Killing Eve – Season One

When I watched the pilot of Killing Eve last week, I wondered if the show could possibly sustain its brilliance for eight full episodes. Let me give you the answer straight up: it most certainly can!

Oh My Villain

I know I said Sandra Oh was good in the pilot, but she’s even more impressive across the entire season. Her character, Eve Polastri, is an MI5 agent who is hellbent on tracking down a psychopathic serial killer called Villanelle, and although she’s not physically strong, she’s immensely resourceful and cunning. That makes Eve a really badass heroine to root for, and Oh is immediately excellent as the show’s lead (she spent a decade as a supporting character on Grey’s Anatomy).

As the unstable assassin in question, Jodie Comer is the show’s MVP. She gets a diverse range of material to play throughout the season, and her dialogue is peppered with dark humor (yes the show can be exceptionally funny at times). The casting department really knocked this one out of the park, because the dynamic between both women is one I’d genuinely love to watch for many years to come.

You’ll Never See It Coming

The best thing about Killing Eve is that it’s just so darn unpredictable. The show really goes places you don’t expect both in terms of plot twists, but dialogue as well. Although we’ve seen the cat and mouse game countless times before, the chase is employed in a uber creative manner. It helps that the first season is only eight episodes – like the best TV of the past few years (Big Littles Lies, The Night Of), that means there’s absolutely no filler here. Just forward momentum and a whole lot of thrills.

A Furious Finale

Skip this paragraph if you haven’t watched the season because I will spoil everything.
The show makes a lot of bold moves in the span of a couple of episodes: both Frank and Bill are shockingly killed (I expected at least the former to stick around forever), while Carolyn (beautifully played by Fiona Shaw) is revealed to be far from innocent. It all culminates in a gamechanger of a finale. Not only does the final hour hilariously introduce Konstantine’s daughter (please come back next year), but we get one heck of a face-off between Eve and Villanelle. The bedroom scene in which the duo confess their mutual obsession is a complex beast that’s beautifully scripted and performed. The climax with the stabbing is also an absolute jawdropper, and it perfectly sets the stage for a hopefully spectacular sophomore season. Fingers crossed the show maintains this quality.

Conclusion

A weird and wickedly clever debut season that’s packed with shocking twists and delightful performances. Highly recommended.

Nad Rating
A+