Summary

• Killing Eve season 1, episode 3 remains a brutal and heartbreaking highlight of the series' cat-and-mouse game.
• Villanelle's murder of Bill in episode 3 sparked controversy due to the "bury your gays" trope.
• Eve's obsession with Villanelle deepens after Bill's death, leading to a complex dynamic in subsequent seasons.

Six years after it first debuted, Killing Eve season 1, episode 3 endures as one of the series' most brutal and heartbreaking. Given psychopathic assassin Villanelle's (Jodie Comer) penchant for inventive murders, that's really saying something. Based on the Villanelle novels by Luke Jennings, the BBC spy thriller centers on Sandra Oh's Eve Polastri, an intelligence investigator who becomes obsessed with tracking down Villanelle. What ensues is a remarkable game of cat-and-mouse — one in which the predator and prey are equally transfixed on one another. This dynamic leads to many, many murders throughout Killing Eve's four seasons.

Eve puts forth her theory that a string of assassinations were committed by a woman killer...

Notably, each of the show's seasons was led by a different head writer, with Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge penning some of Killing Eve season 1's best moments. In Killing Eve's pilot, Eve puts forth her theory that a string of assassinations were committed by a woman killer — something her MI5 superiors are quick to dismiss. Eager to prove her suspicions, Eve interviews the one and only surviving witness, who winds up dead shortly thereafter. In retaliation, MI5 fires Eve and her friend, Head of Security Bill Pargrave (David Haig). However, this turn doesn't quash Eve and Bill's investigation.

Bill's Death In Killing Eve Season 1, Episode 3 Is The Show's Most Heartbreaking

Villanelle Leads Bill & Eve Into A Brutal Trap

Impressed by Eve's instincts and grit, Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw), who heads up MI6's Russian sector, recruits Eve for an off-the-record operation. Working with Carolyn and her son, Kenny (Sean Delaney), Eve brings a few of her former colleagues into the fold, including Bill. Meanwhile, Villanelle is made aware of the covert task force that's meant to smoke her out, which puts Eve, Bill, and their fellow associates very much in harm's way. By Killing Eve season 1, episode 3, "Don't I Know You?," Villanelle is setting a trap for Carolyn's ragtag team of operatives.

Eventually, Bill spots Villanelle and follows her into a pulsing Berlin nightclub — without Eve.

By committing a murder under Eve's name, Villanelle is able to lure the investigator to Berlin, Germany. While clearing her name is top of Eve's mind, she's more excited by the prospect of finding Villanelle. Eve can't resist the case — and doesn't want to, either. While Eve searches for evidence of the assassin, Villanelle covertly tails her. Clearly, Villanelle is just as intrigued by Eve. Eventually, Bill spots Villanelle and follows her into a pulsing Berlin nightclub — without Eve. In one of Killing Eve's most heartbreaking and shocking moments, Villanelle stabs Bill to death on the dance floor.

Why Bill's Death Was So Controversial

Killing Eve Season 1, Episode 3 Uses The Harmful "Bury Your Gays" Trope

Across Killing Eve's four seasons, Villanelle and the other assassins that crop up kill plenty of people. Even so, Bill's death is still seen as the one that hits the hardest. Given how early in the show Bill's murder plays out, it's kind of surprising that his death continues to hold such weight. In many ways, however, the trap Villanelle lays for Bill and Eve — and the way she toys with them — reveals a lot about her character. Undoubtedly, that feeds into Bill's death as one of Killing Eve's most heartbreaking and memorable.

[Bill's death scene was] criticized when the episode aired in 2018.

Even though Bill's death had quite an impact on Killing Eve's story and characters, the plot point and sequence were both criticized when the episode aired in 2018. Although Bill establishes that he has a wife, Eve's former boss shares that he's queer in episode 3 — mere moments before his tragic death. "I just fall in love with whoever I fall in love with," he explains, underscoring some of the show's most prominent themes. However, Bill's coming out, which happens almost back-to-back with his murder, frustratingly follows the media's harmful "bury your gays" trope.

Why Eve Forgives Villanelle For Killing Bill (Despite Their Close Relationship)

Villanelle Claims To Be Sorry But Bill's Death Haunts Eve