Did Killing Eve season 4 seriously just pull off the show's biggest twist yet?

Major Killing Eve spoilers ahead.

Not kidding here. Major ones.

Season four of Killing Eve has been going at an odd pace, to put it lightly. Despite being the final batch of episodes, it seems content meandering on with minimal drama and plot in exchange for same-sex baths and questions about Villanelle's mental health while on a mission for redemption.

But then episode five aired, and it may have just completely changed the game in a seriously twisted way.

We are warning you now: we're about to talk episode five spoilers, which is in line with the US release and not the UK, which is a week behind. If you don't want to know what happens, have a biscuit, read our latest, less spoilery thoughts on all things Killing Eve, and come back when you're ready to discuss what goes on.

So… now that we've adequately warned you, here's the big question: did they seriously just kill Villanelle?

The beloved character, played by Jodie Comer, has been the beating heart of the show since its inception. Fabulously dressed and ever-so-slightly childish, the killer and her head-to-head duel with Sandra Oh's Eve has provided more than enough mystery, more than a little queerbait-y will they/won’t they fantasy, and a fair few horrific deaths over the past four seasons.

It's no secret that during the course of season four Villanelle had lost her edge in the realms of assassin-for-hire work and was seeking to be something, or someone, better than the killer she's been trained to be.

But it's in episode five, titled 'Don't Get Attached', that we finally see this actually being moved along in some way that doesn't involve a Jesus apparition telling her what to do. In between black-and-white flashback sequences about a young Carolyn and Konstantin causing mayhem in their rebellious youth, we saw Villanelle learn to use her "powers" of assassination for some good.

Becoming attached to a cleaner who has an abusive husband, Villanelle finally starts to see life not as the antagonist she was told she was, but as an anti-hero. Being a villain is literally built into her name (well, the name she goes by these days rather than Oksana) and she's played to it willingly for years. Then she met Eve, and that entirely went to pot.

But as she returned to her world of brutal slaying by shoving a hosepipe into a fireman's mouth and letting the jet go, she seemed revived, as if this was her purpose all along. Killing those that deserved to be killed. Like Dexter in Dior. By the time she returned to her flat, there were five more women needing her assistance.

As she continued to work with Carolyn and was reunited with Konstantin, it appears that she is finally heading down the right path for her.

And then she's shot in the back with an arrow and… that's it?

Now, viewers will know that Killing Eve has managed to bring back characters from the edge of death before. Eve's ex-husband Niko (Owen McDonnell) is somewhere out in the world after surviving being skewered like a kebab with a pitchfork through his neck in season three. How he survived that we'll never know but you know… artistic licence, we guess.

Similarly, snarky MI6 agent Hugo (Edward Bluemel) was seen delivering a little bit of blackmail at the beginning of season four, having miraculously survived being shot at the end of season two and being left to bleed out in a hallway.

But for some reason, this death at the hands of an assassin hired by Hélène feels more permanent. She's had her heartwarming reunion with her de facto father/handler, Konstantin, she's at peace with who she is, and it seems she's reached the end of her story.

Hell, there was even a moment before she was shot where she saw a Jesus figurine that looked suspiciously like Vesus in a shop window. It’s her calling card.

Dying in Eve's arms also seems like a fitting way for her to go after so long toing-and-froing with their relationship. The time dedicated to watching her die before the camera pans into the sky (almost as if Villanelle's spirit itself is ascending) all delivered the same message: Villanelle is gone.

With three more episodes to go until the show's finale, it would be an interesting decision to take one of your two leading women (and by most accounts, the far more fun one) out of commission entirely. The show at its essence is about Eve and her development – clue's in the name – but it just isn't Killing Eve without Villanelle.

So if she's killed off that quickly, by an apparent faceless assassin with a crossbow… Whatever the outcome, viewers are allowed to feel somewhat cheated.

If she is dead, then that's an entire half-season without a key component. The focus will shift just to Eve, and – we guess – her descent into darkness. Alternatively, her dying in Eve's arms is all a ruse, and Villanelle will return in a stunning outfit ready to end what she started right at the final hurdle.

She definitely got shot though, so she will at least be out of commission for a while, by which point her return will risk feeling unearned.

Either way, fans will be disappointed – whether that's at the loss of a key character or at the predictability of the fake-out.

Don't get us wrong, Sandra Oh is incredible and we're sure she can carry the rest of the season on her back, but it shouldn’t be down to this one character.

We guess we'll find out soon enough...

Killing Eve season 4 airs BBC America in the US and on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

BBC/Sid Gentle Productions/Universal Pictures UK Killing Eve: The Complete Seasons 1-3 [DVD]

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Tilly Pearce

Freelance writer, Digital Spy
Tilly is Gold-Standard NCTJ accredited journalist with eight years of experience in entertainment journalism. 

She has been heard giving her insight on the latest TV stories on BBC Radio across the country and on BBC News. 

Previously working with The Sun Online, Yahoo, Metro.co.uk and Independent IE amongst others, she joined the Digital Spy team from 2021-2023 as Deputy TV Editor (Maternity cover). 

With a speciality in TV drama and true crime, Tilly has been praised for her exclusive content with A-list stars ranging from Sir David Attenborough to the lawyers behind Making A Murderer. 

She’s happy to report her mum now takes her seriously as a journalist as she got to interview George Clooney once.