Killing Eve Season 3 Episode 2 Recap: ‘Management Sucks’

[SPOILERS FOR KILLING EVE 3.2 AHEAD!]

The Story So Far

After breaking up in Rome, Villanelle and Eve start anew without each other. The former continues her life as a contract killer with a new handler but old colleague. Eve leaves the espionage life behind and works in a Korean restaurant. She’s not the only one who’s turned civilian as Kenny is an investigative journalist at a digital media outlet. But old habits die hard. He continues looking into the money trail for The Twelve and pays dearly for it.

Grieving for a Lost Son

The usually unflappable Carolyn is trying hard to keep it together at her son’s wake while she looks at his memorial photos. There’s additional stress from her daughter, Geraldine, who we meet. She’s trying to get her mother to open up and express her feelings, which is totally not her way. As she makes her rounds meeting the guests, Carolyn tries to approach Eve but her former coworker, clearly inebriated, rebuffs her and makes a scene as she exits.

The next day, Carolyn tries to bury herself in her work and attends a meeting. Everyone is surprised to see her so soon after Kenny’s death and tells her to take some time off. Some things are bigger than the job and she must take care of herself now or things will catch up to her later.

She then visits a sober Eve at the Korean restaurant. Carolyn comes clean and also believes Kenny’s death wasn’t suicide but she’s trying to be discreet while she investigates. She could really use the former MI6 agent’s help. To sweeten the pot, she even reveals that Villanelle is killing again and shows a photo of her latest victim. Eve has moved on from her former obsession and declines the offer.

Carolyn hits rock bottom when she sits in her car eating sandwiches in the MI6 parking garage. She can’t go home because she’s avoiding her daughter. Nor can she go to work since they won’t let her. For once, Carolyn doesn’t have full control of the situation. She’s frustrated because she can’t solve or investigate her son’s death.

Send in the Clowns

After a successful kill last week, The Twelve reward Villanelle with new accommodations consistent with her lifestyle back in Paris. She’s looking to move up the company ladder into the sought-after Keeper position. In order to prove she’s management material, she must mentor a young assassin and teach him the art of killing on the next assignment.

Her new protégé is a young man named Felix, who looks like a total poser. He claims he murdered a whole slew of people because they bullied him and his boyfriend. Afterwards, his beau didn’t want to know and it was heartbreaking when he didn’t love Felix back. A situation Villanelle can totally relate to.

Their mark is hosting a birthday party and the pair attend as the entertainment; clowns. What was supposed to be a clean and clinical job heads south when Felix decides to improvise. Villanelle steps in and finishes the job while also taking care of Felix for his incompetence.

The Double Agent

On the outside, it looks like Konstantin has been helping Carolyn as she investigates The Twelve but he’s really their mole. He regularly meets with a handler to update the secret organization on her activities. In his off time, he “bumps” into Geraldine while she’s running errands. He was going to mail another London souvenir magnet to his daughter but decides to give it to Carolyn’s daughter instead as a kind gesture while she’s dealing with her brother’s loss.

At the end of the episode, he heads to Barcelona to pay his former partner a visit. Villanelle is not too pleased to see him and still feels betrayed after Rome. He informs her he never stopped working for The Twelve and that she should be careful now that she’s with them again. Before he leaves, he drops the bomb that Eve is still alive.

Justice for Kenny

Eve also attends Kenny’s wake, but unlike Carolyn, her emotions are more obvious. She’s distraught over losing a friend and even ducks into the restroom to cry. While many believe her colleague committed suicide, she suspects foul play. Eve tries to feel out his coworkers at Bitter Pill but they aren’t helpful.

She feels Kenny’s phone holds some answers to his murder but she’s unable to unlock it. An unknown caller then texts the phone stating they know Eve has it and she should take the call. It’s Kenny’s former editor who also thinks there are clues on the cell and that they should work together in finding the killer. In exchange for access to the phone, they’ll give her Kenny’s flash drive with all his work. They’re only able to extract photos of Kenny and his girlfriend before Eve loses her patience. She then finds out the police have the flash drive so she takes the phone and leaves. After all, they’re not the only people she knows who are good with tech.

Eve goes to Carolyn’s house to tell her about having her son’s phone and how she wants answers about his death. They then begin to discuss their plans while the familiar magnet that Konstantin gave Geraldine earlier is secretly recording their conversation.

The Verdict

“Management Sucks” is a big improvement over the previous episode. Where last week was more looking back at what everyone was up to, here, the story moves forward. Eve begins investigating Kenny’s death and is positioned where she’ll rely on both Carolyn and Bitter Pill to help her. Then the reveal of the bugged magnet as it pans to the refrigerator along with the recorded audio was a jaw dropping moment. It also gives added meaning to the throwaway scene from last week where we learn about the fate of Konstantin’s family. The bigger bomb, though one that was teased in the trailer, is when Villanelle learns Eve is still alive. Jodie Comer plays the scene well with the raw emotion and shock and the sinister laugh at the end. Villanelle is always the wild card and it should be fun to watch how she responds to the news.

Speaking of Villanelle, her plot serves as a welcome break to all the melancholy and sadness following Kenny’s death. There are great moments between her and Dasha with a more playful feel than with her former handler, Konstantin. And there’s a ton of twisted humor from disguising as clowns to her interactions with the children at the party.

However, the real star is Fiona Shaw. Her portrayal of Carolyn during this time is so moving. She tries so hard to keep the cold, calculating exterior of a superspy. She still has the wit to come up with sharp quips at the wake. But she plays the gradual break down so well beginning with a slightly off kilter blouse at work all the way to her eating sandwiches alone in her car in a parking garage. Maybe The Twelve got a little extra in Kenny’s death. Not only is his investigation stopped but they make Carolyn as vulnerable as we’ve ever seen her as she deals with his loss.