Not as lethally entertaining as it used to be

Television: First-look review Killing Eve: season 3

BBC ★★★ ★★

If series two of the cat-and-mouse thriller Killing Eve was the difficult second album, then series three is the middle-of-the-road comeback. The main cast returns, behaving in the dysfunctional way we expect. There are murders and moments of dark comedy, some excellent acting and a nicely cut trouser suit and blouse combination. But now that the novelty has worn off, we’re left with a show that is no longer TV’S must-watch, just a perfectly decent watch.

After writer Phoebe Waller-bridge passed the baton to Emerald Fennell for the last series, this one is now in the hands of Suzanne Heathcote. She doesn’t have Waller-bridge’s wit but has done a serviceable job on the plot. Episode one sets the scene well by catching up with key characters.

At the end of season two, Villanelle shot Eve, but, of course, didn’t kill her. Instead, Eve (Sandra Oh) is nursing a serious scar and even more serious emotional issues. Jodie Comer’s Villanelle is still doing what she does best: murdering people.

The episode starts with a wedding and ends with a tragedy, and packs a fair amount in-between. The best thing about it is the arrival of Harriet Walter as a figure from Villanelle’s past, and considerably more fun than in her role as Lady Brockenhurst in ITV’S Belgravia. She gargles a Russian accent and endlessly smokes while wearing a brown velour tracksuit, as if the past 40 years of fashion and health advice had never happened.

But the point of a third series, other than the obvious one of getting ratings, is unclear. Where can the story go now? The killings in Killing Eve used to be inventive, but the one in this episode was pretty dull.

Heathcote has recently spoken about Villanelle’s “journey” and said: “I think we begin to understand who she is as a person.” I hope not. Villanelle’s unknowability is what made her so great.

Killing Eve is available on BBC iplayer from Monday at 6am