Is it Hard to be Bad?

Killing Eve

BBCAmerica

Grade: A-

Not if you practice.

I started watching Killing Eve just to check out Sandra Oh’s Emmy nominated performance and wound up with another television show I binged through. Granted there’s only eight episodes but still. For me whenever I finish a show that’s a plus!

Killing Eve is based on the Codename Villanelle books by Luke Jennings. The show was developed and written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

Villanelle (Jodie Comer) is an extremely talented assassin and psychopath whose kills are getting more brazen and targets more important. She draws the attention of bored MI5 Agent Eve (Sandra Oh) already interested in female serial killers. When Eve gets assigned to work the case not only do we have a spy and conspiracy show but an obsession develops between both hunter and hunted.

Despite the typical elements the cast and the writing really make the show worth your time. I also loved the different settings. Villanelle is all over the place and we get to travel with her.

I have to admit it was interesting to see a show where both typical parts are played by women.

I really liked Villanelle (of course) but Jodie Comer is great in the role. And they don’t hold back on her. She likes killing people. She likes watching them die. She takes pride in her work and in a lot of cases playing with her victims. Eve looks for a what happened to her? But the implication is nothing as she tells someone at one point this is what she wants, “Cool flat, nice things, fun job.”

She’s living her dream and she’s good at it. Comer is adorable and fun you could buy the hey, we could be friends but there are also a couple of moments in episode three, four and the prison episodes particularly where she’s quiet terrifying and really sells it with just a look and change of expression.

As Eve becomes more obsessed though she’s harder to like. And Sandra Oh is great here she also completely doesn’t hold anything back. I had to ask myself why is it so hard to root for her? Especially since I wasn’t technically rooting for Villanelle.

I think they kind of missed a beat with her marriage. Yeah her husband is a typical nice guy and she’s bored but at no point could I find him unreasonable and I actually don’t remember her ever worrying about his safety as he does hers. I liked the reversal of roles there and him worrying about her safety so when she hauls off and hits him during a fight it rubbed me the wrong way.

Her actions often become more and more dangerous not just to her but other people yet they still tend to follow her. It’s human. It’s realistic as crap and Oh does it so very well.

I think that’s what really carries an otherwise basic premise. The back and forth of the two personalities, excellent acting (loved Fiona Shaw as Eve’s boss Carolyn) and a what’s going to happen next as the obsessions ramp up.

Check it out and if it captures your attention like it did mine it’s a super fast watch and I’m looking forward to season two.

*I do want to add a trigger warning with the usual murder, mayhem and violence there’s also a suicide. We do see it and then we see the body so be warned of that in the last episode.

Recommend: Yes.