TV Review: Those Who Kill- The Pilot Episode

Begins Monday, March 3rd at 10 P.M. (A&E)

"Those Who Kill" follows Catherine Jensen (Chloë Sevigny), a recently promoted homicide detective who enlists the help of Thomas Schaeffer (James D'Arcy), a forensic psychologist, to track down serial killers and relentlessly seeks the truth behind the disappearance of her brother.

Most TV Pilots end up playing like a Showreel of sorts, mainly because they have 42 minutes to sell a Network on their strengths if they have any hope of being ordered to Series. Since most pilots have to focus on the action/style beats more than anything else, a lot of them end up feeling a bit rushed and even "compressed," story-wise. A pilot episode is really nothing more than an audition, basically; they exist solely to get their point across.

That said, we really liked this pilot of the U.S. remake of the Danish show, Den Som Draeber. We have to admit that it felt a bit uneven and rushed at times, but we feel like once the show settles into its groove, we'll be in for a good weekly hour of Serial Killer vs.Cop fun. It felt just like a pilot, but a pretty solid one, for the most part.

"That bitch is crazy!" Gomez thought to himself, not daring to ask her why she was pointing her gun at the sun.

It's very much a Police Procedural with a darker bent, highlighted by the acting talents of the lovely Chloe Sevigny. She plays Detective Jensen; a rookie that has a dark and mysterious past (don't they all), which may be a factor in her maverick "I do what I want!" style of detecting. It all sounds pretty convoluted, we know, but it's at least interesting in its cliched trappings. Chloe makes it work.

Detective Jensen teams up with a Forensic Psychologist named Schaeffer, who seems like he's doing the whole Will Graham thing from Hannibal, because he can "get into their minds of Serial Killers and understand them." And yes, much like Will Graham, that particular talent takes its toll on him mentally.

It looks as if the show will be Jensen and Schaeffer running around, hunting down Serial Killers, while she quietly enlists his aid in helping her discover the truth about her childhood or something. From what we saw on display in the first episode, it's got a ton of potential.

The Atkins Diet Killer strikes again.

What we really liked: The opening credits. The cuteness of Chloe. The bodies. The Pit. The scarf. "Cross your arms." "This is why I found you." The overall feel of the show.

What we didn't: The ineptitude of the Cops at the Hospital. Chloe's ineptitude in the Pit. How a lot of the episode felt rushed/condensed. How the killer tried to hard to be memorable, and came off as more theatrical than he did creepy.

"Now, let's reenact the best scene from The Brown Bunny!"

Chloe Sevigny was great as the new Detective with the troubled past, and James D'Arcy complemented her well. We hope that the show will lose some of its "by the numbers" Police Procedural mechanics, and focus more on the characters and a longer story arc.

The ending of the episode really grabbed us, and left us wanting more. If the rest of the show ends up playing out as well as the last minutes of its pilot did, then we'll be more than happy to tune in each week to see if Chloe gets her man.

Those Who Kill should do well running back to back with A&E's hit show, Bates Motel.

We'd love to watch her get her man.

Those Who Kill could end up being a great show. Its pilot was solid (if flawed), and it hinted at some great things to (hopefully) come. Will the show deliver on any of that promise? We don't know, but we're certainly pulling for it. Having Chloe Sevigny come into our living rooms every week isn't a bad thing at all, especially if she's hunting down Serial Killers while doing so.

Watch the Pilot Episode on Amazon Instant Video HERE before it airs, or just wait and check it out Monday night at 10, on A&E. Either way, it's definitely worth a watch.

B

We love us some Chloe Sevigny around here. She's gorgeous and talented, and she's just quirky enough to stand out amongst her acting peers. She's probably a bit crazy too, but we're fine with that.