‘Killing Eve’ Recap: ‘End of Game’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Normally in spy dramas, the lovely little game of cat and mouse that spy and villain play, seemingly goes on forever. For they continuously tease and poke and prod one another, in order to test one another’s limits and see who by chance, will finally crack first. Which definitely makes for an entertaining if not equally unrealistic ride. Because in reality, we only put up with that kind of silly game for so long before we finally cut to the chase and that’s another reason why Killing Eve is such a brilliant spy drama. Because last night’s episode of the series injected a little realism into this particular genre, by having just about every character in this tale say, ‘enough’.
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Because ‘End of Game’ saw everyone reach their boiling point with the little games that everyone has been taking part in over the past three seasons and in doing so, they were able to accomplish some outright wonders in their personal and professional lives. Take for example Eve’s journey in this tale. Because she didn’t buy for a second that Villanelle was responsible for harming Nico, and in order to properly give him closure and the ability to emotionally heal, since it turns out he survived Dasha’s stunning attack; she decided it was high time to stand up to the Twelve in bold fashion and quit doofing around with observation and procedure. Which led her to a face to face meeting with Dasha, one where she made it clear that she was done with their games and done with them thinking they can do whatever they want and well, this was just wonderful to see. Because it speaks to Eve’s growth, and how much of a threat she can be when she’s focused and it will be quite interesting to see if this epic moment will shake the proverbial tree, and potentially allow for Nico to forgive her. 

But there was mention of everyone in this tale taking the time to stand up and say enough and that was no exaggeration. For Carolyn was also at a point where she was done with the stupid games in this business, something that came about because her boss was lying to her. For he never once gave her the call logs from Kenny’s phone. In fact, she had to get them from someone else and that motivated her to confront her boss about his behavior and question his loyalty and well, why stop there? Which means that she took the time to hammer Konstantin about his constant hovering in regard to her daughter and why Kenny called him the night before he died. And while she didn’t get any specific answers that would help solve the mystery of his death, it was just nice to see Carolyn quit playing games and cut to the chase for a change. Simply because it brought about results and much needed honesty, and it may even repair her strained relationship with her daughter. 

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Speaking of Konstantin, well he is perhaps the only character that seemingly continued to play the game in this tale, but there was good reason for him to stay in the shadows and get along to get along. Because it turns out that he is the man responsible for swiping all that money after all, and a low profile was a necessity in order to see tomorrow. But why he stole the money, is why he qualifies to be a part of a list of characters that stood tall in this tale, because he too wanted out of the Twelve, so that he could finally have a normal life with his daughter. And while his journey toward independence and early retirement was perhaps the most straightforward in this tale, it was also powerfully poignant since it did reveal that Carolyn’s boss is indeed a member of the Twelve and hopefully Konstantin can escape their clutches quickly and quietly. Especially when one considers that his darling daughter outright murdered her stepfather in cold blood at the suggestion of someone who was hoping to join them immediately on their journey to Cuba.
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For Villanelle also had her fill of this lifestyle, which is a huge deal. And much of her motivation to get out of the game, came from the fact that killing her mother brought her no peace, and the constant killing in general was starting to wear upon her. But the nail in the coffin in regard to her career with The Twelve, came from the fact that they lied. They didn’t make her a keeper, they just gave her more money and more amenities to enjoy a fancy lifestyle, when all she wants is peace and quiet. And the jarring nature of discovering that she is only good for one thing to this organization made her sloppy in her most recent kill and irreconcilable when Dasha tried to ease her physical and emotional pain and  truly it was quite incredible to see Villanelle in such a vulnerable and desolate place, especially when one considers that not that long ago she was all about her life as an assassin.

But clearly even professional murderers tire of the games and the fantasy and it won’t be long now before her desire to step away from this world will be fulfilled since Villanelle always gets what she wants, and, in the end, this was quite the incredible episode. Because this is universal growth for our characters, and it was wonderful to see each of them finally have their fill of the silly stuff and expect results and this really does make Killing Eve one of the most dynamic and intelligent shows out there. Because it refuses to give into gimmicks, and it demands more of its characters and it should be interesting to see where all this growth and rebellion takes us in the weeks to come. For none of us saw this coming and it is always a wonderful thing when a show can utterly surprise you by way of a bold new direction, three years into its run. Until next time.

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