Killing Eve, a BBC spy thriller originally released in 2018, hit Netflix earlier this month. After watching all of the show (minus the final episode) last year, I was delighted and surprised to see it back on my screen, and have already begun my re-watch. Will I make it all the way through to the end this time? I think so.

Killing Eve is, at surface level, a relatively generic spy thriller following psychopathic Russian hitwoman “Villanelle.” These tropes are tried if not true, and both good and bad adaptations are easy to find on any streaming platform of your choice. However, Killing Eve has one secret weapon in its arsenal, something that many shows nowadays are critically lacking—it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Moments of humor break up the high-stakes drama that often becomes boring when sustained, giving the viewer a moment to laugh (and breath) and allowing the next kill or chase scene to have full effect.

Also laudable is how the show creates serious intrigue into the relationship between Villanelle and the MI6 agent chasing her, Eve, without dropping these humorous undertones. In this way, Killing Eve also checks the psychological thriller box so commonly done poorly in spy thrillers, but with much more realism and vigor, exploring Villanelle’s childhood and psychopathy while also showing how easily these same cracks can appear in a “normal” person. Fans of political drama and international relations will also get a crack out of the morally dubious Carolyn, one of Eve’s unlikely allies, who never fails to brighten the screen with her deadpan face and stylish fur hats. 

This article would not be complete without an ode to the brilliant acting of the whole cast, but especially stars Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh. Although I feel that Sandra Oh is most commonly brought up in relation to the show (likely due to her preexisting fame in the world of American TV from Grey’s Anatomy), Comer’s performance as the hilarious and terrifying Villanelle is nothing short of incredible. One of the main reasons that the “psychopathic killer” trait so often fails is that it’s just way too serious; Villanelle, docked out in designer shoes and a pink tulle ballgown, is the antithesis of this, but Comer never loses the underlying edge of craziness and unpredictability. Credit is also due to the show’s writers and the author of the Killing Eve series, Luke Jennings. After all, if you want to use a trope as tried and true as the hitman, why not make it fun and new?

In all honesty, I can’t remember what exactly drove me to never watch the finale episode during my original watch of Killing Eve last year. Maybe I just unconsciously realized that I probably wouldn’t find a show as good for a while and wanted to hold on to it a little longer. If you find yourself in the same predicament, I would emphatically recommend Kleo for the same combination of murder and humor, and Ozark and Mr. and Mrs. Smith if you’re looking for something a bit more serious but still impeccably executed.