Killing Eve was a breath of fresh air when it first landed on our screens in 2018 – so what the hell has happened to season 4?
There is no surprise why the BBC series blew up when it launched – what’s not to like about two fiercely intelligent women on opposing sides of the law becoming deliciously obsessed with each other?
Perfect chemistry pulling in the crowds
A badass Russian assassin and a slightly dorky but adorable British intelligence agent prove that opposites really do attract. From the start, the funny, slick, fast-paced comedy thriller was lapped up by a delighted audience.
In season one, Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer provided the perfect chemistry needed for the show’s main characters, Eve and Villanelle, who brought to life Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s slick TV adaptation. The Fleabag star weaved sharp humour with a hint of sexy into her dramatisation of Luke Jennings’ Villanelle novels.
Killing Eve’s secondary characters were equally as witty and watchable, despite their many shortcomings, such as Villanelle’s slippery handler Konstantin Vasiliev (Kim Bodnia) and Eve’s MI6 boss Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw), who to this day serves up a question mark around her real motivations.
So why, four seasons in, has Killing Eve lost its spark?
Too little Eve with Villanelle
Eve and Villanelle don’t share much screen time but already it’s feeling more like a 30-year marriage where they tolerate each other’s existence, as opposed to the exciting early days of the “relationship” they are yet to pursue.
Killing Eve as a whole perhaps peaked too soon when Eve stabbed Villanelle at the end of season one – coinciding with when Waller-Bridge stepped down as lead writer. While seasons two and three offered a generally solid viewing experience, there was very little else that could prove as shocking as that.
Villanelle’s retaliation shooting of Eve in season two had less of an impact because, well, Villanelle is an assassin. In the final episode of season three, their glance back at each other as they walked away was more anti-climax than climax.
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Desperate moves
Season four, armed with a fourth lead writer, Laura Neal (Sex Education), started well with an explosive opening, but it did not really follow through. The first half of the season was largely slow in pace and, dare we say it, dull in places (so much for setting the chessboard on fire).
The change in lead writers each season has backfired, making the story feel inconsistent in places. This concept sounds cool and fresh, but instead the story has felt a bit disjointed at times, with chaotic character arcs mixed with a whole heap of unresolved tension between the two protagonists.
Additionally, some of the storylines in season four have been downright baffling. Villanelle’s dabble in religion to atone for her sins felt as desperate as her urge to be baptised (“just dunk me!”), and Jesus in Villanelle form tips the scales into over-the-top-weird. Don’t even mention poor Lucifer the cat (RIP).
What’s up with Eve?
Elsewhere, a newly confident Eve verges on annoying.
Hellbent on killing The Twelve, her quest led to a gratuitous kiss between herself and the group’s leader Hélène (Camille Cottin) in a bid to get some names. Eve’s tunnel vision is showing cracks in her brilliance – surely Villanelle would be the perfect person to team up with on this mission?
It’s starting to look like Eve and Villanelle will never unite properly – but let’s be honest, the idea of them riding off into the sunset towards a normal life is laughable.
The filming locations of Killing Eve are varied, but the best parts of the show are when its characters share up-close moments together, regardless of location.
‘Rainbow in beige boots’
The sharp, careful dialogue between Carolyn and Konstantin, the flicker of amusement from Villanelle when she finds out Eve has shot Konstantin in the hand, and the occasional moments of tenderness between the two protagonists, such as when Eve affectionately clothes a naked, injured Villanelle.
Likewise, Villanelle’s “she’s a rainbow in beige boots” comment about Eve to her therapist added reason to her maudlin, while Eve’s scorpion and the frog analogy perhaps explains her resistance to Villanelle’s advances.
All hope’s not lost
Moments like these prove that there is still hope for the show to turn around. In episodes five and six, the season picked up and has given viewers a hope for better things to come.
Villanelle has the glint back in her eye and started helping women free themselves from abusive husbands using her, ahem, talents. She also shared that sweet hug with Konstantin.
Can the Killing Eve finale pull it back?
The flashbacks of the inception of The Twelve also answered some questions – while posing a few more.
Is – or was – the now-deceased Hélène, Carolyn’s daughter? Is there a bigger purpose for The Twelve’s newest recruit, Pam (Anjana Vasan), and assassin Gunn? And, aside from Johan/Lars, who was shot dead by Eve, will The Twelve ever be unmasked?
The season still has two episodes left to turn itself around – not only for the sake of its characters but also for the show’s loyal fans who have patiently stuck with it.
With this in mind, viewers can hope that there is a method to this madness. Maybe the end game is that the show will do exactly what it says on the tin – kill Eve – which would be a bittersweet but solid ending.
Shakespearean ending?
That said, the notion that Villanelle could live without Eve is unlikely – perhaps a Romeo and Juliet scenario is on the cards.
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It is true that ending a series is a difficult task – just look at Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. Tying up all the consecutive stories into a nicely packaged ending that viewers love is no mean feat.
But Peaky Blinders proved that, despite a shaky start to the final season, a series ending can be done in style, leaving a legacy that the show deserves.
One can only hope that Killing Eve will deliver something equally as satisfying.
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Watch Killing Eve on iPlayer or BBC One, Saturday 9.25pm.