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Showrunners 06: Twisted Romance – Killing Eve Ep4

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Welcome to episode 6 – This week we will discuss the 5 Commandments of episode 4 of Killing Eve.

Recap Episode 3 – Don’t I Know You

  • Villanelle makes another kill at a German sex fetish joint
  • Eve describes Villanelle to a sketch artist
  • Eve and Bill go to Berlin to follow up on the latest kill
  • Eve gets information from a Chinese diplomat
  • Bill follows Villanelle and is killed spectacularly and horrifically

Intro Episode 4 – Sorry Baby

  • Bill’s Funeral
  • Villanelle trouble with Constantin – work as a team 
  • Eve  trouble with husband – he thinks she might have had an affair with Bill
  • Eve gets her suitcase back with new clothes bought by Villanelle
  • Eve and Elena try to find Frank to ask about bribes
  • Villanelle and team hunt Frank down
  • Nadia kills the male team member and Villanelle runs over Nadia
  • Frank escapes and Villanelle chases him

Inciting Incident

Parul:

The Inciting Incident happens 19 min in when Eve discovers that Frank might be taking bribes.

Villanelle’s Inciting Incident is when Villanelle is told off by Constantin for leaving her name as the nurse for the last kill

Melanie:

It’s so interesting that Villanelle still has power, she gives that birthday present for his daughter, basically saying I know things.

Randall:

Most of the first half of this episode is Villanelle and without it, the episode would be pretty boring.  It’s hard to eliminate Villanelle as the protagonist given all of her screen time.

Parul:

Well, Eve is in grief over Bill, so she can’t do much other than cry and sulk and have arguments with her husband.

Melanie:

I thought the Inciting Incident was when the suitcase arrived at her house and Eve now knows where she lives.

Randall:

Or is the inciting incident when Villanelle gets a mission to kill a British agent, and we as the viewer don’t know if that agent is Eve or not?

Melanie:

The Suitcase is good foreshadowing because we know that Villanelle is going to show up at Eve’s house.

Progressive Complications/ Turning Point

Melanie:

Progressive Complications:

  • Villanelle made to work with 2 others, one girl (Nadia) with whom she has a history
  • Eve follows Frank’s phone
  • Frank attacked by assassins
  • Frank escapes

Turning Point: If the Inciting Incident is when Eve’s suitcase shows up or that Villanelle has been assigned a British agent to kill, then the Turning Point would be when Eve finds out that Frank is taking bribes, because this puts her on Frank’s trail which eventually leads to the Eve and Villanelle confrontation.

Randall – The Crisis – Episode 4

Melanie:

So, what’s the crisis in this episode?

Does Eve confront Frank with the knowledge that she now knows he’s the mole?  Or does she bring that information to Carolyn?

The stakes for this Crisis are: she wants to confront Frank because she wants to find someone to blame for Bill’s death, however if she presents this information to Carolyn it’s more likely that they will be able to capture and use Frank.

Parul:

I see something similar, the same scene, but the question is Do I know what to do or do I need help?  Because Eve is still new at her job, she is doubting herself because of Bill’s death.

Melanie: 

Sometimes I wonder if Eve is even aware of her insecurity.

Parul:

It’s a pretty tough job.

Melanie:

I wonder if she recognizes that she might not be the right person for the job.

Climax

Randall:

So the Climax is that she goes to Carolyn with the information

Resolution

Randall:

Carolyn assigns Eve, Elena, and Kenny to go talk to Frank

Melanie:

And I think the next big sequence bleeds into the next episode, and it starts when Eve and crew get a call from Frank and realize he is being hunted.

Parul:

I find this episode very unattractive because the next big sequence bleeds over to the next episode.

Melanie: 

Maybe the writers wanted to leave the middle of the series on a big cliff-hanger.

Value Change

Eve starts depressed and feeling guilty about Bill’s death and with knowing Frank is the mole, they have a new lead they can investigate to find out more.  If we stop the resolution at Frank being a new good lead.

Polarity Shift: -/+

But if we end at the end of the episode, it could end in a –.

All – Does this episode work?

Parul:

From a love story, we have a ritual of Villanelle leaving a note, which Eve will repeat later.

Melanie:

As a love story, we have gifts – the suitcase, the expensive clothes, and the perfume named Villanelle with the note: Sorry Baby.  Hate is a great emotion – you can feel for someone, Eve wants to kill Villanelle with her bare hands.

In general, though, the episode wasn’t as good as the others, we didn’t have another assassination in the beginning as we have in the other three episodes.  This scene is preparing for the Hero at the Mercy of the Villain scene. This episode might be more of a setup episode, it is setting up a lot of things.

Question of the week? 

Villanelle is paired up with two more assassins in order to kill Frank, and Villanelle ends up killing both of her partners.  She even backs up over her prison friend Nadia, twice.

What other shows have a killer team imploding and killing each other?

Randy – Driver, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill

Mel – In The Dark Knight – the Joker kills all the others who are working with him.

Parul: Mission Impossible

Did we miss any shows?  Did this episode work for you?  

Leave your comments on our webpage at storygrid.com where you can also find links and additional material in the show notes.

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About Melanie Naumann


About Parul Bavishi

Parul Bavishi started her publishing career in the editorial teams at Quercus and Random House and was later a Literary Scout for Eccles Fisher. She now edits Thriller and Young Adult novels through Publishing Uncovered and co-hosts the London Writers’ Salon, a creative writing hub in London where she runs events such as the Pitch an Agent Masterclass. At the Salon, she has interviewed award-winning writers, including poet Amal El-Mohtar, and the journalist and writer Luke Jennings, creator of the Killing Eve series. She believes in the long-game approach to creating work that matters and taking time to hone your craft. She has helped many writers create their best work and would love to help you.

About Randall Surles