WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Killing Eve Season 4, Episode 3, “A Rainbow in Beige Boots,” now available on BBC America and AMC+.
One of the most hated aspects of Game of Thrones’ final season was how the plot was rushed. Many fans took issue with how Daenerys’ evil turn occurred so quickly, as well as how things like Jaime Lannister abandoning his quest for redemption and going back to Cersei happened without much explanation. The way all the climaxes had been set up — from Jon Snow’s army defending Winterfell against the Night King to Dany razing King’s Landing — felt like episodes were missing. Unfortunately, this same pacing flaw can now be seen in Killing Eve’s final season.
In the past, Killing Eve jumped from arc to arc without much detail, shifting character motivations rapidly. Many thought this was part of the quirky nature of the show and these holes would be filled in at some point — but many times that’s never happened. Carolyn has wanted justice for Kenny one week, then abused Geraldine the next Konstantin’s daughter saw his terrorist work, yet was dropped back at her mom’s without addressing the drama. Carolyn’s been angry at either Konstantin or Vlad, then using them as friends or lovers right after, even if it could destroy her.
This incoherent vibe is cropping up a lot in Season 4, when Killing Eve should be padding as much story as possible to build to its finale. This season quickly cut the tragically injured Niko out of the plot, had Eve turn into a superspy by training with her new lover Yusuf, and fired Carolyn from British Intelligence. The latter plot twist also brought Hugo back in a more powerful position with MI6, trying to intimidate Carolyn with evidence of her killing Paul — yet there’s not much context for how his promotion or any of these other things occurred. The show doesn’t have to drag plot points out, but at least providing context or breathing room builds an emotional connection with the viewer and makes events resonate.
Killing Eve is simply laying down creative markers, jumping from one of them to the next, and not detailing key events, which is what fans hated about Game of Thrones Season 8. Another prominent example is Season 4 positioning Konstantin as a politician in Russia away from the Twelve, yet easily being found by Hélène to train Pam as a new killer. That’s an intriguing arc but there’s no clarity to his intentions. Killing Eve should provide reason and logic for why he does what he does rather than writing ad hoc, reactive decisions that feel like characters are just going with the flow.
The biggest example of Killing Eve Season 4 going off the rails is Hélène working with the Twelve’s assassins last season, only to now be killing members to take the organization’s leader out. No one has a clue why she turned on them, and Eve isn’t even asking why. That takes something that could’ve been interesting — the two characters forming an alliance — and makes it underwhelming instead.
Shockingly, only Villanelle has a clean, clear-cut journey in the final season. She went into hiding at a church after Eve rebuked her, tried to atone through Christianity and then failed when she resorted to murder again. Her story is simple and effective, which is why it’s believable that she’d go back to Eve to find stability. But the other characters are getting short-changed stories, which ultimately removes depth from their portraits and the overall narrative in the final chapter.
Killing Eve Season 4 is now airing on BBC America, with episodes streaming next-day on AMC+. Seasons 1-3 are currently available to stream on Hulu.
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