The mystery of AMC’s The Killing is almost solved going into this Sunday’s first season finale at 10pm, but that’s not the end of the story. Today AMC officially renewed the show for a second season, but what that will look like is still confusing.

For now, however, viewers are left wondering whether or not Darren Richmond killed Rosie. Linden and Holder might think he did, but are they right?

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In the penultimate episode, all signs pointed to mayoral candidate Darren Richmond, who Linden discovered is Orpheus, the scary escort service patron who talked to a woman about what it’s like to drown. That’s quite incriminating, but on The Killing, I’ve learned never to assume anything.

I suspect there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for his creepy Orpheus act. We know the anniversary of Richmond’s wife’s death was two weeks ago, just before Rosie’s murder, and if she drowned (perhaps the drunk driver smashed her car into a lake), maybe he was just trying to understand what it felt like for her and he wasn’t trying to scare the escort. Of course, that doesn’t explain why his Beau Soleil account happened to be closed the night of Rosie’s death.

All season long, there have been obvious suspects who turned out to be completely innocent, and I suspect Darren Richmond falls in that camp, especially since I hope he wouldn’t be so stupid as to use a car from his own campaign.

So who killed Rosie? We’ll find out in the season finale, but given the new ties to the campaign, it looks like it has to be one of two people.

Tom Drexler: I know Richmond is a bigger fish, but the cops seemed to dismiss billionaire Tom Drexler way too easily. The man has a fondness for young girls (as we learned from his hallway ceiling swimming pool), and he has a history of cocaine abuse and domestic violence. Just because Drexler isn’t Orpheus doesn’t mean he’s innocent.

Gwen Eaton: For me, the biggest clue came when Darren talked to the reporter about how his dead wife was the reason for his success. Gwen, Richmond’s advisor and lover, had a disgusted and angry look on her face. It signaled a severe jealous streak, and if Gwen knew about Richmond’s call girl services (she could’ve easily found information on his computer while staying over), it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that she snapped and killed one of his other girls. Her easy access to Richmond’s home could also mean that she deleted the Orpheus account to cover her tracks.

There’s still a possibility that all of the Beau Soleil stuff is another misdirection, but I think it’s a little late in the season to completely shake things up. Still, I’m excited to see how the show wraps things up, but more importantly, I’m curious to see if there’s any set-up for a potential second season.

There’s also the biggest mystery of all: Why book a recognizable actor like Battlestar Galactica‘s Tahmoh Penikett in such a minor role as Linden’s ex-husband? His scene was far too brief for an actor like him, so I fully expect a lot more from that storyline. It would also be great to see him meet Linden’s current fiance, if only because they’re both played by BSG alums.

(Image courtesy of AMC)

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