'Killing Eve' season 2: Eve and Villanelle's relationship goes beyond the hunter and hunted dynamic

With the second season of 'Killing Eve' less than a month away, the thirst for new updates, teasers, photos and the like is reaching fever pitch among fans right now.
While spoilers are not always appreciated, there's no denying the curiosity that the already released teasers have initiated in us, especially when it comes to the dynamics between the titular MI5 agent Eve (Sandra Oh) and her murderous target Villanelle (Jodie Comer). What we already know is that the two are inexplicably drawn to each other. Their relationship goes beyond that of the hunter and the hunted with a great degree of obsession. Turns out, this season is going to be less about the chase and more about the layers in their already confusing and extremely incomprehensible attraction towards each other.
Any Feelings? #KillingEve Season 2 Premieres April 7 at 8pm on @BBCAmerica. pic.twitter.com/kuk0JBYxdM
— Killing Eve (@KillingEve) March 8, 2019
Earlier this month, series producer Elinor Day had shared with Entertainment Weekly that "While series one was very much a cat-and-mouse chase, in series two, we’re really exploring different facets of the relationship between Eve and Villanelle."
That is all the confirmation we need to speculate that, this time around, as we explore their multifaceted relationship, there could be things from both Eve and Villanelle's past that might get dug up to explain just why they are the way they are — both individually and towards each other.
Everyone agrees: #KillingEve is instantly addictive.
— Killing Eve (@KillingEve) March 18, 2019
Golden Globe Winner @IamSandraOh and @JodieComer are smashing it. Season 2 premieres Sunday, April 7 at 8pm on @BBCAmerica. pic.twitter.com/VrFneufjKm
For starters, there's the very high possibility that detective Eve Polastri's latent darkness will be explored to better explain her attraction towards Villanelle. The previous season has been proof enough that, despite her well-paying job, a seemingly normal married life, and also a decent boss, there is something inherently dark in Eve which she gets to explore only through her chase for the psychopath assassin that is Villanelle.
To understand her better, in season 1, Eve even digs a knife into her skin just to feel the sting in hopes that it would help her understand Villanelle's thought process and violent tendencies better. This more or less establishes that Villanelle is her gateway into the darker side of her psyche.
Everything's fine. #KillingEve pic.twitter.com/wpos9uKkgr
— BBC America (@BBCAMERICA) March 18, 2019
However, when it comes to Villanelle, it is not just about roping the harmless detective into her traps. What must be understood about Villanelle is that she's a psychopath, but she became who she is from possible triggers in her past.
In the past, the show has alluded to Villanelle being abused as a child, thus leading to her automatic reflex of chopping penises off. All of that was merely teased in the first season and leaves substantial hints that maybe the topic will be explored further in this upcoming installment.
Your attention please. #KillingEve pic.twitter.com/uDLyEkow5z
— BBC America (@BBCAMERICA) March 12, 2019
Once we know the roots of the Villanelle's psychopathic violence, it will help us understand why she likes Eve more than just a potential steamy lesbian love interest. There's no denying the sexual tension between the two characters, but had Villanelle been a regular serial killer, she would have derived pleasure from harming Eve. Why has she still kept her alive and continues on her pursuit of finally acquiring her through several teasing, taunting tactics? She had her chance, but she is willing to go through the ordeal once again instead of just killing Eve off right then and there, thus finishing her business.
The first season has focused on the chase and, even though we see the same fashionably chic Villanelle going back to her teasing ways of mocking Eve with mysterious gifts and cryptic messages, it still doesn't make sense why the two of them haven't finished each other off already.
Then again, for all we know, maybe killing Eve isn't her goal at all. Maybe their relationship is all about expressing — quietly, but not at all subtly — the risks they are willing to take for each other.
'Killing Eve' season 2 arrives on April 7 only on BBC America.