Killing Eve: View To A Kill

By: Lisa Steinberg

I will admit that I came in to “Killing Eve” late. So many people commented on why I should be watching that I couldn’t let this show go and decided to make it my mission to catch up on all of the feverish action. Ever since I began my binge, “Killing Eve” has instantly become a twisted itch in my brain, an unquenchable thirst that has absolutely captivated me. A quick, compelling, and clever insane roller coaster ride of emotion and energy, each episode will leave your head spinning, jaw dropped, and every fiber of your being utterly on edge.

BBC America has crafted the most heart pounding high octane masterfully scorching cinematic adventure. Penned by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and based on novellas by Luke Jennings, the series “Killing Eve” focuses on two dramatically different women who may not know it at first but find more than a few things that they have in common. Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) is a pay-grade M15 security officer who lives a mostly quiet desk life, but secretly fantasizes about the life of a spy. Then, there is Villanelle (Jodie Comer) who is an expertly cold killer who takes pride and pleasure in her work and also balances it all with a passion and penchant for luxury that her life of sinuous crime affords her. When some important figureheads come up cold in a brash and callus capacity, Eve involves herself in the investigations. As she inches closer to more information about who is committing these atrocious acts, she becomes entangled in Villanelle’s web and the series takes turn after turn where the viewer isn’t quite sure which one of these women is the spider and which one is the fly. Viewers get a web-side seat while the spider plays with its food before being eaten. The vicious and often sensually seductive dance between Eve and Villanelle is provocative, poignant and crushingly powerful.

Every Sunday night is a thrill ride with Comer’s dynamic delivery and the exhilarating angst. Comer is exquisitely paired with the stunning Sandra Oh and she makes each episode a terrifying treat. Jodie’s facial expressions as Villanelle alone should win her all of the awards. From comedy to cutting she never disappoints. You fall harder for her with all the expression she conveys in her eyes alone. The inflections in her eyes are part of the layers she lends to the role. She can be mysterious, vulnerable, sexy, cocky, sly, etc. You become instantly sucked into her world and who she portrays herself to be by looking right in her eyes. Comer’s Villanelle is a chameleon who can draw you in with her disarming charm and sting you savagely the next second with her breathtaking brutality. Her dynamic delivery is brilliant! Villanelle is like a siren luring you in and you can’t help but heed her call even knowing certain death is about to trap you in its grasp. You don’t even mind because dying at such a lovely hand would be such sweet sorrow.

Eve’s insatiable quest to uncover Villanelle’s secrets and what is behind her diabolical deviousness is a driving force. Sandra Oh is sublime. Watching her as Eve tries to process each new bit of information she unmasks is like an art form. Her wide eyes never stop exploring and hunting for what truth lies beneath the surface. She may not like what she finds, but she is a woman determined to come face to face with truth, lies, and anything in between. Oh makes each episode feel like you are a fly on the wall along for every heart pounding and exhilarating uncovering. She’ll tickle you one moment with a disarming sassy quip, but then sear you with her blinding bitterness. As trouble begins to brew, Eve jumps in knee deep and worries about the details after. When Eve sets her mind to something, there is absolutely no stopping her. Villanelle isn’t just an obsession with her, she might just be a desperate desire.

Fiona Shaw as Eve’s boss Carolyn Martens is a tickle and a simultaneously shifty. You don’t know whether to trust Carolyn or treat her like just another threat. Part of what drives this series too is that you truly do not know who to trust and anyone you do trust should be held under a microscope and at arm’s length. Carolyn has been an ally pushing Eve in her pursuit of Villanelle, but she might have underestimated Eve’s constant craving to scratch at every surface that propels her always forward never back. Carolyn has friends in high places and Eve may find her head barely above water when the fallout of her discoveries for what her boss has been hiding hit the fan.

They say keep your friends close and your enemies even closer, but in this series friend vs foe is not so easily defined. Details that may seem insignificant somehow have an insurmountable intrigue that the viewer could never even imagine. These richly complex characters may start out as formidable foes, but by the end of the season anything and anyone may go. This show is a head trip and pushed both characters and audience to the edge. Every episode the twists are thrown at you ten-fold. As Eve gets closer to uncovering information about her own employers that she never expected, Villanelle sinks deeper under Eve’s skin. The build swells and you find yourself holding your breath, incapable of processing the exhilarating crescendo that’s coming and you can’t calm down or keep your head together. Both Eve and Villanelle have so many multi-dimensions to their characters that will flip your view and turn plot lines on their heads. Every kill for Villanelle is like an art form, you can’t help being drawn in by how violent and they are. Polarizing and conniving, you won’t be able to binge this series just once. Each time you watch you notice a new glint, clue or quirk that will have you holding your breath incapable of processing every tempestuous cool and calculated moment.

As the “Killing Eve” season finale looms over us, this catch-me-if-you-can femme fatal forward series shocking showdown will leave you floored and flustered. What’s coming tonight is guaranteed to hit you hard while feeling like the Cheshire cat has got your tongue. Tune in and be ready to be hooked.