Killing Eve “Just Dunk Me”

Um, what happened?

So, I had heard the fourth series was a bit, let’s say, odd.  It starts off promisingly with what looks like a reversal of how the show has been running so far.  Eve appears to have become the badass, tracking down Konstantin to get a tip on the Twelve, and Villanelle is looking to get baptized and be good.  You know what?  I can deal with that.  That works for a show like this.  Villanelle being smitten with a Vicar’s daughter and living in their house goes a long way towards what is arguably Villanelle’s trying to be good.

I can even go along with the idea that Eve and Villanelle are separated, that Eve wants nothing to do with Villanelle, and Eve has actually got a job that works to her expertise and may even be sleeping with the hunky guy she works with.  Heck, this guys looks like a major upgrade on Niko.  Factor in as well that Carolyn was demoted at work but is still looking for the Twelve herself, once again trying to hook Eve’s interest since someone is killing high-ranking members of the Twelve before anyone can actually find them.

Wait, how do they know that these dead folks are members of the Twelve?  Did I miss something?  Eh, probably.

Regardless, I can get behind the basic set-up.  It’s just something involved with the execution (no pun intended based on what this show is generally about) that doesn’t work for me.

For example, by now, I should expect Villanelle will murder someone.  Yes, she’s trying to be good.  She doesn’t really believe in Jesus but does believe being around people who do is necessary for her general improvement, something she seems to be doing for Eve only Eve doesn’t seem to care.

So, I probably shouldn’t be surprised when Villanelle murders the Vicar and his daughter’s pet cat.  I’m just not sure how or why she did it.  I really am not.  It just happens at some point.

Um, OK.  I haven’t seen Villanelle murder an animal before, but it’s probably a sign she isn’t as good as she wants to be.

Likewise, she nearly kills the Vicar’s daughter by drowning her in the baptismal font, but she stops at the last second.  That was a little different.

Oh, but then she sees Jesus.  Or, more accurately, she sees herself done up like Jesus.

OK, that’s a problem for me.  Villanelle is many things, but she isn’t the sort of person who sees stuff, especially herself as Jesus.  That felt like a different form of insanity that she’s never displayed before.  Does she imagine herself as Jesus?  Why?  Since when?  When did she start having conversations with imaginary people that are also her?  This is the 25th episode of the series but the first time this has happened.  I was concerned the third series was relying too much on the fun characters to build a coherent plot.  Now, well…I don’t know what to make of this.

I hope this isn’t a harbinger for how the last seven episodes are going to go.