Stylish and thrilling, dark comedic drama Killing Eve is back for a fourth and final season - and it’s set to kill it in the ratings.
Eve, played by Sandra Oh, is now on a revenge mission against The Twelve, while assassin Villanelle, played by Jodie Comer, has found religion. Or so she’d have us believe… But what has led us here? Who are the big players?
And what will it take to bring these women back into each other’s orbit?
Here is all you need to know. The show kicks off tomorrow on BBC1.
Killing Eve may not be as shocking or impactful as its first season, but this juggernaut is still a unique and compelling spectacle that deserves a hallowed place in TV history.
Critics are saying the comic spy drama is no longer as thrilling. But let me tell you why it actually is.
Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh as anti-heroes Villanelle and Eve remain two of the most engaging actors of our time. Their characters – a downtrodden MI6 agent and a female assassin, both changed by each other – have become iconic.
Their relationship, still unclear, fizzes with sexual chemistry – and I would bet even the naysayers will tune in to find out what happens.
Famed for its grisly set-piece murders, this season shows no signs of stopping. Eve, newly menacing and trigger-happy, will stop at nothing to track down The Twelve.
And Villanelle, gloriously angelic in her quest for salvation, is struggling with the notion of God – as demonstrated by a jaw-dropping scene of attempted murder.
This show also remains incredibly funny. “May the Lord make you truly thank me,” prays Villanelle. Her outfits don’t wow as much, but a devout Christian life will do that.
Elsewhere, Carolyn is forced to judge sandcastles, Konstantin enjoys a head massage and Villanelle plays Jesus in drag in a scene that only Killing Eve could get away with.
It’s a kick-ass, funny, feminist love story and I for one will be dead set on watching this final act.
Obsession
The mutually obsessive relationship between Eve and Villanelle lies at the heart of the show. It’s actually a (dysfunctional) love story.
Their twisted infatuation has been ever-present, with chemistry that’s through the roof even though they can’t work out their feelings. Even the actors have said they don’t put a label on it.
It started with Eve enjoying the thrill of the hunt for Villanelle, while Eve reminded Villanelle of a former lover.
By the end of season one, they confessed their obsession in Paris, then Eve stabbed Villanelle and fled.
At the end of season two, Eve rejected Villanelle’s plan for them to run away, so Villanelle shot her, leaving her for dead.
Last we saw, they made a pact to walk away from each other… forever.
Sexually tense scenes have included face-slapping, a dangerous dinner date, THAT dance – and a kiss on a bus.
Production
Fresh, bold and darkly funny, with a global reach, the production values have been slick and stylish throughout.
Different female showrunners for every season have brought something unique, from Phoebe Waller-Bridge penning season one, through Emerald Fennell as head writer for season two, Suzanne Heathcote running season three to Laura Neal now scripting this final act.
The pan-European locations have given Killing Eve an international spy thriller vibe, just like a Bond movie.
Fashion has been a strong focal point on the show (we all want Villanelle’s wardrobe). And even the music seduces – a soaring, sometimes operatic, modern soundtrack.
Not many dramas produce a style icon a soundtrack you want to download, as well as a plot led by two complex women.
The Cast
Jodie Comer was catapulted into TV’s hall of fame by playing assassin Villanelle – her captivating turn as the multilingual Russian psycho never disappoints.
Sandra Oh plays the deadpan MI5 analyst who is recruited to the foreign intelligence agency MI6 to track down Villanelle and now works in security.
Fiona Shaw is the thoroughly British Carolyn Martens, head of the Russia Section at MI6 – Eve’s boss – until it all went wrong. She’s now a cultural attaché.
Kim Bodnia and his infamous cackle shine as Konstantin Vasiliev, Villanelle’s handler.
Watch out for Camille Cottin, below right, who plays Helene, a high-ranking member of The Twelve, while Anjana Vasan is cast as Pam, Helene’s newest assassin recruit.
Robert Gilbert is turning heads as Yusuf, Eve’s colleague and lover, while Edward Bluemel, middle right, plays Hugo Tiller, one of Eve’s annoying MI6 associates.
And who plays Jesus in episode one, with gold boots and paper halo? You must see Jodie’s drag act to believe it.
The Plot
It’s complicated – and the plot is secondary to the outfits. Villanelle is still an assassin, although she’s now trying to be a better person. Why?
Because of her love for Eve. She’s found religion and desperately wants Eve to attend her baptism.
Eve is also in a very different place. She’s broken away from MI6 in her revenge mission against The Twelve (big bad murderous villains who infiltrate the government and organisations) who killed her assistant Kenny. She’s also got a new fella, Yusuf.
She has a lead – Helene – and needs to track her down. She’s also way more badass. Check out her entrance on a motorbike shooting a gun.
Having been relegated to an embassy role, Carolyn wants back in the game. She’s killed ex-colleague and Twelve villain Paul (Steve Pemberton, left).
Eve and Villanelle walked away from each other last season, but we can expect they will be sucked back into each other’s destructive vortex.
Burning Questions
Before the (dead) end of this show, we need answers. The big one is what will happen to Eve and Villanelle?
Will they shack up together, taking their rottweiler for country walks in matching Fair Isle jumpers?
Perhaps a Romeo and Juliet tragedy – one kills the other, then kills themselves. In episode one, Eve and Villanelle catch sight of each other through a fish tank. It could be a clue because it is a nod to Baz Luhrmann’s movie adaptation of the Shakespeare play.
Based on episode one (already on BBC iPlayer ), we’d also like to know how on earth Konstantin is now a mayor. And why has Carolyn ended up judging sandcastles as a cultural attaché in Majorca?
Will Kenny’s death be avenged? Who are The Twelve and what is their endgame?
Will Villanelle achieve redemption or will she revert to her wicked ways? We secretly hope so... she’s best when she’s bad.
Death Count
Villianelle's inventive and grisly methods of murdering people have left viewers stunned.
She stabbed a millionaire through the eye with a poisoned hairpin in the first episode.
Her perfume caused one target to drop dead, and left another hung, drawn and quartered in a window while dressed in a pig costume.
She snapped a boy’s neck in hospital and castrated ex-MI5 agent Frank, while The Twelve assassin Rhian was shoved in front of a train.
Villanelle even killed her own mother, using the gas stove to blow up the house.
But not all the deaths were by her. Poor Kenny was either pushed or fell off a roof after a confrontation with Konstantin when getting too close to cracking the case of The Twelve.
So who is in danger now? That’ll be everyone.
- Killing Eve, BBC iPlayer Mondays, BBC1 Saturdays.
