Killing Eve and a trope that should be buried

We need to talk about Killing Eve and that shitty finale scene. 

(Major spoilers ahead.)

Overall, season 4 is a letdown compared to seasons 1–3.

The writing is choppy for a final season, certain characters (like Pam) have too much screen time, and Villanelle and Eve are stupidly kept apart. 

Showrunner Laura Neal failed us and let down her queer fans. 

The not-so-subtle nods to Romeo + Juliet at the beginning of the season indicated potential tragedy, but it’s doubtful any queer fans were prepared to be spat on and add another queer character to the ‘bury your gays’ trope. 

Being heartbroken by fiction is redundant when reality is grim already for queer and trans people, with the pulling back of rights, detrimental bills being passed, and how unsafe the world continues to be. 

Escaping in fiction is sometimes all we have. 

Once fiction returns to its ugliest of tropes, we’re left with very little. 

A huge chunk of the season is wasted on Eve being all over the place, Villanelle failing to avoid who she truly is, a pointless pursuit to take down the Twelve, and newcomer Pam (Anjana Vasan). 

When a show has short seasons, the pacing needs to be good, or it feels rushed. 

The plot isn’t cohesive, and by the end, it feels even more cruel to finally bring Villanelle and Eve together only for Villanelle to die tragically in front of Eve’s eyes.  

We’ve seen it time and time again. 

Laura Neal is clearly a straight woman failing to see the harm she’s done. 

I couldn’t bring myself to read this whole interview, but it’s clear that Neal doesn’t see how horrible the ending of Killing Eve is either.

This is why straight people, unless educated enough and capable of respect for their queer audience, shouldn’t be writing queer stories. 

Nor should they attempt to write complex women. 

To reduce all Eve experienced as a result of meeting Villanelle and embracing the darkness in her as what she needs to wash away ­– that she’s free to go back to living a heteronormative life, basically ­– is quite disgusting. 

The energy Neal’s words radiate is homophobic and ignorant to two characters who fans came to love. 

It’s an insult to the fans who see this finale for what it is: the opposite of a love letter.