Killing Eve
It’s being described as “Game of Thrones level bad” or a “finale to rival Dexter.” Fans are not pleased with the Killing Eve series finale on AMC, which has positively blown the internet up and has many wondering if even the cast themselves approved of it.
Before we talk about the ending, we have to get into spoiler territory, obviously, so turn back now if you haven’t watched yet, or plan to later.
Killing Eve has had a unique journey in that it keeps hopping between showrunners. This seemed to work well for a while, but in later seasons, fan loyalty began to wobble, and now for the grand finale here we have veered into “unforgivable” territory with the decision to suddenly kill off Villanelle in the show’s closing moments.
Fans are livid about the call that was made, and have been bombing the score of the episode on IMDB where it currently sits at a 3.2 out of 10, miles below the overall 8.2 out of 10 the show enjoys. They view the ending and the death of Villanelle via Carolyn (who supposedly may get her own spin-off series) as nothing short of a betrayal.
It’s also being pointed out that despite the fact that this was the final season of the series which has given such prominence to Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer (recently snubbed for an Oscar nomination in The Last Duel, I’d argue), neither actress has been seen promoting the final season all that much, past the obligatory interviews and press appearances they’re mandated to do.
Fans are pointing to a series of photos showing Jodie Comer looking horribly depressed on set the day she was filming Villanelle’s death:
This is in contrast to showrunner Laura Neal, who explains the decision to Salon:
“On the other hand, we liked the idea of her finally achieving something that she wanted to achieve, which is an act of goodness. And I think in her death, she achieves that act of goodness. She pushes Eve off of the boat and she saves Eve in that moment. She does this selfless thing that I think she talks about wanting to do in Episodes 1 and 2, and she can never quite find the right way to do it. So, even though her ending in some ways is tragic, I also think in some ways it's triumphant, because she proves to herself and to Eve – and to the audience almost – that she can change, and that feels really emotional, I think, for me especially writing it.”
Fans are not buying that explanation, and it’s clear the ending missed by a mile. Not that every ending has to cater to fan demands, but when you’re seeing a reaction like this, you’ve probably done something wrong.
There are long lists of beloved shows that have botched their finales, and I’m sure Killing Eve was hoping it wouldn’t be one of them. But fans have long memories and what happened to Villanelle here is not likely to be forgotten. Perhaps redemption could be found in spin-offs, if those do manifest, but I’m not sure what kind of appetite there will be for them now, especially one about Carolyn herself.
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