For a while there, acclaimed novels were typically adapted into films rather than television. But the small screen is getting plenty of literary love these days, with one such standout having recently graced the AMC network — which is home to gems such asBetter Call Saul,Breaking BadandMad Men. Here, we’re talking aboutKilling Eve, a female-driven saga that sadly came to an official end earlier this year.
At the moment, one of the show’s stars is taking Hollywood by storm. One might say Jodie Comer has her beloved Villanelle character to thank for her success. At the center ofKilling Eveis the titular character played by thenever-better Sandra Oh, but Comer slowly took over the show as the series progressed toward its fourth and final season. After all, it wasn’t until season two that Comer took home the Outstanding Lead Actress trophy at the Primetime Emmys.
“Her whole life, I feel like she’s been molded and shaped to fit the narrative of the people around her, and she’s been used to other people’s advantages,” Comer once toldNPRin reference to Villanelle. “And she’s having a real identity crisis, you know? And she’s on this quest to be good, but I don’t think that’s coming from an honest place.”
On that note, it was a wild ride watching Villanelle’s journey as a character throughoutKilling Eve. Not only does she distinguish herself as an assassin and sociopath, but she generally provides comic relief. Here’s a closer look at the beloved villain, starting with the source material that brought the TV show to life.
Related:Killing Eve: Villanelle’s Best Undercover Characters, Ranked
Villanelle’s Character Background, Starting With the Novels
BeforeKilling Eve, there wasCodename Villanelle,a thriller novel by British author Luke Jennings. A compilation of four serial e-book novellas published from 2014 to 2016, the novel was published in the U.K. in June 2017. In the books, Villanelle is a Russian orphan who, after murdering the killers of her gangster father, is rescued from prison and trained as an assassin by a shadowy group called The Twelve. This all sounds very familiar to the folks who watched the TV series, and it’s interesting to see Villanelle basically turn into a protagonist of sorts as the show progressed.
“I’ve always been a thriller fan,” Jennings wrote in an article forThe Guardianback in 2018. “At school I read and reread the James Bond novels and remain an Ian Fleming devotee. But the genre has got stale. Say what you like about Bond and his womanising, the man had style. Today’s male thriller heroes are, almost without exception, humourless bores. All those Special Forces f***-ups and wry, loner cops. All that embittered whisky drinking and late-night jazz. All that technology fetishism. Why not turn the genre on its head? I wondered. Why not have some fun?”
Villanelle’s Working Relationship with Konstantin
The female characters are certainly the ones to watch here, but if we had to pick a guy amongst the crowd to follow and appreciate, it’d be Konstantin Petrovich Vasiliev (played by Kim Bodnia). As Villanelle’s handler for The Twelve, he’s a prominent character in theVillanellenovel trilogy and a major antagonist in the TV series. Spoiler alert: It was sad to see him bite the bullet in the fourth season, which is evidence enough that he was a hoot to watch. In terms of Villanelle’s character progression, her working rapport with Konstantin was a juicy sideplot since it started much more formal in the first season, then turning much more personal toward the end. Konstantin was almost a father figure to Villanelle by the end.
“Konstantin’s a funny guy, because he’s suddenly come to be a mayor in Russia and [we] have fun with that,” Bodnia toldDigital Spyin reference to events that unfold at the start of season 4. “You almost forget about everything he’s involved with, and find some peace there and have fun with this city. He’s a funny guy to play. He’s a survivor.”
Related:Killing Eve: Would a Spin-Off Series Answer Lingering Questions?
Villanelle’s Toxic Connection With Eve
And then there’s Eve, a role Sandra Oh was born for. It’sKilling Eve’sdysfunctional love storythat makes the show tick, after all. At its core,Killing Evemaintains its pulse thanks to two women who simply just want each other — but show it in unique ways. Season 1 evoked “cat and mouse” vibes for sure, but Eve and Villanelle’s relationship turned into so much more. From enemies to coworkers and then lovers, we’re with them every step of the way as their dangerous professions throw their lives for a whirl.
“I love working with Jodie,” Oh once toldBBC. “We have gone deeper in our trust with each other as actors this season and it’s deeper between Eve and Villanelle too. When we shoot our scenes together it feels like there’s only the two of us there in that moment. And that’s the same between Villanelle and Eve. It’s only the two of them so it’s very intimate.”
The Future of Villanelle
Within hours of theKilling Evefinale, the internet had gotten to work trying to “fix” it by rewriting the ending that saw Villanelle and Eve in a romantic embrace — only for Villanelle to be shot and killed. The reimagined stories were clear in their message: Villanelle deserved better, and they were going to give it to her. Jennings also took to the web to express his concern for how it ended. He also promised that it isn’t all over, writing in an article forThe Guardian, “I learned the outcome of the final episode in advance, and suspected, rightly, that fans would be upset. But to those fans, I would say this: Villanelle lives. And on the page, if not on the screen, she will be back.”
