 Starring Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, Killing Eve centers on two women: Eve (Oh) is a bored, whip-smart, pay-grade MI5 security officer whose desk-bound job doesn't fulfill her fantasies of being a spy. Villanelle (Comer) is a mercurial, talented killer who clings to the luxuries her violent job affords her. Penned by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) and based on the novellas by Luke Jennings, Killing Eve will follow these two women, equally obsessed with each other, as they go head to head in an epic game of cat and mouse. Storyline: Eve is a bored, whip-smart security services operative whose desk-bound job doesn't fulfil her fantasies of being a spy. Villanelle, is a talented killer who clings to the luxuries her violent job affords her. These two fierce women, equally obsessed with each other, will go head to head in an epic game of cat and mouse, toppling the typical spy-action thriller. ------- Disc 1 1.01 Nice Face - Psychopathic Villanelle—a young and prolific assassin—leaves a trail of high profile murders across several countries including Italy. MI5 officer Eve Polastri connects a new assassination in Vienna to a series of such killings which she has been researching on her own time. Though her theory that the assassin is a woman is dismissed by her superiors, Eve's unauthorised interview with the only witness confirms it. The witness is murdered while in a hospital in London, along with a nurse and two guards, causing MI5 to fire Eve and Bill. Impressed by Eve, Carolyn Martens, head of the Russia Section of MI6, recruits her for an off-the-books assignment to track the killer. 1.02 I'll Deal With Him Later - Following her assignment in Bulgaria, Villanelle's handler Konstantin is concerned about her increasing recklessness on the job. He also informs her that a covert MI6 task force, led by Eve, is investigating her string of assassinations. Eve realises that a nurse she saw at the hospital before the murders may be the killer and recruits Elena and Bill as her assistants. Villanelle forms a relationship with her neighbour Sebastien and carries out another murder, of a successful parfumier, at a dinner party in Paris. 1.03 Don't I Know You? - Villanelle lures Eve to Berlin by using Eve's name while committing another murder, and trails Eve as she investigates it. Eve's associate Bill Pargrave spots Villanelle and follows her to a nightclub. Before Eve can get to him, Villanelle stabs Bill repeatedly, killing him. 1.04 Sorry Baby - Konstantin punishes Villanelle for her recent unpredictable behaviour by making her work with two other operatives: Nadia and Diego. The three are to assassinate Frank Haleton, Eve's former MI5 boss, who Eve has discovered is a mole. Eve and Elena rush to Frank's rescue, while Villanelle manipulates Nadia into killing Diego, and runs Nadia over with her car. ------- Disc 2 1.05 I Have a Thing About Bathrooms - Eve and Carolyn get Frank to a safe house, and he tells them that he is being paid by a shadow organization "The Twelve", who use Villanelle for purposeful destabilization. There are hints that Elena and Kenny may have a romantic relationship. Villanelle breaks into Eve's home to talk to her, and takes her phone, which Villanelle uses to track down Frank at the safe house and kill him. Konstantin tells Villanelle that Nadia is alive and has to be killed before she can be questioned by anyone. -- The New York Times named Episode 5 the #4 best TV Episode of 2018, and Time magazine named it #8 best TV episode of 2018. 1.06 Take Me to the Hole! - Eve and Carolyn track down Nadia to a Moscow prison, and are allowed to speak to her due to Carolyn's camaraderie with two Russian Intelligence officers, one of whom is Konstantin. Eve and Carolyn offer Nadia a deal, but before she can accept, she's killed by Villanelle, whom Konstantin had transferred into the prison for that purpose. 1.07 I Don't Want to Be Free - Eve investigates Anna, Villanelle's former teacher with whom she had a deep relationship before Villanelle killed her husband. Villanelle is broken out from prison, meets her new handler and is given her next target: Konstantin. Villanelle breaks into Konstantin's home but he escapes. Eve discovers that Carolyn secretly met Villanelle at the prison earlier that day, before she escaped. 1.08 God, I'm Tired - Konstantin goes to Carolyn and Eve for help, confessing that Villanelle is after him. Eve and Konstantin have a confrontation with Villanelle in a cafe; Villanelle shoots Konstantin and escapes. Carolyn fires Eve from MI6, but Eve independently tracks down Villanelle to her Paris apartment. The pair confess their mutual obsession with each other, following which Eve stabs Villanelle and Villanelle flees. ------------------------------Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Randy Miller III, April 24, 2019 Does Killing Eve, a BBC series that just started its second season earlier this month, qualify as a cat-and-mouse thriller if both leads are cats? Developed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag) and based on the Codename Villanelle book series by Luke Jennings, it stars Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri, a suppressed MI5 officer who connects a recent string of bloody murders to an as-yet-unknown assassin. In Eve's mind, this killer is believed to be female with psychotic tendencies -- a tiny fraction of documented cases, ignoring "crazy ex-girlfriend" stereotypes -- but stuffy supervisor Frank Haleton (Darren Boyd) disagrees. There aren't many in her corner aside from dutiful husband Niko (Owen McDonnell), but Eve's suspicions are confirmed by the sole witness of a recent murder in Vienna that follows similar patterns. Nonetheless, Eve's rule-breaking investigation of said witness earn her an immediate dismissal, along with her young assistant Elena Felton (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) and like-minded associate Bill Pargrave (David Haig). Almost unwittingly, the three form a rogue partnership under the direction of MI6 operative Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw), who takes notice of Eve's good instincts, and they pursue the mysterious female suspect known only as "Villanelle" (Jodie Comer). Of course, we know the suspect is trouble from Killing Eve's opening scene, in which Villanelle purposefully knocks a little girl's ice cream sundae right into her lap. It's an unexpected but laughably over-the-top moment that's next to dog-kicking and nun-punching in the Beginner's Guide to Writing Villains, which doesn't exist but would be a fun read. Villanelle, whose name is the show's second eye-rolling hurdle to overcome, is depicted as a completely off-balance and unhinged individual, but her disturbing behavior thankfully isn't glamorized as Killing Eve's story unfolds. We get a few flashes of sympathetic behavior, as well as hints of her past extrapolated from Villanelle's conversations with handler Konstantin Vasiliev (Kim Bodnia)...but we also get an equal amount of crocodile tears. For better or worse, she's placed on nearly equal footing with Eve herself, a protagonist whose only apparent flaw is an infatuation with the abject chaos that Villanelle brings into her otherwise ordinary life. If only the assassin's social graces didn't resemble a dumpster fire -- or she hadn't murdered more than a half-dozen people in cold blood -- things might be different. Despite the series' borderline embarrassing collection of thriller clichés -- on-the-nose psychological profiles, perfectly executed crimes, "enhanced" surveillance footage, and even an expert hacker -- Killing Eve, like the assassin herself, avoids punishment for its unpredictable nature, take-no-prisoners attitude, international destinations, and the early revelation that Villanelle is just as infatuated with Eve, if not more so. This is hardly new territory for psychological thrillers (and perhaps most similar to the relationship between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs), but it's pulled off in a way that doesn't feel as telegraphed as it sounds on paper. All the warning signs of this mutual attraction can be spotted along the way, from Villanelle's near-captures to the gradual disintegration of Eve's marriage and personal life, but no one is safe once the story narrows its focus as both sides gradually converge. So while Killing Eve's pulpy subject matter make it much more "guilty" than "pleasure", it's still an extremely entertaining ride that carves out its own identity long before this first season's eight episodes wrap up. The performances, music, and cinematography are all first-rate. Still, its more clichéd elements can't be ignored no matter how entertaining...so at the very least, the recently-started second season will hopefully shed some of this excess baggage. At this point, BBC's two-disc Blu-ray release of Killing Eve: Season One primarily exists for those who, like myself, showed up a little late to the party. Since the series is only three episodes into its second season (as of this writing), it's easy enough to get caught up via binge-watching, as the non-stop twists and turns make Killing Eve a solid -- if not slightly overwhelming -- candidate for back-to-back viewing. Featuring a great A/V presentation and an assortment of brief but welcome behind-the-scenes featurettes, it's a low-priced package that'll get you up to speed in no time. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's TV adaptation of Killing Eve is equal parts sophisticated, globe-trotting psychological thriller and pulp-filled black comedy, and even its most glaring genre clichés aren't troublesome enough to sink the ship. At a lean and mean 42 minutes apiece, these eight episodes remain entertaining through their many twists and turns, with the obvious disclaimer that there's room for improvement during future seasons. The story, performances, music, and cinematography are all quite good and, for many, will be more than enough reason to keep watching. In the meantime, BBC Video's Blu-ray treatment of this first season combines an excellent A/V presentation with a few lightweight but appreciated behind-the-scenes featurettes. It's recommended to established fans and curious newcomers alike. [CSW] -5.0- One of the quirkiest shows with straight faced British humor imbedded in it. Sandra Oh is wonderful, as is all the cast in this brilliant show - but why didn't Jodie Comer (Villanelle) win the Golden Globe? Honestly, she is the best villain in my memory of TV and movies in my entire life - and in my opinion the star of the show. She's just so wonderfully perfect in this role - animated, funny, scary; you name it. Such an entertaining series - kudos to all involved! [V4.5-A4.0] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box Cast Notes: Sandra Oh (Eve Polastri [17 episodes, 2018-2019]), Jodie Comer (Villanelle [17 episodes, 2018-2019]), Fiona Shaw (Carolyn Martens [15 episodes, 2018-2019]), Kim Bodnia (Konstantin [14 episodes, 2018-2019]), Owen McDonnell (Niko Polastri [14 episodes, 2018-2019]), Sean Delaney (Kenny Stowton /....[13 episodes, 2018-2019]), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (Elena Felton [7 episodes, 2018]). IMDb Rating (05/21/19): 8.3/10 from 39,065 users
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