Killing Eve wraps its first season with an episode that’s full of thrilling and unexpected surprises.
Given how much Killing Eve loved to play with viewer expectations during its first season, it shouldn’t be shocking that its finale is no different. “God I’m Tired” is a wild, chaotic installment that somehow manages to wrap up several key character threads, land a devastating emotional punch and launch a new chase for season 2. All in the space of an hour!
As much as anything else, the Killing Eve finale is framed as a lover’s argument, as the relationship between Eve and Villanelle once again takes center stage. Sure, there are a few other plot points tided up here and there. But none of them turn out to be as important as we originally expected.
Villanelle kidnaps Konstantin’s daughter before fulfilling her contract and killing him. She also reunites with Anna, but her ex shoots herself in the head during their reunion, because she still can’t bear to harm the woman who took so much from her. Carolyn remains as shady as ever, with no real explanation for the bulk of her actions.
In fact, most of the episode revolves around unexpected duos: Eve and Konstantin, Villanelle and Irina. All before we get to the one we really want. Or, at least, the one we’ve been waiting for three episodes to see again. And it’s all more than worth it, by the time Villanelle and Eve finally come face to face once more.
Much like their first encounter back in “I Have a Thing About Bathrooms,” Eve and Villanelle come face to face twice in this installment. The first time is with guns drawn, as Villanelle attempts to barter Irina for Konstantin, before simply shooting him instead. The second is in Villanelle’s posh Parisian flat, after Eve has completely lost control and destroyed it.
Eve’s descent into… whatever is going on with Eve right now is probably the episode’s most interesting thread, if only because it’s almost impossible to interpret. The conversation between the two women is fascinating, as they both admit to being basically obsessed with one another.
Villanelle’s interest in Eve is clearly sexual, doubtlessly spurred on by the other woman’s obvious fascination with her. But Eve’s interest in Villanelle is… messier. More complicated. There is a definite level of sexual attraction. (It’s impossible to watch that last long scene between the two and not root for them to kiss. I mean, come on.) But Eve’s feelings also seem to go beyond that. She wants to possess Villanelle, or kill her, or be her, or possibly all three at once. It’s not exactly clear. And honestly, that’s part of the beauty of Sandra Oh’s performance here.
Throughout “God I’m Tired,” Eve seems to be unraveling, as her desperation to find Villanelle grows. From her insistence that Carolyn “had had no right to visit Villanelle without asking me” to her decision to follow-up on Elena’s tip about the assassin’s Paris apartment without telling anyone, she’s becoming increasingly reckless with, and possessive of, everything to do with the assassin.
In many ways, it feels as though Eve becomes more and more unstable throughout the course of the episode, just as Villanelle becomes more human. From her buddy comedy-esque interactions with young Irina, to her genuine confession of interest in Eve, Villanelle largely comes off as… kind of normal? Isn’t that bizarre?
Given how many people we’ve seen Villanelle murder this season, it should be impossible to feel sorry for her. And, yet. She clearly has something of the moral high ground at this moment. Her feelings for Eve appear genuine. And it seems obvious she doesn’t plan to hurt the other woman. The same isn’t true in reverse.
Eve’s destruction of Villanelle’s apartment is full of rage, yes, but at what? Is she angry that her obsessive chase cost her a job (twice), a close friend and possibly her husband? Frustrated that she can’t let go of this woman? Or is she angry enough at the state of her own life that she’s jealous of the easy, posh existence Villanelle seems to have? The same confusion colors Eve’s decision to stab Villanelle just as it looks as though the two are about to take their relationship to the next level. Does she do it out of fear? Anger? Revenge? A strange kind of jealousy?
It could be any of those things. Particularly since Eve seems to change her mind about what she did the instant she sees blood. Furthermore, this moment doesn’t feel like justice, it feels — again — like anger. Villanelle obviously has shaken the foundation of Eve’s life, and her own ideas about herself. Perhaps she resents that. Who knows? Every line in this moment — and between these two women, generally is blurred.
The season ends with Villanelle wounded, both in body and spirit. (It seems obvious she believed Eve was on the level with her, prior to the whole stabbing thing.) Eve seems as lost and desperate as ever to find Villanelle again, but to what end? To “fix” their break up? Or finish what she started?
Thankfully, BBC America renewed Killing Eve for a second season before its first ever aired. So we don’t have to spend the summer in agony worrying about its fate. But what will Eve and Villanelle’s cat and mouse chase look like when the show returns for season 2? That’s a topic we’ll probably need a few months to discuss.
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Killing Eve will return in 2019.