This second season of “Killing Eve” has been a bit of a seesaw. The first episode almost stops me in my tracks); fortunately the next three episodes plunge deliciously onwards. What then of the season’s second split, the final four episodes, which could be the show’s finale (though I gather Season 3 is promised)? In Episode 5 the plot twitches laterally, with Villanelle co-opted as an ally, a relationship fraught with murky double-cross possibilities. By Episode 6, she and Eve are enmeshed in a terrifying joint operation that delights Villanelle, who seems to be reeling Eve into her world, and simultaneously thrills and terrifies Eve, who no longer knows quite what she is. Sandra Oh remains flawless in her portrayal of Eve but it’s Jodie Comer who shines in what is perhaps the performance of the year, at once whip smart and always on the edge of capricious violence. The dialogue throughout these episodes never misses a beat, the support actors are terrific (special mention to Henry Lloyd-Hughes as super creepy nerdy tycoon Aaron Peel), and the direction and cinematography are tight without showiness. By the start of the final episode, we know all will upend, and it does, in a wonderful aslant way that leads naturally into yet another sequel. Pleasingly, the climax heralds yet another twist in the duality of the Eve-Villanelle quasi love affair. Summing up, Season 2 rivals Season 1, both triumphing as compelling, kinetic modern cinema.
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