Since premiering in 2018,Kiling Evehas been a fairly beloved adaptation ofLuke Jennings' trilogy of novels. Compared to the rest of the series though, the finale, which aired on April 10, left many fans and critics alike with a bitter taste in their mouths. It’s the lowest rated episode of the series by far on IMDB, at a dreadful 2.8, and prompted a resounding “what” from audiences as it trudged up the dreaded “bury your gays” trope for all to see. Now, Jennings himself has spoken out about his distaste for the ending in a new column forThe Guardian.
For four seasons now, the show has followed the part manhunt, part romantic relationship betweenSandra Oh’s Eve andJodie Comer’s international assassin Villanelle. It teased viewers with their will they, won’t they nature that had everyone hoping they’d eventually get together. The finale finally granted fans their wish with the two making it official, right before the cruel twist of Villanelle being unceremoniously gunned down during their escape attempt. It doesn’t even let the audience savor the moment, and instead kills the romance with a death that didn’t gel with the tone that Jennings said he wanted to come across.
“As an author, it’s a thrill having your work adapted for TV, as myKilling Evenovels were,” Jennings opens with in his column. “You’re never going to love everything the screenwriting team does, that’s a given. You’re too close to the characters. You’ve lived with them in your head for far too long. But it’s a thrill to see your story taken in unexpected directions…” Jennings assured he’s always been appreciative of the show and the work of the actors and screenwriters that have done their best to bring his books to life. With regard to the ending though, he said, “It’s an extraordinary privilege to see your characters brought to life so compellingly. But the final series ending took me aback.”
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Jennings’ big gripe with the ending was that it was “bowing to conventions,” slamming the constant unfair balance of same-sex couples constantly denied their happy ending. “A truly subversive storyline would have defied the trope which sees same-sex lovers in TV dramas permitted only the most fleeting of relationships before one of them is killed off,” he said. “How much more darkly satisfying, and true to Killing Eve’s original spirit, for the couple to walk off into the sunset together? Spoiler alert, but that’s how it seemed to me when writing the books.”
“Bury your gays” as a trope been a mainstay in entertainment showing LGBT couples as more expendable than their heterosexual counterparts, from one-off moments like inAll in the Familyand the recurring character Beverly LaSalle to major, status-quo shifts like Sara Lance’s death inArrow. Lance’s death rings pretty similar to Villanelle’s, considering the out-of-nowhere nature of it and the major fan backlash resulting from it. In general, it’s a surefire way of showing fans that aren’t heterosexual and identify with these characters that they can’t have nice things. Regarding backlash, Jennings gave a sympathetic ear to fans who were as frustrated as him:
TV folk sometimes see ultra-fans of TV drama as weird and cranky, but for many young people living difficult and isolated lives, a show such as Killing Eve can be a lifeline. I recently heard from a young gay woman living in Russia. “Villanelle means the world to me,” she wrote. “She’s my comfort character, someone I’ve found representation, understanding, freedom, strength and bravery in. And I know that no TV writers can take her away because she’s ours – all of ours – and thanks to your books and our love she will live on forever.”
If there is one positive to take from such an utterly devastating ending, it’s that it lit a fire under Jennings. He closes off his column with a message to everyone who felt burned by the ending ofKilling Eve: “Villanelle lives. And on the page, if not on the screen, she will be back.”
