Killing Eve Review: Are You Leading or Am I? (Season 3 Episode 8)

After two season finales with one lead stabbing or shooting the other, Killing Eve Season 3 Episode 8, “Are You Leading or Am I?” doesn’t put anyone in mortal peril, but rests on the same silhouette.

As far as season finales go, “Are You Leading or Am I?” serves its function by tying up the big mystery of who killed Kenny, but it also leaves more on the table.

There are questions that will likely dangle in the air, and the series still ends on the same note of the two lead characters walking away from each other. Except this time, no one is bleeding–at least not physically.

The strongest scenes are the episodes are the ones where Eve and Villanelle get to occupy the same space for an extended period of time. 

The bus scene on Killing Eve Season 3 Episode 3, “Meetings Have Biscuits,” was an explosive and dynamic moment. By contrast, the Eve and Villanelle scenes on this episode are like that of old friends getting together for an overdue talk after a fight.

The emotional core of this series rest on Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer’s chemistry and the way their characters are drawn to each other, and that doesn’t stop on this episode.

However, there’s something transitory about this season of Killing Eve that stems from having these two characters apart and at odds with each other for so long. 

It’s been poignant to see Eve and Villanelle move in similar and yet different directions as they both try to figure out what it is they want after being betrayed by organizations they were loyal to.

They both needed to figure out where to go next, and while this episode doesn’t resolve that, the final frame does tell us that the answer is not away from each other.

It seemed like Villanelle would make a break for it and get on with her life outside of London, but this episode turns expectations on its head by eliminating the Twelve. (Or at least, according to Carolyn.) 

Fiona Shaw’s performance on this episode is something to behold. Carolyn has one of the strongest arcs of the season as we see her unfold from an ice queen to–well, still an ice queen, but one with a conscience. 

Watching her push away Geraldine and then take it upon herself to avenge Kenny is at the same time, both the Carolyn Martens we’ve known for three seasons and not. Carolyn had a full and adventurous life, and when she pushes Geraldine away it seems to come from a place of love.

Geraldine and Carolyn don’t have the most charming of mother/daughter relationships, and with so many people Carolyn loves in danger, her brief message could be seen as a form of protection. The only form of protection that Carolyn knows how to give. 

Her admission that she was the reason Kenny died is heartbreaking and one of the most emotional moments Carolyn has had. The fact that she makes it personal with Konstantin because she used to love him is all the more powerful. 

The fact that she can’t kill him and instead shoots Paul is a surprising twist, but not an entirely unexpected one. 

It isn’t hard to believe that Paul would have been involved with the Twelve, but the characters have spent this season so far removed from MI6 that there was no mystery to be solved there. Paul’s presence wasn’t ominous or all-powerful and it’s hard not to walk away from this episode thinking that this was a red herring. 

Carolyn Martens is a hard character to read. While she may have spared Konstantin and killed Paul, she isn’t entirely stupid. After the fact, Eve points out that this was a dumb move. She says that Paul could have told them about the Twelve and that they could have gotten answers. 

That’s what makes the moments after them more confusing. The way Caroline pushes Eve away and says she should “go cold turkey” is similar to what she did with Geraldine. Pushing someone she cares about away so they won’t meet the same fate as Mo. 

The thing about Killing Eve is that it has a gift for understatement. Carolyn plays things close to the vest which sometimes hinders the audience from getting invested in the bigger story overall. I can’t imagine that Carolyn isn’t planning to work her own angle after this episode.

The final scene on the bridge is the strongest one of the episode and it’s because Eve and Villanelle are finally able to go beneath the surface about what is going on between them. 

At the end of the day, as their lives stand, Villanelle and Eve are each other’s family.

When Konstantin left Paul’s house and Villanelle asks Villanelle if she is coming she said the same thing he did to her last season.

Konstantin would choose blood over Villanelle every time. Villanelle’s blood didn’t choose her. She’s alone. The one person who she connects with is Eve, and the one person Eve relates to the most is Villanelle. 

On the bridge, they bond over Dasha’s death and talk about the dark sides inside of them. Eve mourns the life she had before Villanelle came into it, and then Villanelle gives her a chance to walk away.

But that simple exercise of walking away from each other on the bridge didn’t last long.

They will always be pulled back into each other’s orbit because that’s the kind of gravity they have towards each other. 

Killing Eve is a tale of personal growth overall, but now that our characters know what they want to do next there is a chance for a deeper and darker story in the upcoming fourth season.

After all, since we won’t start Season 4 wondering if one or the other is dead, the two characters will have more time to strategize and formulate a plan. 

Stray Thoughts:

• If Villanelle’s plan was to leave then why is she going to Carolyn for a job at MI6? That opening felt a little out of the blue. 
• I remember reading an article about how assassins really dress when Killing Eve first came out, and I think it’s hysterical that this episode nods Villanelle’s outlandish outfits by making Villanelle and Marianne talk about wardrobe while they wait for the train. Marianne had a point, but in the end, Villanelle still won. 
• Marianne’s death was one of the most rewarding kill sequences I think we’ve seen, but I think it’s worth noting that Villanelle isn’t getting the same release from killing. She’s truly ready to hang it all up.
• Marianne’s death and Konstantin’s execution are so similar in how they beg Villanelle for help. These people are in bed with assassins, you’d think they’d know this could be their end one day. 
• Dasha is dead, so I guess we’ll never get a flashback of that time Dasha tried to kill her? Wait this is television, flashbacks are always possible. 
• Don’t send Eve Polastri undercover. Ever. 
• The Bitter Pill staff’s reaction to Villanelle is one of the best reactions to an assassin I’ve seen in a while. The fact that they’re just astounded she looks so normal and likes Bear’s candy is iconic, and they can now probably relate to a lot of Eve’s life the past few years. 

What did you think of this episode of Killing Eve? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Killing Eve will return for Season 4. 

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