Killing Eve is one of the most unique and unprecedented shows in the history of television. Dealing with the unconventional premise of two women on opposing sides of the law and morality falling into a deep obsession, and dare we say, love, with each other, Killing Eve features some of the most interesting and memorable dialogues.
The show is written masterfully, and the extraordinary characters are depicted to perfection by Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh. Due to the shooting of season 4 being halted because of the pandemic, it seems unlikely that fans will see the dynamic duo on their screens again any time soon, so let's rewind through some of the most iconic lines delivered on the show.
“You should never tell a psychopath they are a psychopath. It upsets them.”
When Villanelle broke into Eve's home for the first time in season 1, she almost drowned Eve in her bathtub, held her at knife-point, and helped her undress to change out of her soaking wet dress (which had also been gifted to her by Villanelle).
She then proceeded to eat dinner with a very scared and confused Eve who was wondering why a psychopath was in her home. Villanelle was well aware of how she was different from others, and this line was a testament to her vague pride for her unconventional job and unstable state of mind.
"God it makes me rage how efficient things are when you're a d*ck to people."
Mild-mannered and respectful Eve learnt a valuable lesson in how the world works in the season 1 finale of Killing Eve. She first asked for room keys politely, and then changed her tone to a rude one and instantly got the keys she demanded.
The line resonated with all audiences around the world, because unfortunately, it is mostly true.
"No, of course not. Don't be pathetic. Get a real life!"
Villanelle's disdain for the regular and mundane was evident through all seasons of Killing Eve, but her condescension towards social media was especially amusing for fans.
Villanelle uttered these iconic words while she sat at a riverside café, writing postcards to the object of her affection, Eve. An influencer burst her bubble of love when she tried to shove a camera in her face to take a picture of her Instagram-worthy outfit, and the cold-blooded killer looked her in the eyes and told her to get a real life.
"Piss. Off. Forever."
When Dasha drove a farmyard pitchfork through Niko's neck in Poland in season 3 of Killing Eve, fans thought it was over for him. Miraculously, he survived but lost his speech. As Eve visited her husband in the hospital in London, she found him hooked to a speech emulator. He typed out a few words and a robotic voice enunciated this line to a shocked Eve.
Audience opinions about Niko Polastri were pretty polarized through the series, and this line signified the end of his sometimes troublesome existence in Eve's life.
"I have children." "I don't want your children"
When faced with an abductor, people are advised to humanize themselves to avoid harm. However, when Frank attempted to do the same when Villanelle toyed with him, he got an unexpected, and frankly one of the most hilarious answers ever.
It was classically Villanelle to think that Frank was offering his children to her in exchange for his life, and not that his children needed him to survive. It's hard being a psychopath.
"Can I take your veil?"
Eve may have been a more subdued character than the object of her obsession through the show, but her wry humor made itself felt quite often throughout the series, especially with this line.
When MI6 lured Villanelle to them to seek her help with The Ghost (read: mentally break her so she spilled her secrets), the deadly assassin turned up in a black gown and a veil: in mourning because she thought her target was Eve. As she entered her home, Eve took in the dramatic look awkwardly, and in a surprisingly funny moment asked if she can take Villanelle's veil.
"Sometimes when you love someone you do crazy things."
At the start of season 2, Villanelle was at her weakest. Struggling to get help for the stab wound that was given to her by Eve in the season 1 finale, and escaping from disguised operatives from The Twelve, she somehow managed to reach a hospital and get treated.
What would be considered as a betrayal by everyone else, was considered a mark of growing love between Eve and her by the eccentric assassin. Love really does make people do crazy things.
"...A burger?"
Fans got to see the steelier, edgier side of Eve increasingly through every season on the show. When Carolyn took Eve to a mortuary to observe a dead body, it predictably made Eve throw up the contents of her stomach.
However, when Carolyn's friend at the morgue offers Eve water or whiskey to settle her stomach, Eve iconically asks for something unexpected and meatier: a burger. The scene was eerily similar to when Villanelle was looking at paintings of dead bodies and got reminded of bacon.
"If you start killing people for free, we are both in trouble. And broke."
Konstantin was a character that changed his allegiance like a chameleon, and it was hard to predict where and on whose side he would end up. He did, however, do a good job of reminding viewers as well as Villanelle what the show, and their job was about.
Konstantin and Villanelle worked for The Twelve as contract killers, and if Villanelle started to assassinate people with no exchange of money, both the Russians would be in trouble -- financially and otherwise.
"I had quite a heavy period last week, but other than that I think I'm okay."
Before anything else, Killing Eve is a female-led show, which does away with heteronormativity and tells the story of two diverse, complex women who are obsessed with each other. The show has always depicted women as three-dimensional human beings with everyday problems, instead of just pretty faces.
During her psych evaluation, Villanelle was asked about how she was feeling and if anything bothered her, and this response added that touch of reality and feminism that most shows lack. It established Villanelle as a living and breathing (albeit dangerous) woman, and not just a trope.