Spoilers ahead!
Killing Eve first premiered in 2018, written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge following Fleabag’s successful debut, so many of us were desperate to see what she would do next. The first season did not disappoint. The acting and directing were exceptional; however, the sharp script stood out to me. Unfortunately, Waller-Bridge only served as the head writer for the first season and even though I did enjoy Emerald Fennell’s second season, no season has lived up to the work of Waller-Bridge, especially the third, which felt inauthentic in comparison. Although I was hopeful that Sex Education writer Laura Neal would be able to redeem this once-beloved show of mine, I was left feeling almost certain that the final season would be a disappointment.
The purpose of this episode seems to be to show its viewers where the characters are now. Villanelle has found religion, Eve is still searching for the Twelve, Konstantin is now a Russian mayor and Carolyn has been demoted to a job in Mallorca after killing Paul in season 3 and is also still searching for the Twelve. And even though the third season ended with Eve and Villanelle parting ways, the premiere shows that (unsurprisingly) the pair are unable to stay away from each other.
Villanelle spends most of the episode showing us, and trying to show Eve, how she has changed. She is living with a vicar and his daughter, May, and she isn’t a killer anymore, despite killing two characters: May, whom she successfully resuscitates, and May’s cat. She is so desperate to get Eve’s attention and show her that she has changed that she decides to get baptised for this sole reason; however, Eve doesn’t even show up.
In spite of its flaws the series remains as stylish and visually captivating as ever with Villanelle living up to her title as TV’s most stylish assassin by wearing gold thigh-high boots as well as dressing as Jesus and their reunion scene is heavily inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet as the pair first lock eyes through a fish tank. Nonetheless, the script remains lacklustre in comparison with its previous instalments.
The plot remains predictable, and their partnership no longer feels as exciting or passionate as it once did due to the lack of danger between the two that was once so palpable in the first season. The once thrilling cat-and-mouse chase has devolved into a boring narrative that has been unable to recover from the loss of its creator. So, while I will continue watching out of curiosity as to how they decide to wrap up the BAFTA-winning show, it seems unlikely that I will be satisfied with the ending.