What an episode! Before we dive into the deadly dynamics of this week, let’s briefly recall the shocking events that unfolded on Killing Eve the week before. We spent a lot of time in 1979 Berlin, where we learned about Carolyn, Lars, and Konstantin’s interconnected past and how they (supposedly) were some founding members of The Twelve. Carolyn and Konstantin thought they left Lars for dead in the water, but it turns out he’s secretly been alive all these years later. Eve kidnapped Hélène’s daughter as revenge for releasing Villanelle from prison, but Hélène wasn’t going to let that slide.
At the end of the episode, we were left gobsmacked when Hélène tricked Eve into thinking they were going to capture Lars, when really she had ordered another assassin Gunn to shoot Villanelle with an arrow. Eve watched helplessly from Hélène’s locked car as Villanelle got hit and collapsed. When Hélène finally unlocked the car, a breathless Eve flew to Villanelle and cradled her lifeless body in her arms. Is Eve finally done pushing Villanelle away, and are they that much closer to a happily ever after? What other sinister scenarios does Hélène have planned? And whose side is Carolyn really on?
Episode 6, titled “Oh Goodie, I’m the Winner,” opens with Villanelle face down on a bed in Konstantin’s place. Konstantin is trying to calm down a panicked Eve, who doesn’t trust Pam with removing the arrow lodged in Villanelle’s back. (To be fair, corpses are different from living humans.) An exhausted and disillusioned Villanelle wants to see the arrow, but more importantly, she wants Eve far away from her. This is the beginning of a major role reversal from the last few episodes. Now, Villanelle was the one pushing Eve away, in denial of her desires, and Eve was finally giving in to the feelings she’s been trying to ignore all season. After a lot of (literal) blood, sweat, and tears, Pam yanks the arrow out. While Villanelle was relieved, she was also distracted by the fact that Eve was being so attentive and even tightly holding her hand.
In Berlin, Carolyn has a tense catch-up by the fire with Lars. Carolyn warns him that someone is after him, but he doesn’t buy it. Lars concisely rehashes all Carolyn has done over the years that contribute to his trust issues. “You tried to kill me and left me for dead. Then you run an MI6 task force trying to unmask The Twelve. Then you betrayed your own country and jumped into bed with the Russians. Why would I believe you?” He brings up some pretty solid points. Yet Carolyn is insistent and warns him to watch his back for the person targeting him and his peers. How about a deal? Carolyn will tell him who’s after him if he reveals who killed Kenny. Lars tells Carolyn he didn’t order the hit on Kenny, and Carolyn tells him that Hélène is the one hunting him. If Carolyn wants to know who killed Kenny, she’d have to do him a favor: He’ll call Hélène and set up a meeting, but instead of him showing up, it would be Carolyn. (Talk about a surprise!)
Back at the hotel, Konstantin tells Villanelle it was Gunn who shot her, and Eve admits it’s her own fault because Hélène was punishing her. Without hesitation, a visibly frustrated Villanelle tells Eve to “get over” herself, which is especially jarring to hear considering Villanelle would typically kill to have Eve so worried about her. Villanelle argues Hélène ordered this arrow on her because she didn’t follow through with killing Carolyn. Konstantin points out that Gunn would’ve killed Villanelle if she wanted her dead. Therefore, she must’ve spared her for a reason.
Villanelle and Eve are finally alone in the hotel room. Eve looks longingly at Villanelle as she sleeps, which is half-creepy, half-romantic. Villanelle wakes up and for the first time, Eve is the last person she wants to see. Eve insists on staying by her side, but a physically and emotionally weak Villanelle tries to show Eve that she doesn’t need her. As always, Killing Eve’s score does an incredible job of capturing the bubbling emotion and intensely conflicted feelings our two protagonists are always caught up in. In a moment of long-overdue intimacy between Eve and Villanelle, Eve brushes aside the hairs on Villanelle’s face, and carefully dresses her. It’s a lovely moment between the pair that’s cut short by Villanelle, who’s understandably confused by the special attention Eve’s giving her after just having her arrested.
Eve confesses that she thought having Villanelle locked away would be best for Eve. Villanelle asks her if she indeed felt better without her, but Eve dodges the question. As we saw the last episode, however, the brief moment Eve thought Villanelle was dead crippled her with agony. After all, they say we don’t truly know what we have until it’s gone. Eve tries to warn Villanelle that Hélène is after her, but Villanelle waves her away and walks out. Crippled and isolated, Villanelle walks along the pier, and a motorized Eve sneaks up behind her and tries to keep things light. This fun banter is a little late, and comes across as annoying rather than charming. Villanelle doesn’t want to hear about Eve’s plan to burst in on Lars. She just wants to be alone. Fed up with the sudden attention, Villanelle yells at Eve to go. Startled, Eve walks away and leaves behind her scooter, which Villanelle reluctantly accepts.
While walking on the beach, Eve talks to Yusuf on the phone and says how she cannot believe she ever trusted Carolyn. The Super 8 footage from Oliver made it quite obvious: Carolyn is an original member of The Twelve. Villanelle, meanwhile, is visibly in pain on a bench, and a stranger (who is actually Gunn) offers her painkillers. After taking the medicine, Villanelle notices a handwritten note inside from Gunn that says Hélène might want Villanelle dead, but she doesn’t. Also included in the cryptic message? An address to a hotel in Berlin. Intrigued, Villanelle calls Eve and tells her that Carolyn must be in Berlin because she’s looking for Lars, too. At this point, it would be easier to name the people not looking for Lars.
In the middle of all this madness, Pam is tasked with accomplishing her first kill (her brother doesn’t count). She nervously follows Konstantin's directions and discovers that the woman in question is not at all what she expected. She was happy, inviting, and fueled by her new lease on life. She was…Fernanda. (Remember her?) After some deep breaths, Pam did what she had to do if she wanted to make it as an assassin: took Fernanda to an alley and killed her. Pam and Konstantin unwind at a roller rink, and he asks her why she’s choosing this path. Pam says that Hélène’s the first person to believe in her, and she thinks it’s something she can be good at. Pam returns the question to Konstantin, who hilariously sums up his history with The Twelve in a few words, saying, “Things kind of, uh, snowballed.”
Carolyn arrives at the squat Lars directed her to in Berlin and is surprised at how graffitied and dirty it is. Hélène, on the other hand, was surprised to see Carolyn. The two sit on a curb and Hélène asks Carolyn what her intentions are. Both continue to be elusive, though Hélène does tell Carolyn that she wants the name of Lars’ boss or else Carolyn should expect to be tortured, too. She also reveals that her father, Jacques, knew Carolyn’s father romantically. It seems that Carolyn and Hélène have been wrapped up in each other’s lives longer than they thought and that perhaps, they have more in common than they’d like to admit. Later, Carolyn tells Lars about her meeting with Hélène, which leads to him throwing a fit and saying, “I’ll blow my brains out before I betray anyone for that b*tch.” Carolyn did what he asked, so where’s the name of her son’s killer? Infuriated, he storms away, and Carolyn is left in a worse position than she was before.
Hélène looks fancier than ever in her hotel suite and wraps up a call with Gunn. She relaxes without a care in the world on her bed, completely oblivious to the beautiful monster underneath. Villanelle was literally under the bed with a knife in hand, ready to strike. Her plan is put on pause when Eve shows up at Hélène’s room, which makes Villanelle insanely confused. Hélène unknowingly fuels Villanelle’s hate fire once she acknowledges her and Eve’s complicated past of baths and kisses, something Villanelle never thought she’d ever hear. (Her reaction is priceless.) Villanelle then slices Hélène’s Achilles tendons and sneaks out from the bed, giving Eve the most devastating glare in the process. Eve awkwardly tosses a knife to Villanelle, who doesn’t want Eve’s help. In her typical no-big-deal fashion, Villanelle calmly gets on top of Hélène and slices her neck. Man, Villanelle’s been wanting to do that for a long, long time.
Unfortunately, Villanelle can’t revel in what just went down because she’s in shock over what she overheard about Eve and Hélène’s quasi-romantic past. Villanelle stares at Eve in disbelief and utters four words we never thought we’d hear her say: “I’m done with you.” A range of emotions flood Eve’s face in a matter of seconds as she realizes the pain she’s caused Villanelle. Hélène was dead, and it appears that Eve and Villanelle’s future together might be as well.
Eve confronts Carolyn at Lars’ cabin and Carolyn tells her that killing Lars would have unimaginable consequences. Eve refers to Carolyn as “Janice,” and tells her she knows that she was part of The Twelve all along. Carolyn denies it, claiming she was merely “infiltrating an anarchist group,” though Eve is not buying what Carolyn is selling. Eve tells Carolyn that she is “rotten to the core,” but Carolyn is adamant that they both want the same thing. Eve reluctantly walks away, but as we will soon learn, doesn’t go very far.
Inside the cabin, Lars apologizes to Carolyn for his outburst, and she patiently asks him for the name he promised her. In a total whirlwind, Eve busts open the door and shoots Lars dead, despite Carolyn’s pleas. The look in Eve’s eyes was pure adrenaline, but Carolyn tells her that Lars was simply one of the many members of The Twelve that will endlessly be replaced. Carolyn pulls a tattered notebook from Lars’ pants, which, by the look on her face, contains some riveting answers. Meanwhile, Eve walks the streets and swigs some sort of alcohol, desperate for answers of her own.
The episode ends on an odd note. Villanelle rows a boat to a Scottish island with a twinkle in her eye and comes across Gunn in the forest. Villanelle cheekily says, “Hey, my back hurts,” and they both lunge after each other. What unfolds is one of the best (and most confusing) choreographed fights of the series. After they both take turns having the upper hand, Gunn tackles Villanelle off of a small cliff. The two land next to each other with a brutal thud and writhe in pain. Their grimaces quickly morph into hearty laughs as they look up at the blue Scottish sky. A gleeful Villanelle asks Gunn, “Can I stay here?” Did Villanelle just find her soulmate?