Time For A Killing Eve Thread, Innit ?

[Crisps?]

What others who liked it have said.

Because it had such hype/acclaim I read some negatives beforehand on IMDB with people saying it falls apart after the first few episodes, but I think I started to like it even more then, due to Comer's performance and it being absolutely 100% clear it was not to be taken even remotely seriously. (Initially I assumed it was supposed to be a relatively normal spy thriller.)

The negative is that Comer is pretty much all there is to it after those first few episodes and it's quite boring when she isn't on screen. The ending can also GTFO; as great as Comer is I'm not sure I want to watch more of the same. I will though.

[poodlefaker]

I watched the first one and something felt off to me and then I found out it was written by the indie Miranda and it all clicked into place.

From the advance publicity I'd been under the impression that it was all her creation. Turns out it's an adaptation that she wrote half of.

[SteveDave]

It's got her stinking fingerprints all o'er the dialogue though.

[Cuellar]

Am I alone in liking this DESPITE Comer? I thought she was good, but a bit annoyingly hammy. Mugging around. I suppose everyone was.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I still like the way she mockingly, gruffly voiced says " they won't " on that trailer they keep showing ( assuming they're still carrying on showing it ), and the accompanying face she pulls and She doesn't half look like this smashing Russian bird I know  oh God I'm going to be in unrequited love with her ( the Russian bird, not Jodie Comer ) until the day I die.

[lebowskibukowski]

Am I alone in liking this DESPITE Comer? I thought she was good, but a bit annoyingly hammy. Mugging around. I suppose everyone was.

I've only watched the first episode but I am in full agreement with you. Is she meant to be so cartoonish?

[Swoz_MK]

I liked older Russian man. Looks like Bobcat Goldthwait.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

I've only watched the first episode but I am in full agreement with you. Is she meant to be so cartoonish?

The whole thing's pretty much meant to be cartoonish. It only gets dafter as it goes on.

[Neomod]

I liked older Russian man. Looks like Bobcat Goldthwait.

Martin from the Bridge?

That's the reason I watched it.

[kalowski]

My wife has been watching this on catch up so I've half seen the bits I'd not already half seen. It's clearly worse than I thought.

I'm also reading Smiley's People, so I know what a proper spy drama should be like.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

It isn't trying to be a "proper" spy drama, it's a knowingly daft and cartoonish piece of hokum. Whether it succeeds on those terms is a matter for debate, but there's no point comparing it to something like Smiley's People.

[kalowski]

It isn't trying to be a "proper" spy drama, it's a knowingly daft and cartoonish piece of hokum. Whether it succeeds on those terms is a matter for debate, but there's no point comparing it to something like Smiley's People.

That's a cop out. It lives on a series of spy drama tropes and yet is "knowingly daft"? No, it's poor. Nice excuse though, it is self aware and "looks back at the hitman and spy drama with a well plucked raised eyebrow".
I bought none of it.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

That's not a cop-out at all. As I stated in my previous post, you may well think it's shit - I found it flawed, borderline annoying at times yet generally quite funny and enjoyable - but you can't compare it to a straight-faced John le Carre spy drama, as it's not trying to compete on those terms.

It's a violent, live-action cartoon that nabs all the usual spy thriller tropes and attempts to have fun with them. I'm not usually a fan of 'knowing' genre pastiches, but Killing Eve was, for me, an entertaining pot-boiler. It ran the risk of coming across as self-satisfied, but for the most part it was a good-natured blast of witty pulp fiction.

[notjosh]

That's not a cop-out at all. As I stated in my previous post, you may well think it's shit - I found it flawed, borderline annoying at times yet generally quite funny and enjoyable - but you can't compare it to a straight-faced John le Carre spy drama, as it's not trying to compete on those terms.

I'd agree with you if it didn't occasionally have characters saying things like "get forensics to my house now!" or "we need that CCTV!" but then completely forgetting about it and making no attempt to methodically build up a profile of the killer (who seemingly makes no effort to cover her tracks). I seem to remember there's an episode where they reckon they've finally got Villanelle's (as they decide to call her for about 5 minutes before finding out her real name) DNA, and are awaiting results when Eve overhears the other assassin use her name so they Google her and immediately bring up her picture. The procedural side of things is just so sloppy and all over the place that I couldn't bear to watch past episode 6.

Plus there are weird little moments like when she's running away from the assassin and rather than shout at her mate to start the engine she yells at her to get in the back so she can drive - very transparently done so that she will be in the position to stop the car herself so she can then go and meaningfully stare at 'Villanelle'. Or when she tells Darren Boyd over the walkie-talkie that he needs to run, despite having no idea where he is and what his situation is. I wouldn't mind if they were presented as being bungling amateurs, but I feel like we're actually supposed to think that Eve is quite smart.

I read an interview with one of the Zucker brothers once, where they described the time they put into developing a rock-solid plot before attempting to build jokes on it. I might have enjoyed some of the cartoony aspects of this more if it had maintained a similar discipline in its storytelling, rather than just stringing together a load of 'cool' scenes.

[kalowski]

I'd agree with you if it didn't occasionally have characters saying things like "get forensics to my house now!" or "we need that CCTV!" but then completely forgetting about it and making no attempt to methodically build up a profile of the killer (who seemingly makes no effort to cover her tracks). I seem to remember there's an episode where they reckon they've finally got Villanelle's (as they decide to call her for about 5 minutes before finding out her real name) DNA, and are awaiting results when Eve overhears the other assassin use her name so they Google her and immediately bring up her picture. The procedural side of things is just so sloppy and all over the place that I couldn't bear to watch past episode 6.

Plus there are weird little moments like when she's running away from the assassin and rather than shout at her mate to start the engine she yells at her to get in the back so she can drive - very transparently done so that she will be in the position to stop the car herself so she can then go and meaningfully stare at 'Villanelle'. Or when she tells Darren Boyd over the walkie-talkie that he needs to run, despite having no idea where he is and what his situation is. I wouldn't mind if they were presented as being bungling amateurs, but I feel like we're actually supposed to think that Eve is quite smart.

I read an interview with one of the Zucker brothers once, where they described the time they put into developing a rock-solid plot before attempting to build jokes on it. I might have enjoyed some of the cartoony aspects of this more if it had maintained a similar discipline in its storytelling, rather than just stringing together a load of 'cool' scenes.

Yes. What I meant, but much better put.

Cartoony I can take but this purported to have a veneer of realism. After all, we were talking about the British Intelligence Services, and a group of supposed operatives battling a mysterious, clandestine agency.
Although I imagine it would have been fairly easy to catch the killer since she left fingerprints and DNA everywhere.

[olliebean]

It's a bit of fun.

[phes]

Commissioned by the producers of Gogglebox for their dipshits to scream at.

I made it to about EP4/5 then gave up for reasons mostly outlined already. It a bit of a mess and doesn't do anything very well.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Commissioned by the producers of Gogglebox for their dipshits to scream at.

I made it to about EP4/5 then gave up for reasons mostly outlined already. It a bit of a mess and doesn't do anything very well.

It's quite good at giving me the RFH when Jodie Comer's in it, to be fair.

[phes]

It's quite good at giving me the RFH when Jodie Comer's in it, to be fair.

Same. Got me through 4 episodes, and given the lack of material to work with, she did a great job to pull it off am i rite etc

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Same. Got me through 4 episodes, and given the lack of material to work with, she did a great job to pull it off am i rite etc

Good for a round of "Wristjob Roulette" during scenes featuring both herself and Sandra Oh/ David Haig.

[holyzombiejesus]

I've watched this over the last 4 nights and whilst I really enjoyed most of it, I thought there was a real drop-off as the series progressed.  Almost a completely different tone and I don't think it really worked. The supposed sexual frisson between Eve and Villanelle felt a bit desperate and the humour became broader. Whilst I really enjoyed the hokum in the earlier episodes, I didn't feel it was effective when the series was working towards some kind of denouement and the final episode was a mess plot-wise. I like stoopid, not stupid.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

Completely brilliant idea to resurrect this thread. I tend to agree with your. comments regarding  how much sillier the series got, post Moscow jail time.

TOP SPOILERS AFTER THIS BIT

Why would the organisation for whom yer woman  ( played by an actress whose name escapes me for the moment ) works and does all the killings and that give the order " You've got to kill him with the beard off ' The Bridge ' now ? " That's her boss, who also works for the organisation, what's he done wrong ? Is it just a case of yer man being due for retirement and the organisation being too mean to stump up for a pension ? The murderous Marmalade Atkins also kills her new boss within two minutes of meeting him, because she doesn't like the cut of his jib, and 'cos she's all psychopathic,  and that. Well, won't there be repercussions for her for her actions ? A written warning at least, I would have thought. At this point, there 's a definite air of make-it-up-as-we-go along " Luther " -esque ludicrousness about proceedings. Still worth watching , mind you.

[Crabwalk]

Series 2 is shit.

Watched the first 3 episodes and am oooooouuuutofhere. No plot, no coherence, no stakes. Coasting on the quality of the performances and cinematography so if you're only half paying attention it probably seems good. BUT THE WRITING IS DRIVEL.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

FAKE EDIT: Never mind.

[sevendaughters]

Girlfriend's flatmate had an S2 episode on while I worked and fuck me what a bag of flaming garbage.

[DrGreggles]

Series 2 is shit.

I pretty much concur.
Outside of a handful of decent lines, whatever made s1 watchable was missing from s2.

Shame.

[Lisa Jesusandmarychain]

This is all very worrying (Haven't seen any of series 2 yet ).

[Ja'moke]

Comer and Oh are still fantastic, and pretty much carry the series (I've seen the full thing because I recapped it earlier this year for TV Insider while it was airing on BBC America). There are strong scenes scattered throughout, a particularly gruesome one in the finale, but overall it does seem to be running out of ideas.

[DrGreggles]

This is all very worrying (Haven't seen any of series 2 yet ).

It's all on iPlayer at the moment.

[dontrunyoullfall]

I loved series 2. It's a lot of fun. May even prefer it to series 1.