Killing Eve

[rogueslayer452]

It appears that Killing Eve will end after its fourth season.

I'll be honest, I never quite got that into Killing Eve, and for a while I never quite understood why. It felt like one of those shows that, while it had a solid start with season one it quickly lost its momentum after that and I kind of lost interest. Which happens with some shows, they will start off good but then you realize it's not what you were wanting from it. I just couldn't quite pinpoint the specific reason for my disinterest (aside from internally comparing it to Hannibal, which I know is unfair because they're two completely different shows). Of course, after learning about what happened with its third season and the complaints many fans had with it, including the sidelining of Sandra Oh who, y'know, plays the titular character, it all clicked into place. Killing Eve is very disproportioned. Where they should have focused on their two main leads equally, both in writing and with their characters' obsessions with each other, they ended up focusing entirely on Villanelle while keeping Eve in the background and not exploring her arc more. It's very lopsided, and it makes for uneven storytelling and honestly, wasted potential. The thing is, Killing Eve isn't a bad show, it's just that it could have been better in the way it was structured after the first season. The seeds were planted, it was there, but somehow they just kept missing that mark to land properly.

I do hope that they take the criticism of the third season seriously to make the final season better and satisfactory for the fans. It had a solid and strong beginning, let it end on a similar note.

Comments

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I liked the first two seasons quite a lot but season three was really inconsistent. I think if they put their all into wrapping up the story in the fourth season that's probably enough. Usually it's best if shows don't try to run for a long time without a solid plan.

Agreed about the sidelining of Sandra Oh. Villanelle is a great character and they have a fantastic actress playing her but when they make the show all about her it's too much of a good thing and just starts to feel mundane.

I hope they end well, I think they can manage it but you're right that they should really take note of why season three wasn't loved by the fans.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I appreciate it when a story wraps up without extending it longer than it needs to.

When you have two main leads, you need to focus on both, especially when the story centers around them and how they affect one another. Again, it's unfair to compare the two, but this is what made Hannibal work. Hannibal and Will were interconnected throughout the entire show, you cannot have one without the other. Villanelle and Eve could have, and should have, been this as well. We could have focused on Villanelle's wackadoodle antics while also focusing on the unraveling of Eve, exploring her darker side and showing the similarities and differences of both their dark sides and the complications that come with it, and so on.

Yes, Villanelle is entertaining to watch and she definitely chews up the scenery whenever she's on the screen, there is no denying that, but that doesn't mean you sideline your other main lead in favor of that. That's giving me Sleepy Hollow vibes all over again. Treat your main leads equally, gdi.

[elizalavelle.livejournal.com]

I believe I've seen Sandra Oh talk about how there are no racial minorities working on the show behind the scenes and I'm wondering if that's not coming through on screen in a way. I mean they sought her out because she's awesome and wanted her for the show but they just sideline her story a lot to let the young white lady shine and... it's definitely not a good look.

[rogueslayer452.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I remember when she talked about that last year in regards to how behind British television is in regards to racial diversity and the discrimination that happens. It's disappointing, but not surprising.

It's really damning that they got someone as talented and had a lot of recognition as Sandra Oh only to sideline her once Jodie Comer got more praise, especially when they're both the main leads and Sandra Oh plays the titular character of the show. I'm hoping they course correct in the final season, but even if they do it'll still be a "too little, too late" kind of feel. :/