Summary
Just over two years after the show came to a close, Jodie Comer looks back on the end ofKilling Eve, reflecting on the divisive impact of Villanelle’s fate. Based on Luke Jenning’s novel series, the BBC thriller followed the complex game of cat and mouse between Comer’s eccentric assassin and Sandra Oh’s MI5 operative Eve Polastri. Spanning four seasons,Killing Evesaw the pairgrapple between being bitter enemies to complex allies, uncovering secret organizations that involve many faces from throughout their lives.
With over two years passing sinceKilling Evecame to a conclusion, Comer opened up toThe Playlist’sThe Discoursepodcast about her thoughts on where the series left Villanelle. While the star accepted there had been viewers left upset by Villanelle’s death, Comer celebrated the work of those involved and explained how she felt the storyline remained faithful to the character’s trajectory, but thanked fans for their support. Check out Comer’s explanation below:
I know there were a lot of upset fans. And look, everyone who was on that show worked on that show for four years and put so much into it. I think [Villanelle] was like a cat with nine lives. And it felt like it was always gonna catch her in the end. And I’m very moved and touched that the fans have connected so much to it that the response to her dying was very visceral and not what they wanted.
Villanelle’s Death IsKilling Eve’s Biggest Missed Opportunity
Despite coming from two vastly different worlds, Villanelle and Eve’s dynamic was a key draw for many viewers, keeping them engaged across 32 episodes and guessing whether the pair could enter a healthier relationship, or whether their dynamic would end in blood and tears. Each character offered one another something they desired in life, be it an escape from the boredom Villanelle found herself trapped in, while Eve is given the opportunity to be more outgoing and vocal. While the freedoms they offered one another weren’t always executed healthily,Killing Eveseason 4’s controversial endingprovided a sudden, somewhat jarring conclusion.
Killing Eve Season 5 Needs To Happen To Save The Show’s Legacy
The final season of Killing Eve neglects to give justice to its themes and story arcs with an unsatisfying resolution only a season 5 can fix.
WhileKilling Eve’s final episode, “Hello, Losers”, would see the couple find long-awaited common ground and bring the Twelve to their end, Villanelle is struck down by sniper fire and Eve is left traumatized. With both women finding happiness only to lose it by the show’s end, the season’s creators quickly were accused of perpetuating the “Bury Your Gays” trope. Though Comer and Oh defend the ending as an inevitability and season showrunner Laura Neal likened it to Eve’s rebirth, the sudden ending doesn’t allow the show to fully unpack the ramifications and unpack just whether this journey left the desired effect on Eve.
Though two years have passed sinceKilling Eve’s final episodeaired, discussions about its conclusion remain heated. As more shows have been released since that focus on equally dysfunctional queer relationships, Villanelle and Eve’s end continues to further stand out as a wasted opportunity. While Comer stands firm with her reading of Villanelle’s fate, it is clear the star understands why viewers may have been left dissatisfied and are nevertheless grateful for their passionate embrace of her eccentric assassin.
Killing Eveis available on Netflix and AMC+.
Killing Eve
Cast
Killing Eve is a black comedy thriller series starring Sandra Oh as British intelligence officer Eve Polastri who is assigned to track and capture a dangerous assassin named Villanelle, played by Jodie Comer. Bored with her life, Eve finds herself hired by an undercover MI6 division tasked with tracking down Villanelle - who, after just a brief time studying and following her, she becomes obsessed with her. However, the obsession becomes mutual as soon the two enter a game of cat and mouse that deviates them from their missions as they venture to learn more about one another.
