Spoilers ahead for the second episode of Killing Eve Season 3.
Killing Eve's Season 3 premiere made for a thrilling dive back into the highly popular, Emmy-winning show. We already miss Villanelle and Eve’s on-screen chemistry, and the shocking death of Sean Delaney’s Kenny was a massive blow, but hey, at least Villanelle and Konstantin reunited again. Anyone else getting whiplash? Last time we caught up with the two of them at the end of Season 2, it wasn’t on the best of terms.
After all the dish throwing, all Konstantin had to do was say “please” and there they were, back in the swing of their dynamic. When the two of them caught up with each other most recently, it was in Rome when Villanelle learned that he had deceived her, after which she threatened that she’d come after him and his family. Yet here they are...again. Why is it Konstantin that continues to survive Villanelle? When CinemaBlend spoke to Killing Eve star Kim Bodnia, here’s what he told me:
I’m like [the viewer], I’m thinking this is the end of our relationship. Konstantin is actually warning her all the time – ‘Don’t do that or don’t go there because you’ll end up like that.’ And he’s always pushing in some lines that can connect them again like at the end of last season telling Villanelle she has a family. He knows she will come back to question that. So it seems like Konstantin has some kind of idea of how to survive with Villanelle. And I think that probably has something to do with that he’s like a father for her. He really knows her very well.
There’s no doubt the pair share a complicated relationship. Villanelle will be bent on trying to kill Konstantin one day and then warmly embracing him on the next.
As the actor behind Konstantin explained, he thought of the relationship between them with a father’s eye. In Kim Bodnia's words:
For me to survive as Konstantin in this relationship, I’ve had to view it like [Villanelle] is my daughter, and that makes our relationship special. I always, always remind her of my love for her.
Aside from the attempted murder, it’s kind of a sweet bond they have, when you think about it. Although Villanelle may not like to heed Konstantin's advice, he seems to often have her best interests at heart. In their conversation at the end of this Sunday’s episode, it’s clear she wasn't happy to see him, but she still allowed him to stick around to give her some important news: Eve’s alive! Now what will she do with that information?
It’s unclear why Konstantin would tell Villanelle this, considering he’s forming his own side-friendship with Sandra Oh’s Eve. Perhaps he knows Villanelle won't attempt to murder her again? Or maybe she never meant for Eve to die in the first place – not unlike the time she shot Konstantin and he made it to the other side. Kim Bodnia’s character also warns her that she’s not in control in her association with Dasha and the Twelve like she thinks she is.
Kim Bodnia offered further insight into his wavering relationship during our interview:
From the beginning, we planned that Konstantin was training the assassins to establish some feelings, and through the work he has been doing with all the assassins – especially with Villanelle when she was young and going through her experience of life – he always knows what she’s actually thinking and feeling.
Going into the thick of Killing Eve Season 3, Villanelle may seem more unpredictable than ever, but we can always seem to rely on Konstantin to tell Villanelle like it is, and then for her to decide not to listen, but keep him around anyway. Konstantin seems to be at the center of the show, with connections still tied with both The Twelve and MI6’s Carolyn and Eve. What does he know that we don't?
Stay tuned with us on CinemaBlend as Killing Eve Season 3 continues on AMC and BBC America on Sundays. Leave your theories for what’s next in the comments below.
