Today, we look at how Killing Eve showed how special its story and its lead characters were right from the start.
This is a delayed Year of Great TV Episodes, where every day from March 2nd on this year (plus January 1st-March 1st of 2024), we’ll take a look at great TV episodes. Note that I’m not talking about “Very Special Episodes” or episodes built around gimmicks, but just “normal” episodes of TV shows that are notable only because of how good they are.
All this month, I’ll be spotlighting great female-centric TV episodes.
In the opening scene of the first episode of Killing Eve, a young woman is eating ice cream in a cafe in Vienna. There is a little girl at table nearby with her mother, also eating ice cream. The little girl smiles at the young woman, and the young woman doesn’t seem to know how to react. Then she sees a nearby worker. The worker smiles at the little girl, and the little girl smiles back at him. The young woman copies the worker’s smile, and the little girl returns the smile. What we APPEAR to have here is a young woman who doesn’t know how to relate to other people. She gets up, puts some of her change into the tip chair, walks by the little girl…and flips the little girl’s ice cream on to the little girl. The young woman exits the cafe, smiling to herself.
THAT is how we were introduced to the psychopathic killer Villanelle (Jodie Comer), and it’s one of the best introductions to a lead character that you’ll ever see. Phoebe Waller-Bridge has already been spotlighted this month for her brilliant work on the comedy series, Fleabag, and yet, while working on Fleabag, she ALSO created this brilliant spy thriller series. It’s really remarkable just HOW good Waller-Bridge is.
We then meet Eve (Sandra Oh), an MI5 worker who deals with diplomatic security for people while in London. She is hungover from celebrating her manager’s birthday the previous night. She is called into a meeting on Saturday, where she has to set up security for a foreign witness whose boyfriend was murdered in front of her (his femoral artery was sliced, and he bled to death in the street). Eve instantly theorizes that the killer is a woman (since the victim was a trafficker who wouldn’t have noticed a woman as a threat).
She learns that CCTV footage says it was a man, but she doesn’t believe it. She breaks protocol to interview the witness, and she uses a student of her husband’s to translate the Polish witnesses’ statement to see that her boyfriend WAS killed by a woman.
Meanwhile, we see Villanelle kill a mob boss, using the man’s grandson to lure him into a trap. Before she kills him, she asks who made his bed sheets. She is told by her handler that she left a witness alive, so she has to go take care of the witness.
Eve decides to visit the witness again, and meets Villanelle in the bathroom of the hospital, with Villanelle disguised as a nurse. Villanelle tells her to wear her hair up. Eve then goes to the bathroom, and gets a call from her manager, who tells her that she’s right, the CCTV footage was bullshit. He tells her to make sure the witness is safe. She returns to the room, though, to see that the witness, the nurse, and two security guards have all been killed (even though Villanelle’s handler told her to make it look like a suicide).
Eve and her manager are fired, but Carolyn (Fiona Shaw), the MI6 head of the Russian desk, is impressed that Eve figured out that the killer is a woman, and comes to her on the side to tell her that she is starting a task force to hunt the woman down (they were trying to dissuade Eve’s investigation), and she wants Eve and her fired manager, Bill, on it.
The episode ends with Villanelle putting on her new bed sheets, by the same designer the mob boss told her before she murdered him.
This was a tight, really well scripted opening episode, and Oh and Comer were both outstanding. Eve is very smart, but her manager/friend, Bill, nails when he notes that really she is mostly just bored with her sweet, but bland, husband, and her bland life.
Villanelle obviously throws a whole new wrinkle into all of this.
Waller-Bridge only wrote the first season, which is a shame, as I think this series could have been legendary if she had done more seasons. Emerald Fennell did the second season, which was still good (not AS good), but then SHE left, too, and the series sort of limped to the finish line, with a finale that pissed everyone off.
Okay, if I’m going to have 292 more of these, I could use suggestions, so feel free to email me at brian@poprefs.com!
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This is such a fantastic look back at *Killing Eve*! You’ve perfectly captured why that opening scene is so iconic and immediately signals the show’s brilliance. That ice cream flip is indeed a masterclass in character introduction, setting the stage for Villanelle’s unique and captivating persona. It truly showcased how special the story and its lead characters were right from the start. I love how you’re spotlighting great female-centric episodes this month – what a brilliant idea! I’m really looking forward to reading more of your “Year of Great TV Episodes” posts. It’s great to see a deep dive into what makes TV truly exceptional, much like how a ba 2 plus calculator offers precise insights.
This is a fantastic dive into what made *Killing Eve* so captivating right from the start! I completely agree that the opening scene with Villanelle and the ice cream perfectly sets the tone for her character – that blend of awkwardness, observation, and sudden, shocking malice is brilliant. It’s a masterful way to introduce a complex lead without needing a word of dialogue. Your analysis of the “normal” yet incredibly well-executed episodes really highlights the show’s strength beyond any “gimmicks.” I’m looking forward to reading more of your “Year of Great TV Episodes” spotlights, especially this month’s focus on female-centric shows. This kind of insightful breakdown is exactly what I love to see on Block Poster.
This is such a fantastic breakdown of *Killing Eve*’s brilliance right from the very first episode! Brian, you’ve perfectly captured why that opening scene in Vienna was so instantly captivating and set the tone for Villanelle’s complex, unpredictable character. It really showcased the show’s genius in establishing its leads and narrative from the get-go, pulling viewers in with such a subtle yet shocking introduction. It’s truly a testament to strong writing and phenomenal acting. I always appreciate when a show delivers on its promise of excellence right from the start, and *Killing Eve* certainly did. It makes you think about how every detail, like a meticulously measured space, contributes to the overall impact, much like how a square feet calculator helps in precise planning.
This is such a fantastic look back at *Killing Eve*! You’ve perfectly captured why that opening scene in Vienna was so brilliant in setting up Villanelle’s unique, unsettling nature right from the start. It immediately signaled that this wouldn’t be just another spy thriller, but something much more nuanced and character-driven. It’s truly a testament to the writing and Jodie Comer’s incredible performance that such a simple interaction could reveal so much. And I love that you’re spotlighting female-centric TV episodes this month – that’s a wonderful theme! I’m always looking for well-crafted storytelling, and it reminds me how a great visual can speak volumes, much like how a good AI Image to Line Converter can help bring out the core elements of an image.
This is a fantastic dive into why *Killing Eve* hooked so many of us from the very first scene! That opening with Villanelle and the ice cream is truly iconic, perfectly setting up her unique blend of awkwardness and chilling impulsiveness. It’s brilliant how you highlight how quickly the show establishes its distinctive tone and the complex nature of its lead characters. That immediate reveal of her true nature, masked by an attempt at normalcy, is exactly what made the series so compelling and showcases its wonderful script right from the start. I love that you’re celebrating these great female-centric episodes this month; it’s a great reminder of how impactful well-written characters can be. If only I could turn this scene into an Al Cartoon Video Generator creation to re-watch it in a new light! Keep these excellent analyses coming!
This is such a fantastic dive into *Killing Eve*’s brilliance right from the very first scene! That opening in the Vienna cafe perfectly sets up Villanelle’s character, showcasing her unsettling blend of childlike curiosity and shocking impulsiveness. It’s truly a masterclass in establishing a complex lead without a single word of exposition. I love how you highlight the subtle cues that reveal her inability to truly connect, only to subvert expectations with that ice cream flip. It’s these kinds of details that make great TV truly memorable, creating images that stick with you long after the episode ends, much like how an Image Splitter can break down a large picture into smaller, impactful pieces.
This is such a fantastic dive into *Killing Eve*’s brilliance right from the get-go! You perfectly articulate how that opening scene in Vienna immediately establishes Villanelle’s unique, unsettling, yet captivating character. It’s that masterful blend of acting and script that hooked so many of us, showcasing a lead who is both charmingly awkward and utterly ruthless. That ice cream moment is truly iconic for setting the tone. I’m really enjoying this “Year of Great TV Episodes” series, especially the focus on female-centric shows this month – it’s a great way to highlight some truly exceptional storytelling. I often find myself wanting to relive these great scenes, maybe even merge a few memorable screenshots, and seeing this analysis reminds me why!