rosie's BFF, Sterling, and learn that Rosie used to regularly take a bus to a distant part of town. Mayoralty candidate Darren Richmond's campaign is rapidly going downhill and his staff propose a major ad campaign. The only problem is that the campaign needs a infusion of cash. Rosie's parents prepare for her funeral and visit a funeral home to select a casket and go to the church to arrange for the service. Linden decides to again search Rosie's bedroom and finds handwritten notes notes from an interesting source.

Having found Rosie's hidden letter, Linden and Holder interview her teacher Bennet Ahmed. He denies having anything to do with her death but provides them with new information, a super 8 film she made. They learn something interesting about Ahmed's wife, Amber. On the campaign trail, Richmond's ads are having the desired effect but he still trails the incumbent mayor. At Gwen's urging, he approaches Mitch Larsen but can't quite bring himself to use her. He's still trying to find the mole in his campaign. Stan and Mitch find that friends and customers alike are avoiding them. A frustrated Stan decides to get his on information on what may have been going on at Rosie's school.

Having found ammonium hydroxide in Bennet Ahmed's apartment as well as on Rosie's clothes and body, Linden is now certain that she was at his apartment on the Friday night she disappeared. Interviews with Ahmed's neighbors give them eye witnesses stating they saw Rosie enter his place. Darren Richmond has more problems when he learns that Ahmed, an active member of his main community project and someone who has even appeared on his campaign commercials, is the main suspect. A debate with the mayor on live TV does not go well. For the Larsens, it's the day of Rosie's funeral. Stan is told who the main suspect is and he takes Ahmed for a ride.

After Rosie's wake, Stan takes Bennet Ahmed for a ride, intent on taking his revenge. Linden's relationship with her fiancé faces a crisis as she and her son Jack miss their flight. Linden re-interviews Amber Ahmed who reveals that she was not entirely truthful as to her whereabouts on the night Rosie disappeared. Along with Holder, Linden visits a local mosque to see if they can get a lead on Bennet's friend Mohammed. Someone slips them an address which leads them to an interesting encounter. On the campaign trail, Darren Richmond is pre-occupied with an upcoming parole hearing for the drunk driver who killed his wife. He refuses to ask Ahmet to resign from his main community project and pays a heavy price at a City council meeting.

Having possibly ruined a long-term terrorist investigation, Linden and Holder face the prospect of having their case shut down completely. The Feds aren't cooperating so Linden takes matters into her own hands, confirming that a key piece of evidence, Rosie's sweater, is at the scene. Shut out of the case as a result, it's left to Holder to suggest a solution on how they might go forward. Darren Richmond meanwhile attends the parole hearing for the drunk driver who killed his wife. He decides to release the information they've obtained on the Mayor's extra-curricular activities. Linden's personal life is in a shambles. Her fiancé is refusing to return her calls and her son Jack is lashing out at what he sees as his mother's lack of interest in him. Mitch and Stan Larsen's relationship begins to deteriorate after they begin to blame each other for happened to Rosie.

The police make a shocking realization; Richmond contemplates dropping out of the race; the Larson's are fed up with the police.

The cops regroup while Richmond goes up in the polls. Stan faces consequences for his ill-thought out actions, leaving Mitch alone to keep the family afloat.

When Linden gets a call from her son's school saying he hasn't been there for three days, she and Holder travel across the city to find him.

The police connect Rosie to a suspicious website. The waterfront project is halted. Stan faces his demons while Mitch learns secrets she never knew about Rosie.

The police learn that Rosie was a prostitute and was somehow connected to Jamie and Richmond. Richmond drops out of the race. Meanwhile, Stan and Mitch face another horrible death.