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Moment of Goodness

Moment of Goodness: Linden Puts Jack On a Plane, The Killing “Off the Reservation” 

Heather M, May 13, 2012  
Photo credit: Carole Segal/AMC

It’s been coming for a while that Linden has been in very real danger of losing custody of Jack because he’s been the afterthought while she’s been so wrapped up in the Larsen murder. We saw a glimpse of her regret about the life they don’t have when they landed on Holder late at night two episodes back, and he took them in without question and for a moment, they were a family.

In the closing moments last week, Holder took a beating working another Larsen lead, and when we picked up this week, Linden was again stashing Jack at Holder’s apartment while she put the gears in motion to retrieve Holder from the reservation. In doing so, she was stripped of her badge, the police descended on Holder’s place, and Jack fled, fearing it was yet another protective services attempt to seize him.

When Linden catches up with him, sitting on the dock looking for Reggie, who isn’t there, she finally realizes that she’s exhausted all good will with her son. So she puts him on a plane to his father–the only thing she can do. He asks why she won’t come with him, even though he already knows the answer that she can’t articulate.

Before she lets him leave, she says all the things she needs for him to hear–that he’s strong, that he’ll be OK because he’s her son. But she sadly doesn’t apologize to him for what their life–his life–has become. At first unwilling to hug her, still mad at the latest thing in his life he can’t control, he finally puts his arms around her. She bites back tears as she watches him walk away and then she races to the window to wait for the plane to leave.

Quietly, Holder, fresh from the hospital, and probably not formally released, appears behind her, telling her Jack called him to say goodbye. She can only nod because the words won’t come. He puts his hand on her back and stands with her. In the next scene, she’s back in Larsen mode, but in this moment, she allows herself to grieve losing her son, and to not be alone in it. It was bittersweet to have it air on Mother’s Day.

Love this show. I’m not totally down with all of the tangential events this season, but Holder and Linden are still the glue that makes this appointment TV for me.

[Updated: The entire series is now streaming on Hulu and for free on IMDb TV.]

Tags #AMC #Heather M #moment of goodness #Off the Reservation #Sundays #The Killing
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Heather M
Senior Writer/Columnist: Heather began writing about TV way back when Jensen Ackles was Alec on Dark Angel (so, "dibs.") EDITOR NOTE: No dibs!. She never got on the reality bandwagon. Instead, her TV viewing must be scripted. She's intensely loyal to actors, writers, and directors and loves comedy, drama, suspense, and sci-fi equally. If it was filmed in Vancouver (or Canada, really), she's going to be all over it. Don't look for snark. If she's made the time to watch it, she likes it (or loves it), because life's too short to watch sh-tty TV. But she will call BS when it's right there for the taking. By day, she writes marketing communications for the IT sector. She's a lifelong Texan (minus the pre-K years), so you'll have to accept the liberal use of "y'all." You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @approximofnice.

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1 Comment

  1. Marcia

    Linden and Holder keep me and my friends coming back. They have to get together. they are the show.

    11 years ago Reply

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