Killing Eve Season 3: An Episode-By-Episode Breakdown of my favourite Villanelle scenes

This article contains spoilers from Season 3 of Killing Eve.

The hit series Killing Eve concluded its third season at the end of May and if you looked at me closely during the finale, I can actually pinpoint the exact moment where my heart broke in two.

It was when Eve confessed to Villanelle that whenever she tries to think of the future, she sees her face. Villanelle smiles at her and assuredly replies "it's a very beautiful face."

I felt a wave of emotion wash over me as my icy heart began to thaw. It was during the touching Bridge Scene where it hit me: this would be the last time we'd see this compelling duo banter together until the next season. Although the COVID crisis has led to numerous delays on upcoming television productions, hope remains for a potential 2021 release of a new season so long as everyone's safety and health remains an obvious priority.

While I await the passage of time to regain my sanity, I wanted to share some of my favourite Villanelle scenes with a smack of analysis on the side as seen in this season of Killing Eve. Villanelle's character has been a significant element of the series as a whole ("obviously") and this season had her confronting a myriad of internal conflicts she truly never explored until these eight episodes.

She also briefly sung "Crocodile Rock" which was... A spiritual awakening.

Episode 1: "Slowly Slowly Catchy Monkey "

Directed by: Terry McDonough

The first we see of Villanelle following the events of last season in Rome is what is traditionally referred to as being "the best day of a person's life." You may be thinking Tax Day but no, I am referring to her wedding day.

As an impeccably dressed Villanelle looked at her new bride Maria, I thought for a moment perhaps this is a changed Villanelle who has now settled down with a strange lady and she has somehow overcome her fascination of Eve... She then began her speech and all those thoughts (thankfully) went away:

"... When I think about my ex today... I realize... I am so much happier now she's dead."

If only our future partners can be as eloquently blunt as Villanelle is on her wedding day.

While having your newly wedded wife promptly leave the ceremony after charging at an elderly woman can certainly be tough, we must be thankful for the sparing of poor Maria. As third season show-runner Suzanne Heathcote accurately suspected: "I think had that marriage been left to its own devices, someone would have died, probably within two weeks... and I don’t think it would have been Villanelle... [T]he bride may not feel it at that moment but she’s actually been let off pretty lightly I think, all things considered."

The First Dance at Villanelle's Wedding

A common thread seen through this season is Villanelle's incapability at grooving along to music (minus the Ballroom Scene, as discussed below). The first chortle of the season comes with a hard cut to the happy couple's first dance as Maria is whooping it up and Villanelle isn't even at the "whoop" let alone the "it up."

Her chuckling and clapping while looking around is an exact representation of myself at parties so this moment certainly struck a particular chord in me.

The Girona Spice Kill

During a behind the scenes featurette on this scene, Jodie Comer revealed the Spice Kill was one of her favourite kills from throughout the series. We see Villanelle back in assassinating action in a spice shop in Spain where the rain stays mainly in the plain.

The sequence progresses from what was made to be a simple fall off a stepladder to Villanelle attempting to emulate the chalk dust kill her mentor/also monster Dasha executed decades before.

She is successful in her endeavour to make it look like an accidental spice suffocation and of course receives no commendations from Dasha because it's always difficult when your trainee becomes better than you in every way.

Episode 2: "Management Sucks"

Directed by: Terry McDonough

Placing Villanelle in a clown disguise during an assassination mission is a notion many of us only envisioned in our dreams.

"Just so you know, I'm kind of a big deal in this industry."

"Management Sucks" finds Villanelle wanting to move up the corporate ladder of assassins because nothing screams professional rejuvenation like International TPS Reports. She meets up and is tasked with being newcomer Felix's shadow during his first day on the job, an experience I'm sure most of us are familiar with.

Villanelle doubts his initial capabilities but he reassures her that he has five older brothers he can easily give a beat down to... He also apparently wiped out an entire generation of a family plus their dance teacher once so he does have some pretty impressive credentials to boast about.

Villanelle and Felix Team Up! Going, going, going... Dead

Call me naive but at the start of this professional relationship between a seasoned veteran and hungry novice, I genuinely believed Felix would've grown to become a worthy trainee of Villanelle's. I thought they would travel together from country to country executing the Twelve's plans while learning about the power of love because, as they eloquently stated, "when you love somebody and they don't love you back, it's shit"... but then Felix's first-time "improvisation" tactics led to a bullet in his head so I quickly let that idea go.

Villanelle is clearly not one to accept first-day jitters. I definitely wouldn't have made it through orientation.

The Clown sequence is one of my personal favourite kills of the series. During my adolescence, clowns terrified me and continue to do so in my old age of my late 20s. What is a symbol of pure joy for children only works to unnerve me so seeing two clowns scouting out their target is what I subconsciously must have believed every clown was up to during their tenure at the neighbourhood fair.

The gorgeously beautiful landscape paired with the intense colours of Villanelle and Felix's outfits juxtaposed with the hysterically detached disposition of the two who are there to murder a member of this wealthy family is uniquely Killing Eve.

The Continuing Strain between Villanelle and Konstantin

The final moments of the Season 2 finale began the deterioration of Villanelle and Konstantin's relationship that culminates in the finale of this season. The palpable sense of sheer hurt radiating from Villanelle as she screams out "you do not get to come here without an invitation anymore!" is a far cry from the Villanelle who threw him a surprise birthday party for two complete with Konstantin cosplay.

This scene provides insight into Villanelle's growing need for acceptance as Konstantin wonders why she is willing to trust Dasha after previously wanting to kill her. Her response of "if I killed everybody who betrayed me, there would be nobody left" hints at the struggle she has faced and allows for further exploration as the season progresses.

She also found out at the conclusion of the episode that Eve was still alive which elicited this amazing reaction:

Episode 3: "Meetings Have Biscuits"

Directed by: Miranda Bowen

"I want to smell like a Roman centurion... who is coming across an old foe who, in battle once, hurt him greatly. Since then, the Roman centurion has become Emperor and is now powerful beyond measure."

Dasha continues to berate Villanelle for every decision she makes including befriending a tiny human in order to practice her various characters that Dasha herself advised her to do.

She returns to London after becoming the Baby Whisperer in Spain.

"Meetings Have Biscuits" showcases how Villanelle remains distracted after learning Eve is alive. She visits a Build-A-Bear-esque establishment and attempts to assure Eve - and by extension, herself - that she is completely over her in a voice message attached to an innocent teddy bear.

This facade lasts for about a second until she reveals her true feelings before scrapping it for fear of allowing her vulnerabilities to get the better of her:

The Bin Baby

Killing Eve's impeccable mix of its darker themes & wild humour and its ability to incorporate this hallmark effectively is what makes it a standout in a sea of other cutthroat detective works.

The complete absurdity of Villanelle taking Baby after killing her mother and Dasha placing said Baby in a bin (birthing the phrase "Bin Baby") after being accosted by a piece of bread was such a brilliant sequence I was flabbergasted the entire time. I'm not sure the validity, however, of a grown woman disposing a baby in broad daylight with tons of witnesses surrounding them but hey... Believe it or not, stranger things have happened around me when I'm in downtown Toronto that I had no idea about until I read it on some city gossip account the next day.

Viewers (and Villanelle) thankfully learned of Bin Baby's rescue by a loving family at the conclusion of the episode.

The Bus Scene

One of the decisions of this episode I appreciate immensely is choosing to have Eve and Villanelle abruptly reunite. There wasn't an intense buildup where cellphones were being rung or agents were spotting a honey-haired individual with cat-like eyes roaming about. Viewers may have had an inkling that a possible meetup might occur since they were in the same location at that time but because there wasn't any particular emphasis placed on them meeting face-to-face, the suspicions remained lowered.

Then comes the "Hi Eve" and we all lose it.

While Villanelle believes she has the upper hand during the beginning of this encounter, Eve's sudden jolt of physicality takes her aback which is hysterically obvious in her initial look of confusion.

I'd like to take second to express my continuing appreciation for Jodie Comer's infallible facial expressions.

Villanelle: "I'm not here for you!"

Eve: "BLLLLAHHHHHH!!!!"

I find myself constantly rewatching that scene for those two specific frames (plus the kiss, of course!) because it's when Villanelle realizes Eve is genuinely trying to fight her - a highly-trained global assassin supreme. There is just the slightest sense of a romantic in her with Villanelle holding back physically harming Eve when she could easily snap the neck of anyone in her immediate surroundings.

It's an iconic scene that will remain a fan favourite long after the series concludes.

The Konstantin Scare

Konstantin clutches his chest in numerous instances throughout the season hinting at a health scare that eventually occurs toward the latter of the season. Villanelle sneaking into his house and hiding under his covers leads to a phenomenal scare that definitely would have been worth Konstantin dropping dead right then and there... I am happy it didn't though!

Villanelle becomes hungrier for more information on her past because although she may ruminate in her scent of power, in order "to keep power, you need knowledge." The scene eventually works as the catalyst for her reuniting with her biological family in the episode "Are You From Pinner?" which is one of the season's standouts.

Episode 4: "Still Got It"

Directed by: Miranda Bowen

"Still Got It" highlights how although Villanelle is clearly capable of continuing the work she's been perfecting for years, she's begun to show a change. Her continuing need to learn about where she came from and striving to become accepted has led to her feeling exhausted and anxious for continuing work with the Twelve which manifests itself into an annoying hiccup she cannot get rid of until the final moment of the episode.

"It's Eve birthday today."

The Garden Kill

As if Tiny Tim couldn't get creepier.

This episode switches up its traditional narrative style by separating each character's respective journey within their own chapters of the episode. In a season with only eight episodes and every minute remaining crucial for its progression, I wasn't a huge fan of this approach. I will say I was excited to have roughly ten minutes of an uninterrupted Villanelle campaign. There was also the Garden Kill sequence which I fearfully adored.

Villanelle is tasked by Konstantin to kill the sweet widow of Twelve accountant Charles Kruger in exchange for information about her family.

"Off the record" of course.

As mentioned, Villanelle was plagued with the hiccups in the episode and I believe them to be a combination of her ongoing anxiety with wanting to know about her childhood along with aspiring to be more than just a cog in the Twelve's machinery of murder.

During her encounter with Mrs. Kruger, the kind older lady attempts to remedy a solution by doing what many deem to be a proper way in getting rid of the hiccups which is to scare the unsuspecting person. Villanelle clearly has no idea about this tactic because a) she probably watches horror movies to calm herself down and b) there was never anyone around her who cared enough to let her know. An idea that seems commonplace to most is completely foreign to Villanelle.

The genuine excitement and childlike wonderment Jodie Comer brings to this sequence is yet another testament to her groundbreaking performance. As they continue frolicking in the yard, the brief elation she feels is an entirely new experience for her yet she continues to weave in and out of Playful Villy and Killer Villanelle because she's been conditioned to do so.

She is visibly conflicted following the kill when she calls Konstantin. It is with this target where I believe ultimately represents Villanelle's transition from brutal killer to reformed assassin.

Despite the fleeting attachment she may have felt for Mrs. Kruger, she knows she will be given the location for her family which has been a key motivation for her throughout the series but is at the forefront during this season.

The episode ends at a train station in Russia with the now hiccup-less Villanelle.

Episode 5: "Are You From Pinner?"

Directed by: Shannon Murphy

"Are You From Pinner?" is my favourite episode of the season.

The entire episode is set in Villanelle's hometown in Russia where we finally "see the origin of this human" as Heathcote states it in a featurette on the episode. Viewers learn more about a young Oksana and gain incredible insight on her internal psychological struggles.

"You are the darkness. You have always been the darkness. You weren't scared of me, you were sick of me. You knew I could see what you are."

Delving into the vast significance this episode holds within the lore of Villanelle can be an entire dissertation of itself so I will try to keep my gushing to as much of a minimum as I can.

The Origin of the Darkness

"Are You From Pinner?" explores the idea of family and the inherent human need to feel accepted. Whether we like to admit it or not, it's a comforting feeling to know when we are either in a group filled with tons of people or with a sole partner, they want us there. They accept us being with them.

Throughout the series, viewers have seen indications of Villanelle wanting approval from people she has looked up to like Anna and Konstantin. Particularly with the latter, there would be numerous instances where we'd see how much Villanelle wanted him to stay with her or just spend more time together. She could not understand why they did not share the same craving as she did for the attention because she was just so ill-equipped in handling the emotional complexities that come with social interactions.

This episode was the definitive turning point in Villanelle's understanding of where her lack of empathy stemmed from.

The above sequence where Villanelle interacts with her mother for the final time peaks after she realizes how keeping a relationship with her will ultimately work to her detriment rather than providing the acceptance she's pined for. Her haunting delivery of "I didn't mind that you took me [to the orphanage]... I didn't mind that you never came back for me... What I mind is that you won't admit what you are. That I am my mother's daughter" remains a poignant revelation of their relationship. It also wrecked me emotionally.

As Heathcote mentions in an interview with Variety, "just because you’re a sociopath doesn’t mean you don’t want your mother to love you." Villanelle has been rejected consistently from most of the people in her life and she's had to handle it. When her own mother eventually rejects her for being the kind of person she herself was responsible for crafting, Villanelle is at a complete loss.

Throughout the episode we see how her mother's abuse has affected Villanelle's family particularly with her brother and stepbrother. It was genuinely touching to watch the connection Villanelle form with both Pyotr and Bor'ka which effectively demonstrates just how much growth her character has had within these past few episodes.

Past Villanelle would have never even considered giving Bor'ka the money to see Elton John; she gave up one of the main luxuries she historically strove for (being wealthy) for his sole happiness... Besides the whole killing abusive mom situation.

Throughout the entire series Villanelle has embodied persona after persona with no real clue has to what her true identity is. Heathcote explains that we finally see "a glimpse of the real person behind all those facades" and although this episode "feels removed" from the world we've seen her in up to that point, it works to where we actually see more of her than "what we've seen previously."

It was imperative that Villanelle (and the viewer) understands why she is shaped to be the human being she is. Her progression as a character has been executed astoundingly and "Are You From Pinner?" is truly the crowning achievement of her development.

Give her another Emmy, please

Although she may not have a loving recipient to send a Happy Mother's Day card to every year, Villanelle ultimately did receive a sense of closure, albeit a heartbreaking one.

And in case you were wondering yes, the moment she broke the fourth wall I felt my soul jump out of my body. How did you know?

"... LAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

I love "Crocodile Rock" now.

Also Elton John himself praised the episode and Comer's ability to look flawless in anything so that's just fantastic.

Episode 6: "End of Game"

Directed by: Shannon Murphy

My emotionally wrecked self remains that way as we move onto the episode "End of Game" which showcases Villanelle continuing toward rock bottom.

"I don't want to do this anymore."

"End of Game" introduces Villanelle to the world of empty corporate promises - She's officially "promoted" to Keeper and her first course of action is assassinating a politician in Romania, a concept she is nauseatingly familiar with. Her freshly opulent navy blue ensemble provides a sharp contrast to Villanelle's raddled outward appearance and inner turmoil. She listens intently as the illusive Hélène speaks to her daughter on the phone using words like "I'm sorry" and "love." Villanelle continues to be a foil for various tasks to be thrown at and it is then when she understandably wants out.

Go Sports!

I love the Villanelle/Konstantin dynamic. Their banter is fruitful, chemistry is undeniable and as this season progressed, I wanted Villanelle to shove a hockey puck into Konstantin's adorable laughing mouth.

While I completely understand Konstantin's hesitation in bringing Villanelle along with him to his imminent escape with his daughter Irina, the matter in which he rejects Villanelle (yet another rejection to add to the pile!) is particularly callous because of Villanelle noticeably mentally breaking down. With how the season ends, I'm relieved she didn't go off with them however seeing Konstantin's insensitive attitude toward her was aggravating.

"Is That Your Boyfriend?"

The bond between soul sisters Villanelle and Irina remains a minor aspect of the series I always look forward to potentially seeing. Although Irina can outsmart and out sass the best of them, there's an agitated energy she feels whenever she's around Villanelle as she seems to be the only person who can truly get under the 12-year-old's skin...

She Doesn't Want To Do This Anymore

Following her successful yet uncharacteristic messy assassination, Dasha finds a disheveled and distraught Villanelle in the bathroom looking as dolled up as I did when I watched this episode. Mentor/Monster Dasha does what everyone would want their elder to do in this situation and leaves her alone to cry it out after completing a makeshift stitch.

I include this in my favourite scenes list because it is undeniably one of the most vulnerable moments Villanelle has had in three seasons. If Eve were the one to have found her I am certain she would have felt at least a smidgen better than how Dasha left her. I am constantly mesmerized by Villanelle's character so hearing her say out loud that she's essentially reached her breaking point is an admission I wasn't prepared for but I'm ecstatic it happened.

Episode 7: "Beautiful Monster"

Directed by: Damon Thomas

"Beautiful Monster" is my second favourite episode of the season and Jodie Comer was, you guessed it, a major factor as to why I enjoyed it as much as I did. The episode finds Villanelle and Dasha golfing in Aberdeen and ends with me yelling at my computer screen for Eve to run faster.

"We have to stop running into each other like that... It's not good for both of us."

It is one of the funnier episodes of the season containing such exemplary lines as "does your son have your halitosis?" and "it's dementia!" Laura Neal, who is slated to be show-runner for the next season, wrote this episode along with the season finale while Damon Thomas took on directing duties. If their combined genius remains consistent for season 4, we are in for an absolute magnificent ride.

All Hail Tiny Chair

It's encouraging to see Villanelle's... distinctive sassy humour make a return this episode. After reaching what was essentially rock bottom the previous episode, the psychological sparring between Villanelle and Hélène as her protege watches on is enthralling to watch. Just as the viewer believes she's about to divulge what happened with her mother in Russia, she reveals doing something as a child that is arguably the worst thing Villanelle has ever done:

"I took a shit in her shoe when I was three... a really big one."

Hélène refers to Villanelle by the episode title which perpetuates the notion that being monstrous and committing evil acts (while looking super fly) is the only thing she is capable of excelling at.

The scene also introduces viewers to a new intriguing figure I honestly wouldn't mind seeing more of in future seasons: Tiny Chair.

I want to know which forest Tiny Chair's wood came from and whether they had to set aside their dreams of becoming an artist because they needed to take over the family business from father Large Chair after his sudden demise.

Did Tiny Chair struggle to get along with its room peers when it was brought in? Long Table seems like he would cop an attitude with TC because they've been in the game for years and suddenly this new compact-sized delight shows up out of nowhere? Especially after the amount of years Large Chair dedicated to his dutiful service, working his way up to the Prime Spot that is now suddenly taken over by a relative novice. Was nepotism involved?

What is the truth?

"Hey..."

I previously wrote about my everlasting love with this sequence and one particular moment if you're so interested in reading here:

I will say that upon including the scene for this piece, the love I feel for it only manages to grow with every rewatch.

Episode 8: "Are You Leading or Am I?"

Directed by: Damon Thomas

Similarly to "Are You From Pinner?" the Season 3 finale "Are You Leading or Am I?" features invaluable insight that progresses the complexities of Villanelle's character and could be expanded on in an entirely separate dissertation. I do hope a similar exploration occurs for our girl Eve next season.

It rounds out my top 3 episodes of the season and also solidifies, at least in my mind, that Villaneve is the ultimate endgame and nobody can make me think otherwise.

"I was trained to look devastating... Obviously."

The Rise of Villaneve

If the bathroom moment in "End of Game" was her reaching the inevitable rock bottom, the entirety of Villanelle in "Are You Leading" is her at her most vulnerable and lowest point emotionally.

Villanelle bringing Eve to the spot where she executed her first kill, a place that is so unbelievably personal to her, is her implicitly stating how much she trusts her. In "Pinner", Villanelle's mother remains silent when she confesses that she's killed many people. In "Leading", Eve doesn't remain silent, she chooses to respond with "I know" which are the two words Villanelle needed to hear not only to receive that emotional validation she's been pining for but to also conclusively leave the Life behind.

Despite a few initial awkward steps, Eve and Villanelle gradually mesh together in a (relatively) perfect symbiosis of a slow dance.

The Villanelle at the end of Season 3 is not the same Villanelle from the very beginning of the series. She has demonstrated the capability of showing remorse despite years of conditioning herself not to which is demonstrated during her fight with Rhian.

This is Sparta

There have been rare fleeting moments of guilt shown on Villanelle's face prior to and following a kill. The previously mentioned Mrs. Kruger and mercy kill on the boy in the hospital last season may fall into that category. Historically though, not at all. Lest we forget that supremely horrific (yet gorgeously lit) hit on Bill back in Season 1.

Knowing what we know about her... Was there ever a time when Villanelle would apologize before beating a target down? I'd venture to guess it'd be a "no."

Primal Villanelle unleashes on Rhian following the Ballroom interruption. Her clearly distraught self as she places her hands over her face after the beat down is yet another example of the change happening to Villanelle from within. There was a similar enough exchange that occurred between Villanelle and a girl in the club bathroom during Season 2 which would've resulted in a suffocated bathroom girl had Konstantin not intervened. If Rhian ever interacted with Past Villanelle, she probably would've gotten her braids shoved down her throat or something of that magnitude near the vending machine.

Villanelle's conflicting internal struggles are set aside momentarily when she Sparta kicks Rhian onto the train tracks and I interpret this decision to be either Villanelle worried that since Rhian had now seen Eve, she could potentially bring harm her way or to send a message to the Twelve that she's officially given her two weeks notice.

Visiting the Bitter Pill

It is always a delightful surprise when Unloved's "After Dinner" starts playing during Killing Eve.

This entire sequence of Villanelle visiting Eve's workplace-ish is a collection of lovely interactions between Bitter Pill employees and the masterful murderer they've all come to be terrified of.

"Eve, I'm at your work! Everyone here is really strange."

Paul's Apartment

It's a rare occurrence but whenever the show features a scene with Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer and Fiona Shaw all together in the same room, it is nothing short of being an electrifying spectacle. Watching these three ridiculously talented actors working off each other in this scene with the added bonus of Kim Bodnia only works to make this finale all the more amazing.

Carolyn scolding Villaneve and ordering them to sit on the couch will live on in my memory forevermore.

Also in case you're in continuing doubt of whether Eve and Villaneve belong together, I present exhibit #4587:

"You're not family."

I cannot accurately sum up just how powerful this moment was.

Villanelle rejects his offer to escape and ultimately accepts that Konstantin is added onto the list of those who only use her for what they believe she's solely capable of doing as painfully evidenced by when he screams out to her to help him when Carolyn held the gun to his head.

It's an eloquent conclusion to the Villanelle/Konstantin relationship for now and it'll be interesting to see where they take the duo, if at all, in the new season.

The Bridge Scene

The collective frantic heartbeats from the millions of viewers all beating together in perfect synchronicity during this final scene's progression would've honestly been strong enough to power an entire city.

At this point of the episode last season, Villanelle's understanding of love was to forcefully keep Eve by her side and declare that she belongs to her. During the concluding moments of Season 3, she gives her the choice to turn around and walk away from her forever. While those involved in the show confirmed that there was a sense of certainty within Villanelle that Eve would be the first to look back, there always remained that sliver of a 0.001% chance of Villanelle being rejected yet again.

Hair symbolism plays a crucial part in Killing Eve and I venture to guess the decision to have Villanelle's hair remain in a bun during this scene demonstrated that slight hesitation she felt.

With the season now finished and hiatus in full swing, you may find me perusing the internet looking up analyses on Villanelle's shoe laces and what the fabric of Eve's turtleneck may mean for the rest of her future. Extraordinary.

The third season of Killing Eve is available to watch on AMC.

The first two seasons are available on Hulu. The series is also available for purchase on Amazon.