Killing Eve Season 1 Review

Based on a series of novellas by Luke Jennings the BBC’s Killing Eve was considered one of the best TV shows of 2018, including by our own Jean Henegan. But did it live up to the praise?

Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) is an American-born British intelligence officer who’s tasked to find a skilled but sadistic assassin, Villanelle (Jodie Comer). Both women find out about each other’s existence and soon become obsessed with one another.

Killing Eve was a BBC show that was released in the United States before it was broadcast in the UK. It was developed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge who is better known as an actress who has primarily worked in comedy, which made Killing Eve one of the most unique shows in recent memory.

Waller-Bridge is a talented writer as anyone who has seen Fleabag can testify and Killing Eve is an even better show. Killing Eve comes across like a Shane Black or Coen Brothers story with a British twist. It was a mainstream spy thriller that has a huge amount of black comedy. Like Black and Coen Brothers films Killing Eve is filled with witty dialogue – from Eve and her friend talking about a croissant to a Villanelle and her hander reacting to accidentally killing a man. This is a show that blended serious situations with hilarious moments.

Killing Eve was an international production, it was filmed in London, Paris, Tuscany, and Berlin and Bucharest doubled for Moscow. A fair amount of money was spent on the show considering the location shoots.

The biggest selling point in the show was Jodie Comer as Villanelle. In theory Villanelle should be one of the vilest characters in TV history. She is sadistic who enjoys killing and pain, like with the assassination of an asthma sufferer, and pretends to offer friendship if it serves her purposes. Yet she is weirdly endearing because she has no filter which leads to some hilarious lines and Comer had excellent comedic timing. Ever seen seeing Comer lead the BBC Three miniseries Thirteen I knew she had the talent to become a star and her role in Killing Eve confirms it. I would love to see Waller-Bridge become the next showrunner of Doctor Who with Comer as her Doctor.

Comer does steal the show as Villanelle but she is surrounded by a great cast. Many of them have funny lines, they are just less wacky. Sandra Oh likes to appear in indie films and her role as Eve does offer her a chance to show her range. She is introduced screaming in terror only to reveal her arms have fallen asleep. There are other examples where Oh gives a serious delivery in a serious situation but has a funny line like when Villanelle threatens Eve. Eve faces dramatic events like death and relationship issues.

The focus of the show is the relationship between Eve and Villanelle. Yet their obsession is a small factor to the wider plot involving a mysterious organisation who are killing important figures. The showrunners are clearly going to explore this more in the next season.

Whilst the show is funny and quirky, violence is still treated with gravity. Villanelle’s first assassination is graphic and Eve reacts with shock when she enters into a room after one of the killings. Some of the most effective violent scenes were when Villanelle was in a Russian prison and there is a great moment of humour after the guards discover the blood covered assassin.

Killing Eve is a highly entertaining series thanks to the performances from its leads and Waller-Bridge’s writing team made the show stand out because of the dialogue and dark comedy.