About the Project

The last thing the queer community expected was the Bury Your Gays trope to rear its ugly head in mainstream media in 2022.

 

Killing Eve was known for its subversive writing and its portrayal of two strong (and queer) female lead characters, Eve and Villanelle, gaining dozens of award nominations and critical acclaim along the way. As a result, it attracted a massive, worldwide audience. And its most dedicated fan base consisted of members of the LGBTQ+ community. For three seasons, viewers watched Eve and Villanelle, lovingly nicknamed “Villaneve” by queer fans, fall prey to a deadly cat-and-mouse game, besieged by obstacles, but against all odds, reunited time after time. 

 

By the Season 3 finale, it was made clear that “Villaneve” couldn’t live without each other, made ultimately clear when Eve said, “When I try and think of my future, I just see your face over and over again.” It was the ultimate confession and confirmation that made it seem like the two were destined to be together. And all at once, its queer audience let out a sigh of relief — a network television show was finally going to give viewers the queer, happy ending that we yearned to see on screen. However, by its Season 4 finale, the show once considered to be a groundbreaking piece of media turned into an astounding disappointment for its audience and those who saw parts of themselves reflected in these characters.

In the final 3 minutes, Villanelle is brutally murdered just as she and Eve think they can finally be free from the people who have controlled and manipulated them for years. The way Villanelle is shot in the chest was, for many, a vivid reminder of Lexa’s murder in The 100.

 

To add insult to injury, Season 4 show-runner and executive producers explain that with Villanelle’s death, Eve is now better off without her and ‘reborn’ despite her having given up so much for their relationship. In reality, Killing Eve ended up doing exactly what its audience initially feared, and created an ending that was a “total betrayal of what once made it great.” (Caroline Framke, Variety Magazine, 2022) 

 

Thus, the Killing Eve Open Letter Project was born. This project serves as a physical manifestation of fans who are not only processing what they saw in the finale, but also discussing how Killing Eve helped shape their lives. We hope you will read the more than 300 responses gathered and empathize with the raw thoughts, emotions, and considerations shared. 

In an ideal world, Killing Eve would come back in the future to fix this, whether it be with a series special, a fifth season, or even simply removing the final three minutes. But for now, this is a space dedicated to those grieving.