The classic tale of assassin v agent is getting a bit dull. We've seen it countless times before where the likes of Bond or Bourne manage to catch their killer in an all too perfect setting and gets away with a few cuts and bruises only adding to their rugged macho manner. But courtesy of Fleabag's very own Pheobe Waller-Bridge and the Codename Villanelle novels penned by Luke Jennings, BBC's latest eight-episode drama is a brilliantly sharp female-focused spy thriller. Oh, and it's accompanied by everybody's favourite ingredient, seriously dark humour!
Killing Eve follows the lives of two strong females, subsequently passing the Bechdel test with flying colours. Our antagonist Villanelle (Doctor Foster's Jodie Comer) is a young yet charming psychopathic assassin, who loves killing so much that she stashes her bullets next to her tampons. On the flip side, our protagonist is Eve Polastri (Grey's Anatomy's Sandra Oh) a bright but bored MI5 agent who does more paper-pushing than the exciting espionage you'd expect, and she dreams of.
The show starts with a bang (or should I say bloodshed?). Following the murder of a Russian sex-trafficking politician on the weekend, Eve makes a £20 bet with her co-worker and chum, Brian, after getting a hunch that the murderer was female, or a "small breasted psycho" to be precise. After taking matters into her own hands, with disastrous consequences, she gets fired by her "dickswap" boss Frank; a gangly slightly-awkward fella who delivers great one-liners throughout. "Turns out people are still murderous bastards on the weekends”. Eve is quickly snapped up by higher forces (yes you've guessed it, MI6) who recruit her to track down the deadly assassin. Villanelle and Eve soon learn of each other's existence and start a 'catch me if you can' style hunt chasing each other all over Europe and subsequently become obsessed with one another.
Jodie Comer is undoubtedly the shining star. Although some will already be used to her talent, for many, Killing Eve will both put Jodie Comer on the map and set her up for an illustrious acting career. Despite the whole killing fiasco, Comer's performance will make you want to be Villanelle's best buddy. A cool persona matched with quick wit can turn any blood-thirsty villain into a very likeable character.
But let's not leave Sandra Oh in the shadows. It can be hard for actors to disassociate themselves when they've played such an iconic character in the past (David Tennant will always be the Doctor in my eyes), but Killing Eve has opened Oh to a whole new audience. Oh is consistently excellent and provides a killer performance throughout while anchoring the show and providing a lot of comical genius. Earlier this year, Oh was also nominated for an Emmy in the Lead Actress category which has paved the way for many Asian Actors, a group who are often unrepresented within the industry.
A special mention, however, goes to Yuli Lagodinsky who plays Irina, a young girl that villanelle kidnaps in the height of the storyline. Irina's mockery and lack of fear towards Villanelle after being abducted are priceless. The assassin certainly meets her match in the form of the 12-year-old which results in a screaming match in the middle of nowhere when trying to get a lift. "WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING?", "I WILL KILL YOU", "I WILL KILL YOU".
The music played throughout the series fits seamlessly into the show while giving it a special touch. Similar to the songs from Tim Buton's Coraline, the melodies are calming with an eerie undertone helping the audience to delve into the thoughts of the characters. In the first episode, Villanelle does what she does best and murders somebody with a hairpin, the lyrics "I had to kill you / I’m really sorry / I had to do it” start to play as a smile grows on her face from ear to ear.
If you're having withdrawal symptoms over The Bodyguard, Killing Eve is the show to watch next. Much like Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, the series has put a spin on the classic hide and seek style spy drama's but has still maintained the serious Sherlock-esque storyline. Comer and Oh's relationship is much like that of fish and chips, simply perfect together. Although series one ends on a cliff-hanger, leaving us questioning what happens next, there is one thing I'm certain of. I spy a masterpiece!
Killing Eve is on BBC One every Saturday, or if you can't wait that long, in true Netflix style, the entire series is available to binge on iPlayer.
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