Oh, what a perfect piece of casting
IT takes a lot of work to make the catandmouse game between a killer and an obsessive law enforcement official seem fresh again. On Killing Eve, the task seems effortless.
This sublime new thriller takes its cues from The Silence of the Lambs and Luther, but manages to spin the genre forward. Grounded by outstanding performances from Sandra Oh (in her first regularseries role since leaving Grey’s Anatomy) and Jodie Comer, Killing Eve is an enthralling trip that follows a familiar path and then suddenly veers off course, never ceasing to shock and satisfy.
Created by actress and writer Phoebe WallerBridge, the eightepisode Killing Eve, which has already been renewed for a second season, is inspired by the Villanelle novels by Luke Jennings, and follows Eve Polastri (Oh) in her pursuit of a female assassin nicknamed Villanelle (Comer).
Eve is one of the few people at Britain’s MI5 intelligence agency who believes the assassin exists, and manages to link her crimes. (Although the series is set mostly in the UK, Oh (46) does not affect a British accent, a smart choice explained with some quick backstory). Dispatched by a senior official (Fiona Shaw) to an offthebooks investigation into Villanelle, Eve slowly becomes enmeshed in the killer’s web. Meanwhile, across Europe, Villanelle kills with glee and abandon, occasionally clashing with the mysterious organisation that employs her.
Oh is as sharp as ever, nailing a character that’s the polar opposite of her Emmynominated performance as uptight Christina Yang on Grey’s.
Killing Eve gives the actress, often relegated to supporting roles, the opportunity to shine as a lead, and the mix of intelligence and mania she gives Eve is magnetic.
Comer, too, is dynamic as Villanelle, who’s as eccentric as she is terrifying. In addition to an appetite for murder, she has a hunger for excitement, sex and simple diversion. She dresses up in costumes to meet her handlers, knocks ice cream away from children and plays games with her sexual partners.
She’s a different kind of villain from the stoic, serious men that populate many serialkiller dramas. She’s appealing in her own twisted, cartoonish manner, pouting and grinning her way into the hearts of her handlers and unsuspecting civilians who cross her path. Once Villanelle and Eve finally meet, the chemistry between Comer and Oh is electric, and their mutual obsession feels wellearned.
This sharplywritten series teeters between black comedy and outright tragedy, never forgetting that there are real human lives at stake as Eve and Villanelle bat each other around.
Even if it is a little too much fun to watch them spar. — TCA