Killing Eve Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Desperate Times
Carissa Pavlica
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The yearning between Villanelle and Eve is almost painful.
As a result of entering each other's orbit, their entire lives have gotten upended, and that plays out very well on Killing Eve Season 2 Episode 4.
We didn't get to spend a lot of time with either woman before the met, but the way their relationship has twisted their lives is slowly revealing itself.
While Eve is trying to catch a killer who isn't Villanelle, Villanelle is trying to infuse some excitement into the garbage heap killings that she's now a party to with her new venture with Konstantin.
It's not going very well for either of them.
If nothing else, Villanelle is back to her signature style, even attracting Instagram kooks on the street who want to share her beauty with their followers.
Girl: Wow. You look amazing. Can I take a picture of you for my Instagram?
Villanelle: No. No. Don't be pathetic. Get a real life.
But even with her style and wit intact, Villanelle is struggling.
There aren't enough episodes in a season to delve into her backstory in enough detail to know the full extent of how her past relationships failed, but with her obsessive personality, we'll have to settle with knowing at least she's matched this time by Eve's similar passion for Villanelle.
Even while Villanelle is trying to make her slayings memorable for her peace of mind, she's doing what she can to attract Eve.
But are her signals getting crossed or is Villanelle sending mixed messages to Eve, so Eve knows that Villanelle is changing?
If you read my interview with Kim Bodnia (Konstantin), you know we have not been off the mark about Konstantin's relationship with Villanelle being fatherly and integral to her growth as an individual.
Related: Killing Eve's Kim Bodnia on Konstantin's Return, Relationship with Villanelle & More
She needs him to help her feel, but feeling is also the thing that is tearing her apart inside. It's making her sloppy, and she's taking chances solely to reconnect with her crush.
Villanelle desperately wants to enjoy her job, but even going as far as she did as the little piggy didn't cut it for her.
But Villanelle sure does make murder fun, doesn't she? Going as far as she did with the married guy was obscene.
By the time Villanelle got done with her spectacle, I was feeling nauseous. What's scary about that whole spectator sport for the street was how little enjoyment Villanelle got from it.
Villanelle: What?
Konstantin: How did that feel?
Villanelle: It didn't feel like anything. Is that how it's going to be from now on? Scorned wives and scumbags?
Konstantin is trying to divert Villannelle's attention away from Eve, but it's not working. If anything, Villanelle ramped up the style of that kill as a calling card for Eve.
Eve got the message, but Carolyn's interseption of another threw a wrench into Villanelle's plans. That's because she's getting too sloppy as she acts out of passion, an emotion she doesn't understand and cannot control.
The hit of the family man who cheats on his wife (what a wife, right?), was snazzy, for sure, but by sending a postcard to Eve that accidentally (on purpose?) got delivered to Carolyn, Villanelle sounded the alarm about her prolonged interest in Eve.
Related: Killing Eve Review - The Hungry Caterpillar
She also sent evidence that she was the one who committed the crime. That's hardly a love note. It's more of a calling card, but those are normally only used to mock investigators.
Those following Villanelle already know who she is and are always precariously just an arm away from reeling her in.
Carolyn is an interesting woman, as we know, but she's also trying to protect Eve. Maybe. I can't tell if Carolyn is protecting her job or genuinely concerned about Eve.
After getting called out by her boss, Carolyn didn't seem at all concerned about what was happening with the wayward Russian, for example.
I know she's not at all swayed by external pressures, but "it's all playing out exactly as expected," seems a bit of a stretch. We still don't know if Carolyn is a good guy or a bad guy, and it's simple moments like that one that keep me from making a full-on determination.
Related: Killing Eve Review - Nice and Neat
It's a very dangerous game that Eve is playing with Villanelle. It's one that is tearing her apart from the inside out. She's changing at an alarming rate.
Judging by their new security detail and the way Carolyn studied Eve studying herself before she interrogated The Ghost, maybe Carolyn sees a lot more than I give her credit.
Nico got introduced to their new security guard when the guy just showed up at their house. Nico is a very decent fellow, and his love for Eve is deep. But is it deep enough for him to stick around while Eve refuses to communicate?
By every stretch, what's going on between Eve and Villanelle is an affair of the heart. It's incredibly screwed up, to be certain, but they're embroiled as much as any couple actively engaging in a sexual affair.
Eve tries to escape it by focusing on The Ghost, but the excitement in her voice when she says, "Do you think it's Villanelle?" before Jess gets sent to New Amsterdam is hard to miss.
Her senses are so misconstrued that she's close to allowing flirtatious moments connected to Villanelle go farther than she would if Villanelle wasn't on her mind.
Hugo: Can I ask you something? What's the deal with you and Villanelle?
Eve: I don't know.
Hugo: She fancies you, doesn't she?
Eve: Everything isn't all about sex, Hugo.
Hugo: Isn't it? What is it? Do you like watching her or do you like being watched?
Eve: Both.
Eve loses herself in conversations about Villanelle. That has to be why she can't talk about it with Nico. She doesn't want her affair to sully what she has with her husband.
But having sex while imagining someone else is something almost everyone does. It's usually a harmless fantasy. What Eve and Villanelle have is not harmless in the least.
They're playing with life and death. It's a terrifying proposition, especially when one of the participants doens't understand emotions on any level. Instigation is the last thing Villanelle needs.
I have to give a shout out to the funniest remarks in the episode.
When Jess said this, I almost choked on my coffee. "I mean, it's one thing getting murdered, but the indignity of being found while in the middle of bleaching your mustache..." It still makes me giggle.
And let's not forget the tastiness of ground orphans fried in crack!
Eve: Mmmm. This is AMAZING. What do they put in it?!
Hugo: Hmmm. I don't know. Crack. Orphans.
Eve: I don't care if that's true. Seriously. If it tastes this good, grind up an orphan and fry it in crack.
And finally, when I first saw Konstantin, I thought the same thing, Villanelle!
Villanelle: What's with the shirt?
Konstantin: Come.
Villanelle: Seriously. Do not go shopping on your own again.
While the addition of Jess and Hugo didn't thrill me initially, they've added a lot of humor and some sparks for Eve when she's apart from Villanelle. While V has Konstantin, Eve needed someone or two to add some zest to her life after Villanelle killed Bill (sob).
They're getting the job done nicely!
Related: Interview: Edward Bluemel on his Roles on A Discovery of Witches and Killing Eve
I'm worried about Villanelle. She's doing drugs (something Bodnia noted when I spoke with him, but I left out of the interview because it didn't make sense until "Desperate Measures"), fixating on other Asian women in clubs and willing to kill indiscriminately.
It's all because she feels something, but emotions are too foreign to her to process. Scary stuff.
As we just passed the halfway mark of Killing Eve Season 2, what are your emotions about the Villanelle and Eve?
Are you enjoying Jess and Hugo? Do you think at least one of them will die by the end of the season? After all, it seems Carolyn has too many agents at her disposal if she's sending Jess to investigate Villanelle instead of Eve.
Jess is pregnant. Why didn't it occur to Carolyn that Villanelle might view Jess as an obstacle in the way of her relationship with Eve?
What is with Carolyn, anyway?
Are you surprised that Eve almost kissed Hugo, and how long before you think that happens? Because it really feels like it's going to happen.
What do you need to see before the season winds down? Do you have any predictions?
Hit the comments if you're here anyway, and watch Killing Eve online if you need to do a bit more watching before joining the conversation.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
