This weekend, 3.7 million people tuned in to watch the return of Bafta-winning BBC drama Killing Eve, as Jodie Comer reprised her role as Villanelle, a sociopathic assassin with a taste for theatrics and high fashion, and Sandra Oh returned as Eve Polastri, the secret agent on her tail.
Taking over writing duties from Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge is Emerald Fennell (Waller-Bridge has taken an executive producer role). Not everyone thinks Fennell is up to the job: the response after Sunday’s premiere was muted, with some fans claiming that Killing Eve lacks its former magic. Giles Coren – a man not shy in coming forward with gossamer-thin opinions – agreed: “Thought it was bilge ... dour, wooden, predictable shite,” he wrote on Twitter.
Is this fair? Not really. The first episode picks up minutes after season one’s cliffhanger and a bleeding Villanelle is on the loose again. The cat-and-mouse dynamic that gripped viewers throughout Killing Eve’s first run is restored instantly: Polastri is once again searching for the psychopathic assassin on whom she is erotically fixated.
The idea that the series has lost its original sparkle is unjustified. A scene in which a panicked Polastri devours an enormous bag of sweets is firmly in the Waller-Bridge wheelhouse – and reminds me of the season two Fleabag episode where Claire cuts her hair. (Which woman hasn’t stress-eaten, or had a disastrous haircut, during periods of emotional upheaval?) Sure, the episode isn’t perfect: a skit in which Villanelle escapes from hospital in a pair of pyjamas feels reverse-engineered to be shared on social media, but, even then, Comer – a superb physical performer – nails it. A scene where Villanelle pours alcohol on her stab wound had me wincing.
If the criticism of Killing Eve feels unfair, it’s understandable – Waller-Bridge is the woman of the moment, fresh from a triumphant Broadway run and recently tapped to overhaul the crisis-ridden Bond 25. Taking over from her is an unenviable job. But for now, Killing Eve remains as bouncy and fabulous as Oh’s lustrous curls. Whether it will fall flat in coming episodes remains to be seen.
