Killing Eve: Don’t I Know You?
April 23, 2018 8:39 AM - Season 1, Episode 3 - Subscribe
When Villanelle kills a Chinese colonel at a kink clinic in Berlin, Eve and Bill travel out to investigate. While Eve and Bill chase up a number of promising leads, Villanelle enjoys the cat-and-mouse of their proximity. But as they draw closer, Eve comes to realize that this is much more than a game.
From twitter but I totally agree: Killing Eve is so good, but this shot — thanks to Jodie Comer and director Jon East — is perfect. Can't remember the last time I made eye contact with a character and felt my blood run cold, mais voila
That whole scene, my god. I love this show.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 12:42 PM on April 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
That whole scene, my god. I love this show.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 12:42 PM on April 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
So I have been loving this show so far, right up till the last 10 minutes or so.
I know these folks are supposed to be desk jockey analysts but my impression of Bill was that he was doing field work when he was in Berlin in the past so he should have known better than to tail so obviously, to run across the street after the mad dash in front of the street car etc...
plus I'm pretty sure he asked Eve to bring the German authorities to the club, not to just show up herself.. what was Eve going to do exactly anyhow? Grab her by the arm and say "you're under arrest, by the authority vested in me by... uh.. hmmm.. I dunno actually, hold on a second, please do not kill me by the way" (she has no official authority even in her own country, being off books and deniable). And I mean then there's the whole classic mistake of having a known official employee doing clandestine field work...sigh.
Realistically, the show should have ended as the titular killing of Eve should have gone down about a minute after Bill's stabbing.
I will keep watching though but they gotta get this sorted out first. Maybe the writers know all this and there this is all part of the plot that they're going to acknowledge next episode. One hopes.
posted by some loser at 3:20 PM on April 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
I know these folks are supposed to be desk jockey analysts but my impression of Bill was that he was doing field work when he was in Berlin in the past so he should have known better than to tail so obviously, to run across the street after the mad dash in front of the street car etc...
plus I'm pretty sure he asked Eve to bring the German authorities to the club, not to just show up herself.. what was Eve going to do exactly anyhow? Grab her by the arm and say "you're under arrest, by the authority vested in me by... uh.. hmmm.. I dunno actually, hold on a second, please do not kill me by the way" (she has no official authority even in her own country, being off books and deniable). And I mean then there's the whole classic mistake of having a known official employee doing clandestine field work...sigh.
Realistically, the show should have ended as the titular killing of Eve should have gone down about a minute after Bill's stabbing.
I will keep watching though but they gotta get this sorted out first. Maybe the writers know all this and there this is all part of the plot that they're going to acknowledge next episode. One hopes.
posted by some loser at 3:20 PM on April 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Oh and also Bill was quite dumb to go into the obvious trap club on his own too.. Keeping eyes on the target is one thing but he shoulda known it was a trap. I saw it coming a mile away, Bill should have too.
posted by some loser at 3:22 PM on April 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by some loser at 3:22 PM on April 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
I found this episode disturbing and disappointing. I was more upset by the murder of the Chinese colonel than any of the previous victims -- not sure if it was because he seemed like a nice guy, or because using someone's kink against them felt especially wrong. I mean, it bothered me more than the guy she shot to death in the cubicle in the previous episode, even though that guy was begging for his life and saying that he had kids.
And then Bill - everything he did at the train station and onwards was just so dumb. He knows Villanelle has succeeded at killing people in plain sight, yet he exposes himself to her at the station? Then follows her to the club with zero backup to walk into the the trappiest of traps? I feel manipulated, and not in a good way.
posted by oh yeah! at 6:19 PM on April 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
And then Bill - everything he did at the train station and onwards was just so dumb. He knows Villanelle has succeeded at killing people in plain sight, yet he exposes himself to her at the station? Then follows her to the club with zero backup to walk into the the trappiest of traps? I feel manipulated, and not in a good way.
posted by oh yeah! at 6:19 PM on April 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
I really like how this show has tried to not make Villanelle into one of those "lovable" serial killer sorts that you root for because you know, the people they're killing totally had it coming! Or something! I like that she is incredibly watchable and charming but she's so devoid of morality. I think her kills are supposed to be disturbing and I appreciate that.
As for why Bill was so foolish, well, I think he was motivated out of an instinct to protect Eve. He already knew Villanelle had been close to Eve -- she had her scarf, she almost got on the train with her -- and yes, following her was foolish, but I think he figured if he did, he'd at least know where she was. He would rather Villanelle kill him than have her kill Eve.
(But I also think he may have thought he was better at his job than he was -- he was long out of practice.)
So I agree there was some stupidity here, but it made sense to me in the context of what the show is trying to say. (But I think it's worth noting that this was not written by Waller-Bridge and I do feel like there was a clear difference.)
posted by darksong at 7:51 PM on April 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
As for why Bill was so foolish, well, I think he was motivated out of an instinct to protect Eve. He already knew Villanelle had been close to Eve -- she had her scarf, she almost got on the train with her -- and yes, following her was foolish, but I think he figured if he did, he'd at least know where she was. He would rather Villanelle kill him than have her kill Eve.
(But I also think he may have thought he was better at his job than he was -- he was long out of practice.)
So I agree there was some stupidity here, but it made sense to me in the context of what the show is trying to say. (But I think it's worth noting that this was not written by Waller-Bridge and I do feel like there was a clear difference.)
posted by darksong at 7:51 PM on April 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
The moment, the very moment that Bill recognized that Villanelle was still in Berlin he should have called off the entire operation.
The team had info that Villanelle is aware of them, they went to Berlin because they believed that she would not be there. They are not the ones to apprehend her, they are there to make a case against her and then bring experts to bring her in or take her out.
Bill would never have followed her. His very bones should have been chilled the moment he confirmed who she was by the scarf. He should have called Eve and extracted her from Berlin that very night.
I like the show, but want less stoopid. Oh and no way does a high end fetish hospital have unvetted substitute torturers.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:37 PM on April 23, 2018 [12 favorites]
The team had info that Villanelle is aware of them, they went to Berlin because they believed that she would not be there. They are not the ones to apprehend her, they are there to make a case against her and then bring experts to bring her in or take her out.
Bill would never have followed her. His very bones should have been chilled the moment he confirmed who she was by the scarf. He should have called Eve and extracted her from Berlin that very night.
I like the show, but want less stoopid. Oh and no way does a high end fetish hospital have unvetted substitute torturers.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:37 PM on April 23, 2018 [12 favorites]
Bill, you stupid fucking idiot.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 3:21 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 3:21 AM on April 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
So I agree there was some stupidity here, but it made sense to me in the context of what the show is trying to say.
I agree! We've been shown over and over how men don't view her as a threat, how she uses that to get close to her targets. This was way sloppier than the other instances, though (so much so that it briefly made me think it was faked to cover up Bill being the mole).
posted by everybody had matching towels at 6:07 AM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
I agree! We've been shown over and over how men don't view her as a threat, how she uses that to get close to her targets. This was way sloppier than the other instances, though (so much so that it briefly made me think it was faked to cover up Bill being the mole).
posted by everybody had matching towels at 6:07 AM on April 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well, at least they made it as clear as humanly possible as early as possible in the episode that he was doomed. Not just joking with his kid -- which arguably could have gone either way -- but, like, three different humanizing, humorous, backstory-providing scenes in the middle of the episode. That's as much a death-knell as when Top Chef suddenly gives you the heartwarming backstory for random chef #7.
posted by chortly at 7:37 PM on April 24, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by chortly at 7:37 PM on April 24, 2018 [9 favorites]
Well that's going in the bury your gays bucket. Very disappointed in this episode, felt like a different show.
posted by Iteki at 10:10 AM on April 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Iteki at 10:10 AM on April 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
Bill was that he was doing field work when he was in Berlin in the past
Rusty. It's a known problem. After being away from thebench field one's skills/ instincts degrade over time but most people still *think* they're near/ at peak performance. It's a kind of hubris.
Bill is also having waaaay too much fun being back in his old stomping grounds (and after a social "win" with a coworker) and that ego boost will definitely degrade one's judgement.
I like the show, but want less stoopid.
I'm not sure its the show - it might just be the character - and the environment/ situation they find themselves in.
I really like how this show has tried to not make Villanelle into one of those "lovable"
!! she's despicable and exploits people's vulnerabilities.
In Charles Stross' 'Laundry Files' series, there's an openly gay couple who can hold security clearance - because they're 'out' and there's joke about how they are obliged to publicly attend annual LGBTQ events (and ensure that the participation is noted) in order to preserve their 'out' status and maintain their fancy security clearances.
My read is that Villanelle (really? Miss Villain?) is truly sociopathic - but that's what makes her so effective at killing. The show takes pains to show how that sociopathy is also a weakness, that which makes her in turn (potentially) vulnerable to being captured.
--
I really liked Bill sharing/ opening up to Eve, in post-baby and post-baby-in-hand-and-have-to-deal-with bliss. David Haig's microexpressions and body language just killed.
The entire exchange was perfect.
This show is like TV porn for competent professionals who don't get enough acknowledgement.
--
Eve and the Chinese Ambassador (?); I'm surprised - pleasantly - that race was never brought up. But then again, given the type of person the ambassador is portrayed as, would a mainlander Chinese when confonting a Chinese-American? (Actually, she's Canadian of Korean descent (both her parents are Korean, don't know it both of them are ethnically Korean - Sandra Oh doesn't have a lot of stereotypical Korean phenotypes, but she's ambiguously Asian to begin with.
posted by porpoise at 8:10 PM on April 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Rusty. It's a known problem. After being away from the
Bill is also having waaaay too much fun being back in his old stomping grounds (and after a social "win" with a coworker) and that ego boost will definitely degrade one's judgement.
I like the show, but want less stoopid.
I'm not sure its the show - it might just be the character - and the environment/ situation they find themselves in.
I really like how this show has tried to not make Villanelle into one of those "lovable"
!! she's despicable and exploits people's vulnerabilities.
In Charles Stross' 'Laundry Files' series, there's an openly gay couple who can hold security clearance - because they're 'out' and there's joke about how they are obliged to publicly attend annual LGBTQ events (and ensure that the participation is noted) in order to preserve their 'out' status and maintain their fancy security clearances.
My read is that Villanelle (really? Miss Villain?) is truly sociopathic - but that's what makes her so effective at killing. The show takes pains to show how that sociopathy is also a weakness, that which makes her in turn (potentially) vulnerable to being captured.
--
I really liked Bill sharing/ opening up to Eve, in post-baby and post-baby-in-hand-and-have-to-deal-with bliss. David Haig's microexpressions and body language just killed.
The entire exchange was perfect.
This show is like TV porn for competent professionals who don't get enough acknowledgement.
--
Eve and the Chinese Ambassador (?); I'm surprised - pleasantly - that race was never brought up. But then again, given the type of person the ambassador is portrayed as, would a mainlander Chinese when confonting a Chinese-American? (Actually, she's Canadian of Korean descent (both her parents are Korean, don't know it both of them are ethnically Korean - Sandra Oh doesn't have a lot of stereotypical Korean phenotypes, but she's ambiguously Asian to begin with.
posted by porpoise at 8:10 PM on April 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
I finally caught up with this show last night. They were telegraphing Bill's death the whole episode, but I was still upset. I liked Eve and Bill's friendship so much! This show is beginning to feel a little Speedrun Hannibal. (R.I.P. Beverly)
posted by grandiloquiet at 1:32 PM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by grandiloquiet at 1:32 PM on April 30, 2018 [6 favorites]
Realistically, the show should have ended as the titular killing of Eve should have gone down about a minute after Bill's stabbing.
I agree that Bill was super obviously a dead idiot from the moment he followed Villanelle out of the station, but I can't agree with this part. Villanelle is obsessed with Eve, she doesn't want to just kill her (yet, anyway) - she wouldn't break her most favoritist new toy just after she got it.
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:41 PM on October 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
I agree that Bill was super obviously a dead idiot from the moment he followed Villanelle out of the station, but I can't agree with this part. Villanelle is obsessed with Eve, she doesn't want to just kill her (yet, anyway) - she wouldn't break her most favoritist new toy just after she got it.
posted by showbiz_liz at 10:41 PM on October 11, 2018 [2 favorites]
The moment, the very moment that Bill recognized that Villanelle was still in Berlin he should have called off the entire operation.
The moment when the team heard that Eve's full name had been used by Villanelle in the clinic. should surely have been a warning to the group that 1) They might have a mole and 2) They might be getting lured into a trap. The group's express task is to find and investigate Villanelle - and only a small number of people know that Eve heads it. The group has only existed for a short time and, prior to that, there was nothing apparently to connect the 2 women. The group may not be trained field agents - but they are supposed to be trained intelligence analysts who could spot such an issue from a great distance.
A much wiser tactic would have been to leak incorrect itinerary information about Eve that would allow Villanelle to intercept it in the hope of luring her into a trap.
posted by rongorongo at 1:11 AM on November 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
The moment when the team heard that Eve's full name had been used by Villanelle in the clinic. should surely have been a warning to the group that 1) They might have a mole and 2) They might be getting lured into a trap. The group's express task is to find and investigate Villanelle - and only a small number of people know that Eve heads it. The group has only existed for a short time and, prior to that, there was nothing apparently to connect the 2 women. The group may not be trained field agents - but they are supposed to be trained intelligence analysts who could spot such an issue from a great distance.
A much wiser tactic would have been to leak incorrect itinerary information about Eve that would allow Villanelle to intercept it in the hope of luring her into a trap.
posted by rongorongo at 1:11 AM on November 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
My read is that Villanelle (really? Miss Villain?)
Villanelle: A French verse form consisting of five three-line stanzas and a final quatrain, with the first and third lines of the first stanza repeating alternately in the following stanzas. These two refrain lines form the final couplet in the quatrain. See “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art,” and Edwin Arlington Robinson’s “The House on the Hill.”
See also: queenofbithynia's delightfully tongue-in-cheek references to Villanelle as 'Sestina' and 'sonnet' in the last episode's thread.
posted by myotahapea at 5:52 AM on April 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
Villanelle: A French verse form consisting of five three-line stanzas and a final quatrain, with the first and third lines of the first stanza repeating alternately in the following stanzas. These two refrain lines form the final couplet in the quatrain. See “Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art,” and Edwin Arlington Robinson’s “The House on the Hill.”
See also: queenofbithynia's delightfully tongue-in-cheek references to Villanelle as 'Sestina' and 'sonnet' in the last episode's thread.
posted by myotahapea at 5:52 AM on April 18, 2019 [2 favorites]
I was finally watching this show, but this episode killed it for me. Bill was inexcusably stupid and it makes no sense. I turned off the show right after the subway scene, because it telegraphed this isn’t going to be a smart show, despite the great characters and performances.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:38 PM on April 23
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 5:38 PM on April 23
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I can't really predict where this show is going to go, or how they'll sustain it. I feel like a lot has happened and we're only three episodes in!
posted by darksong at 10:57 AM on April 23, 2018 [1 favorite]