The Killing Preview: Season Four on Netflix [VIDEO and PHOTOS] 

[Warning: General spoilers in the article, images, and videos.]

It’s a strange, trippy thing to watch The Killing condensed into six episodes, available for binge watching at your leisure, when the first three seasons unfolded week by week, piece by piece. You mulled the episodes; you thought back on them during the week. With the launch of season four–all of it–tomorrow on Netflix, we say goodbye to Detectives Linden and Holder. And I’m super grateful we were given the opportunity for a proper sendoff.

Here’s what you need to know: The fourth and final season picks up right after the season three finale. As Linden (Mireille Enos) and Holder (Joel Kinnaman) struggle to manage the fallout from their rash actions at the end of last season, they are assigned a new case — a picture perfect family is murdered, survived only by the son, Kyle Stansbury (Tyler Ross), who was shot in the head during the massacre. Joan Allen guest stars this season as Colonel Margaret Rayne, the headmaster of the all-boys military academy that Kyle attends. The new season also stars Gregg Henry, Sterling Beaumon, and Levi Meaden.

We were able to screen the first four episodes, and the first thing that struck me (in an oddly hee hee sort of way) is the language. There are A LOT of f-bombs. The first one made me laugh out loud, and then as they got more and more frequent, it seemed like lazy writing. We got through 38 episodes just fine without them. The second thing is that the episodes are close to a full hour a piece–no more 44-minute narratives. It makes them a little more lyrical and not quite so taut, but it works. It still feels like the show I love.

The military school stuff feels a little Too Much at times, but since I haven’t seen the last two episodes, I’m guessing there’s a point to all of it that will pay off in the final episodes. If you’ve seen the 1981 film Taps, you know the vibe I’m talking about. We also spend more time at home with Linden and Holder than we ever did (part of that extra 15-ish minutes of narrative).

The casting is first-rate. Ross is just spooky good as this season’s prime suspect, especially opposite Allen. I don’t know if his character did it. I don’t know if his character knows, but Ross sells the bewilderment, anger, and fear of a young man with a lot hanging over him. Allen is as great as ever–playing Rayne as stoic but with some secrets she’s not yet ready to share.

Y’all know I love Joel Kinnaman and Mireille Enos, and they’re still very, very good inhabiting these characters. Season four finds Holder and Linden battling a range of demons, and sometimes each other, but they always come back to center. Gregg Henry gets to step up this season, too, and reveal that Reddick might actually be good at his job.

You can start the series with season four and dial back to the previous three (on Netlflix), for sure, but I don’t recommend it. It’s a much richer story when you understand how they got here. For me, The Killing was a winding journey of appointment TV that spanned three summers. It was full of gem moments and terrific performances that a lot of shows don’t ever have. I will miss these characters; I will miss this show.

Here is a sneak peek of what to expect this season, and a look behind the scenes.