Actor Shipping: The fanbase often ships Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer, both because their characters are the One True Pairing, and because the two seem to be genuinely very fond of each other. (The joking semi-flirting in interviews doesn't hurt, either.)
Adaptation Displacement: The original stories were basically unheard of before the TV adaptation, and still not as revered or popular. Customer reviews for the book are a mixed bag, but many like to claim that the TV show is a much better execution of the general story.
Anti-Climax Boss: Since Season One, The Twelve have appeared omnipotent and omniscient, mercilessly punishing and eliminating anyone who crosses them, all while remaining untraceable by authorities — not to mention that they have caused Villanelle and Eve a whole lot of grief over the years. In the series finale, Villanelle effortlessly slaughters The Twelve to a music montage while Eve dances.
Arc Fatigue: Much of Seasons 1, 2 + 3 story revolve in some way around a shadowy group called "the Twelve" but despite the group being mentioned constantly over three seasons we know about as much now about them now as we did when they were first mentioned.
Alternative Character Interpretation: Villanelle gets a heavy dose in Season 3. How much, if any, of her mother's account of her as a sociopath from birth who had to be sent away for the rest of the family's sake was true?
In "Meetings Have Biscuits", when Eve kisses Villanelle during their fight on the bus, was it to distract Villanelle so that she could headbutt her? Or was the kiss something Eve has been wanting to do for some time now?
In 1x08 "God, I'm Tired", Is Eve genuinely considering having an affair with Villanelle, until she changes her mind and stabs her instead? Or is she merely faking to reciprocate Villanelle's feelings for her, so that Villanelle would let her guard down? Or both?
Audience-Alienating Ending: The fandom was not happy with Villanelle getting shot and drowning at the end.
While Sandra Oh did win a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination, many fans and critics were outraged that Jodie Comer wasn't recognized at all by the Emmys for the show's first season.
It looks like Emmy voters listened as Comer was not only nominated but won Best Actress in a Drama for the show's second year.
Awesome Music: This series boasts a very good soundtrack. "Tell Me" from the Season 3 finale in particular became a favorite of the fanbase.
Badass Decay: Villanelle decays a lot in Seasons 2 and 3. She is an extremely well-trained assassin, but even before her accepted in-universe decay due to her desire to leave the Twelve, she fails to kill Konstanin in Season 1 (despite aiming for his heart), and she shoots Eve and supposedly kills her, but she fails, although obviously she had to because Eve is one of the two main characters aside from her. Then again, she might have missed Eve's heart on purpose due to subconsciously not wanting to kill her. Also, the third season has her getting injured during an assignment and wanting to quit afterward just because someone stabbed her in the arm with a FRIGGING PENCIL. Bear in mind Eve stabbed her in the chest with a knife and she basically just walked it off.
Big-Lipped Alligator Moment: Villanelle is married to a woman at the start of Season 3. You'd expect her wife to be an important character and you're looking forward to seeing how her relationship with Villanelle effects her relationship with Eve over the course of the season but no, Dasha turns up out of nowhere, gets into a fight with Villanelle and in the next scene, Villanelle is randomly in a car with her having apparently decided to come with her. Her wife and marriage are never mentioned again for the rest the series, not even in the same episode.
Complete Monster: Aaron Peel, from Season 2, uses his intellect and resources to find countless women and lure them to his hotel room in Rome, where he proceeds to gruesomely kill them while using his security cameras to record his murder so he could watch them for his own enjoyment. Peel also hires the Ghost to kill his own father, along with four other people, so he could take over his company. Peel plans to use the company's resources to create as a cyber-weapon that would allow him find people to spy, blackmail, torment, and kill on a global scale and later auction it off to the highest bidder; he tells all of this to a journalist following him before murdering him and dumping his corpse in the sewers. Peel later attempts to have Villanelle kill Eve Polastri while intending to have her commit more murders for him.
Designated Hero: In Season 2, Eve comes across as this. She's becoming so unpredictable and nasty to those she cares about and she barely even cares about catching Villanelle anymore. However, Word of God and Word of Saint Paul statements later explained that it's intentional; Eve's job has desensitised her so much to violence that in many respects, she and Villanelle are Birds of a Feather.
Bill is a secondary character that dies a couple episodes in, but his snark and close friendship with Eve all but guaranteed that the fans would love him. The reveal that he's bi also endeared him to the show's LGBT fanbase.
Irina is beloved, mostly because her interactions with Villanelle are hilarious. Not only can she hold her own against our favorite psychopath, Yuli Lagodinsky plays the girl as such a delightful little brat that there have been several calls for her return.
Fanon Discontinuity: The fourth season falls into this with the fandom due to it's handlings of the characters, their arcs, and unsatisfying story threads. The cherry on top would be the Bury Your GaysSudden Downer Ending, which caused much of the fandom to disown season four entirely; especially since the books end with Villanelle faking her death. Notably, the books author, Luke Jennings himself, wasn't happy with the way the show ended.
Fandom-Enraging Misconception: Try to call Killing Eve a show that queerbaits without getting a thousand fans telling you why you're wrong. To explain, "queerbaiting" is defined as "a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not actually depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ representation." In Killing Eve, Villanelle is undeniably, canonically attracted to other women. Her attraction to women is central to her character and she has sex with plenty of women. Eve is attracted to Villanelle as well. Just because Villanelle and Eve don't have an uncomplicated Happily Ever After (as is apt for a dark TV series), doesn't mean no real queerness is depicted.
It Was His Sled: Carolyn has Villanelle executed via unseen snipers. The fact that viewers just had to describe the ending is a good sign that Killing Eve had become an irrelevance long before it ended.
Jerkass Woobie: Dr Mark Freestone, the show's very own psychiatry consultant, has repeatedly made clear that he sees Villanelle as this. Though it's no excuse, Villanelle evidently has lots of real psychological issues and trauma.
Dr Mark Freestone: When I started working in forensic mental health, the word used to make me think of someone with a deep, disturbing and cunning intellect like Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The reality is that psychopaths only very, very rarely have the kind of life that allows them to develop intellectual skills and high social, cognitive, or emotional intelligence. Most of them have had terrible upbringings, full of abuse and neglect, and sometimes you almost think, “There but for the grace of God….” Psychopaths are not super-human predators who are immune to fear and other emotions; they are missing something quite fundamental that helps define what makes everyone else human. What we haven’t figured out yet is how to give this back to them, and that is our failing.
The way Carolyn and Julia greet each other in Season 2, with Julia commenting on how her hair smells delicious.
Like You Would Really Do It: Both cliffhangers are to do with the possibility that either Eve or Villanelle will die. Villanelle, of course, didn't, so of course Eve isn't going to die, either. They also tease the possibility that Konstanin will die at the end of Season 1, and he doesn't. This is finally averted in the Grand Finale, where Villanelle does die.
The Scrappy: Geraldine, Carolyn's daughter who until Kenny, a popular character, died, had never been mentioned in-series and then was in almost every episode of Season 3 mostly to be seduced by Konstanin and to complain about how Carolyn doesn't love her.
Sophomore Slump: The second season is considered to be a step down in quality from the first. Most don’t see it as well written and think that making Eve and Villanelle’s relationship more explicit was too soon in the narrative and made the show lose its spark. The third season is more in Contested Sequel territory. Most agree it's a step up from the second season, but whether it's as good as the first is the subject of much debate.
Strangled by the Red String: Villanelle and Eve. And quite literally, judging by the poster for Season 3. The Season 3 poster shows them apart, as they were all season but also intertwined with the red ribbon, hence they end up together.
Take That, Scrappy!: After an entire season of Geraldine complaining about Carolyn's neglect, Carolyn coldly tells her that she wants her gone.
Tearjerker: The final scene of Season 3, where Villanelle attempts to let Eve go, and the two women walk away from each other, resolving to never see each other again... until they both stop, turn, and stare at one another from a distance. Until that moment, it really seems like it might actually be the end for them. The look on Villanelle's face when she sees Eve watching her is indescribable.
In the final episode, Villanelle is shot by a sniper working on Carolyn's orders. Villanelle shoves Eve off of the boat to save her, and Villanelle also falls into the water. Eve is unable to reach Villanelle before she starts sinking to the bottom. Eve emerges and lets out a heartbreaking cry of anguish. The fandom was not happy.
The Ghost is disposed of extremely easily, despite her character having the great hook that, unlike Villanelle, she can be anywhere and anyone due to being Beneath Suspicion. After Villanelle does... whatever to her in the shipping container, she's basically gone from the narrative.
The Twelve more generally. Who are they? What do they want? We know Konstanin is one, but is Carolyn? These questions and many more are just... forgotten about once Villanelle starts working with Konstanin in Season 2.
Eve, the literal title character of the show, gets very little plot development and character arc in Season 3. Especially notable since Eve reacts very strongly in the Season 3 premiere and then just suddenly get over it afterward.
Eve seems to fall back in love with Villanelle — or whatever she feels for her — and vice versa extremely quickly in S2, despite the fact that Villanelle killed Bill, and Eve stabbed Villanelle, endangering her life. Seeing them resume a very friendly, romantic relationship as if nothing happened is very jarring.
The Twelve, and Villanelle's involvement with them. How do they work? This is almost immediately forgotten about in Season 2 after Villanelle leaves them to go to work with Konstanin and MI6, which given that they are a terrorist organisation, is...a suspense of disbelief that they wouldn't want to harm her. Luckily, they're again a big part of Season 3... only for them to be killed off by Villanelle in the final episode, with no names or faces put to them. Only their backs are shown as V slaughters them all.
Carolyn's motivation from season three onward is supposedly finding out who killed her son, Kenny. But in the last episode, it's seemingly Hand Waved away when someone claims that Carolyn always knew who ordered the hit on Kenny, and that her search for the person responsible was just her being unable to leave the spy game.
Took the Bad Film Seriously: Many reviewers praised Jodie Comer for giving it her all, no matter how awful the final season became. She even got an Emmy nom for her troubles.
Unpopular Popular Character: Konstantin's daughter Irina is an insufferable, know it all brat that Villanelle can barely restrain herself from snapping her neck in all their interactions and even Konstantin admits she's a massive pain in the ass. Fans however absolutely adore her due to her hilarious interactions with Villanelle, repeatedly showing that she is not afraid of or impressed by her, and Yuli Lagodinsky finding the exact right balance between pissing other characters off but never the audience. Many fans are actively hoping to see her show up again.
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