anti-lgbtq bills are getting written increasingly, transphobic laws are getting passed while referencing ‘religious rights’ in the usa and worldwide, and yt cishet hollywood writers are like 'i think it’d be so subversive to write an arc about a corrupting lesbian leading a woman away from hetero normalcy and then to kill the toxic queer off to 'liberate’ the latter from her 'problematic lifestyle’ and use christian imagery all over it’
I’ve been thinking about the finale of Killing Eve and mostly liking and replying to posts as I try to come to terms with it, mainly because I feel like a fool for having such trust in this show and its writers.
I’m going to try to verbalize my disbelief. It’s better that I put it into categories so that is what I’ll do.
***SPOILERS***
The Deplorable Justification
For me personally, my anger is not at Villanelle dying because that was always one of the possibilities, but how it’s being justified. To say with Villanelle dead, Eve can go back to the ~normies, like being in love with Villanelle- or, a woman- was just a phase of a midlife crisis is so beyond offensive. It’s a horrific statement that had no place anywhere near this show and made the end even uglier, especially with how explicit and definitive it was.
Fandom, Stop It
While I understand and agree with the anger from the finale, people insisting Eve should have been sacrificed instead or Sandra Oh should be blamed as a producer is sadly typical and I wish Sandra/Eve would stop being used as a stepping stone for other characters or actors, especially white ones.
Speaking of Eve
For me, the show started to go downhill in season three when Eve was sidelined, and season four was just a continuation of that in the opposite direction. I wish people would have been as vocal over Eve being shoved aside as they were for anything Villanelle, especially considering the bulk of Eve’s screen time in s4 should have been plot in s3. And it’s insane more people aren’t royally ticked after four seasons, we still have no idea of who Eve is or what motivates her beyond Villanelle. It’s actually appalling that the title character continues to have no backstory or maiden name.
What started as an examination of a potential psychopath blossoming into her true self with the help of a fellow sexy psychopath became a woman with no agency or personality beyond what serves the plot and that’s unforgivable. We are all furious about the finale but holy crap should there be anger over literally every character getting backstory except Eve. Her shafting has been simply unforgivable.
I Love Jodie Comer
To inject some positivity, I adore Jodie Comer and her performance as Villanelle has been a consistent highlight. I look forward to anything she does in the future and will forever love her queer antihero.
I Love Sandra Oh
Speaking of amazing performances, if anything good comes out of season four it should be Sandra finally receiving her long overdue Emmy for her performance as Eve. Even when the writing has been shit, she elevated the material and delivered the performance of the season.
Long Live VillanEve
Jodie and Sandra completely delivered in the finale and made me angrier over how we were refused this ship until the very end. Season four should have been Villanelle and Eve as a team and couple on the run.
After the bus fight, VillanEve should have worked their way back together and at the end of the day, no one should get higher precedence over the mutual and at times harmful obsession between the two women. That sexy and dangerous obsession should have been CENTER. The bus fight should have been the jolt to a physical relationship and the s3 end the beginning of the actual romance with s4 being them against the world. IT’S NOT THAT HARD.
Jodie and Sandra were clearly and completely all game in playing with the obsession and attraction and so were the fans so to keep them apart until the series finale was a massive, massive failure.
Death of the Author
I refuse to entertain opinions of the writing staff over the show, especially when their views don’t match what was shown on screen. And frankly, at this point, I’m not holding anything against what Sandra and Jodie say because at the end of the day, they have to uphold what the writers dropped in their lap. They must contain the writers’ messes.
The writers and crew of KE have shown a deployable sense of disrespect for not only the fans who kept the show running but also Sandra and Jodie, who clearly loved the show, their characters and the fans.
Okay, I’m done for now. I’m sure I’ll have more later but I needed to get this out, hopefully it made sense.
