‘Killing Eve’ season 4 episode 7 review: A tranquil island escape?

On Killing Eve, Villanelle begins to suspect her new host’s intentions.

April 10, 2022

Tonight, Killing Eve comes to a conclusion with the final two episodes airing back-to-back. In “Making Dead Things Look Nice,” we catch up with our two leads going their separate ways. Villanelle seems to find a place to call home when she connects with the Twelve assassin Gunn while the titular character has a difficult time readjusting to a normal life after killing a high-ranking member in the criminal organization. (There are spoilers ahead!)

Eve considers her pursuit of the Twelve over following the deaths of Hélène and Lars. Even though Yusuf is able to unlock Hélène’s phone, she doesn’t bother searching it for intel. There’s a gaping hole in her life after devoting so much time to taking the secretive group down that not even a karaoke session belting out Sia is enough to bring any fulfillment.

The entire karaoke bar scene is an effective means to represent Eve’s mental state. The longer it goes, the more she devolves into a hazy state. The appearances of figures from her past represents how she’s still haunted by what’s occurred over the course of Killing Eve. There are so many regrets in her life causing an inability to move on. In addition, it is a nice way to provide a swan song for some fan favorites including her ex-husband Nico and Bill.

This makes her reflective of her previous normal life and how much she’s changed. Now, she’s unphased by watching someone bleed out to death in front of her. Eve reverses course and decides to take down the Twelve once and for all. While on her path she receives advice that can only lead her to one person. Martin suggests she go to the people that love and understand her while Konstantin advises her to not go it alone.

Speaking of the assassin handler, this season of Killing Eve wasn’t going to end without more significant deaths. He is put in a hard place from the start when his daughter calls to inform him how Hélène get her out of prison. Irina might not know the full implications but Konstantin certainly does. Now the Twelve have their unescapable grasps on the young woman.

killing eve 4.7.2 — Photo: David Emery/BBCA

Though he can’t save his real daughter, at least Konstantin can help his surrogate one in Pam. With the news of Hélène’s passing, he’s ready to escape the Twelve and bring his trainee with him. Unfortunately, we find out the mystery job Hélène assigned Pam previously over the phone.

The mood became ominous the moment you see the pizza cutter. For a guy who’s managed to weasel his way out of precarious situations, he didn’t have one last escape in him. It’s sad to see him go, especially in such a gruesome manner. But he’s always played second fiddle to the strong women of the show thus making him expendable considering his less involvement in the final season.

The addition of Pam on Killing Eve freshens things up in the mold of sitcoms adding the young kid. Anjana Vasan can do the comically mundane from running a concession stand at the carnival to the deeply dark as in all her murders. Although unlike the other assassins, she manages to connect with her victims on a personal level and shows remorse in her actions.

None more so than with Konstantin. Vasan and Bodnia have developed a good rapport. The warm and quirky appeal of the hot chocolate scene comes to mind. That’s what makes her turn so impactful coupled with the fact she only learns of Hélène’s death after the fact. At least, as the episode title indicates, she makes her mentor presentable in death.

Meanwhile, on first glance, it appears Villanelle has finally put her past life behind her. She’s even smitten with Gunn and the rugged lifestyle she lives. She’s not even mad when her host uses the same crossbow for hunting that shot her.

However, Villanelle begins to have second thoughts when her boat is destroyed and her possessions moved into Gunn’s house. Our assassin finds herself unable to leave her life behind and in another trap. She makes a run for it with her savior turned enemy hot on her trail armed with a machete. To drum up more suspense, Eve arrives on the island and is right in Gunn’s sites. What a way to lead into the finale.

The penultimate episode of Killing Eve raises the stakes for the finale with the death of a major character and a suspenseful cliffhanger.