Quick and Dirty: Killing Eve (2018-), BBC America

I first came across Killing Eve while watching a panel with Sandra Oh at the Sundance Film Festival 2017. It is her first lead role in a TV series. Ever. You may know Sandra Oh from Grey’s Anatomy.

And as I watched the first 4 episodes of Killing Eve I honestly considered watching Grey’s too just because of her impeccable acting and timing in delivering her lines. She really is brilliant and so is her character Eve Polastri.

Eve is a „frustrated at her job“ MI5 officer. Her arc nemesis and main antagonist of „Killing Eve“ is the sociopathic assassin Villanelle. The two women begin to track down each other and it just takes two minutes til they’re obsessed with their new hobby. gay.

As it turns out Villanelle’s killing spree across the world has gained so much attention within secret government agencies that no one expects it to be a female killer for hire. Except for Eve. She is relentless – and as I observed it so much of a closeted lesbian even her colleague Bill (who by the way has a wonderful backstory and is a great example of portraying healthy and supporting relationships between men and women) is getting suspicious. The gay in „Killing Eve“ is both subtle and canon text in your face which I like very much so far. Although the show is navigating treacherous terrain with a bisexual sociopathic killer and dead gays within the first 4 episodes, its excellent writing and formidable acting makes it not only digestible but intriguing, exciting even. Villanelle’s character is chilling, her actions are terrifying. And here you are, rooting for her anyway because you know violent women how can they ever be bad?, because there is so much more to her story and it’s revealed in small pieces like her facial expressions.

I cannot not mention Elena and Carolyn in this tiny review. The latter is a superior at MI6 who recruits Eve to find Villanelle and the former is Eve’s assistant. So you got four female main(!) characters who pass the Bechdel Test with every word they speak. And if you are not convinced yet please do yourself a favor and watch the trailers below. And then watch Killing Eve.