'Killing Eve' Season 3 Episode 1: Is Villanelle responsible for the death of [spoiler] or was it suicide?
Spoilers for Season 3 premiere
'Killing Eve' is back and with a vengeance. Right at the onset of Season 3, viewers are greeted with murders: one in a flashback, and two in the show's current timeline. Among the three, the one that hits the hardest comes right at the end of the episode, in the form of the shocking murder of MI5 boss Carolyn Martens' (Fiona Shaw) son Kenny (Sean Delaney).
The idealistic young adult can be seen having a difficult time encompassing everything his mother threatened with her mission's pursuit at the end of Season 2, but our favorite Russian assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer) is also on the prowl — thus budding the aching debate over whether Kenny suffering a fatal fall from a rather tall building was suicide or murder.
Kenny is obviously not over his mother's lies during her previous operation involving the titular Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh). He used to work for his mother as an intern and had developed a rather wholesome bond with the ex-MI5 agent so to see her nearly die as Carolyn went about her selfish ways for the sake of the mission she had undertaken made Kenny feel like he deserves an apology from her.
Carolyn doesn't see the sense in it. In her eyes, she did nothing wrong even though a full-fledged hearing at work is on for all the unauthorized stunts she pulled for the sake of the mission.
So Kenny leaves the house disappointed and frustrated, on his way back to the new job as an investigative reporter trying to piece together a report on the possibility of The 12 still actively functioning.
Kenny isn't exactly depressed, but it's possible that his mother's constant and sometimes incessant dominance and authority over his life choices and decision might drive him to act out beyond rationality.
At the same time, it's also obvious that Kenny is on to something. He tries convincing Eve to return to the investigation even though he is pretty much her only willing ties to the profession.
The previously professional acquaintances are almost heading towards something new as they begin hanging out together and Eve sets up what looks like a dinner date for the two, the same day that Kenny dies.
It happens too fast. Right after Kenny confirms the dinner of sorts, sitting alone at work he hears a noise — you know the ominous kind that hints impending doom making its entrance. Hours later, when Eve is at his office, it's empty with Kenny's phone lying at his desk.
Soon Eve hears a loud thud behind her and the moment she rushes to the window, she looks down to see a body on the floor. It's clear that Kenny fell from the roof and Eve's worst fears are confirmed when she rushes down to find him unconscious and bleeding out from his ears.
Lying in a pool of blood, Kenny is dead. And even though it could be The 12 trying to take him down for his investigation or an old enemy of Carolyn herself, it might very well be Vinallelle back to make Eve's life a living hell.
It's not like Villanelle hasn't done this before. The entirety of Season 2 was her targeting Niko Polastri (Owen McDonnell) — Eve's ex-husband as the couple tried to work on their relationship and Villanelle's feelings for Eve couldn't handle that.
She had suffocated Niko's girlfriend and beaten him to a pulp in Season 2, the aftermath of which sees Niko institutionalized and in recovery in Season 3. So of course, the moment Eve hinted at a possible romantic interest in another man, Villanelle returns to sabotage all possibilities of that.
Earlier in the episode, even in her own wedding speech, Villanelle can't escape mentioning her horrible break up and how glad she is that her ex is dead. While we don't see Villanelle finding out that Eve is alive, there's little that escapes the professional assassin's notice and Kenny was just collateral damage.
'Killing Eve' Season 3 premiered on April 12, and weekly episodes will air on Sundays at 9 pm only on BBC America.