The following contains spoilers for Kleo, now streaming on Netflix.
In the past, revenge thrillers have been somewhat formulaic, but Netflix's Soviet-era espionage series, Kleo, takes a familiar formula and delivers a fast-paced and captivating experience. The series features many elements that fans of the genre will find enjoyable, while also placing it in territory similar to one particular show.
Set in Germany between 1989 and 1990, during the fall of the Berlin Wall, the series follows an undocumented Stasi assassin, Kleo Straub, who works for the Ministry of State Security under her grandfather. After killing a target at a West German club, she gets arrested for another crime she did not commit. Betrayal quickly follows as her grandfather and colleagues testify against her. She is also pregnant then, which only bolsters her thirst for revenge when she loses her baby in a fight after landing in jail. Kleo then bides her time, waiting for the right time to have her revenge. From the premise, audiences will likely see similarities between it and other female-driven revenge thrillers such as Stephen King's Carrie and Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. However, its most prominent comparison can be made with Killing Eve.
A Bloody Revenge Spy Thriller
Kleo spends three years in prison before she is released, and the world is very different from what she remembers. The wall has since come down, ushering political and social change, which is likely the cause of the "the firm," the government agency she worked for, getting disbanded. There is also a person named Thilo living in her old apartment, and her partner, Andi, who was also the father of her baby, moved on with someone else. Sven, the West Berlin police officer who chased after Kleo since the nightclub murder, is also still after her. While these obstacles make things difficult, they do not deter her from her mission.
As Sven continues to investigate her, Kleo works through her list of targets while learning more about those who framed her. The two eventually team up to fight against forces bigger than themselves and while doing so, they come across a red suitcase. This suitcase is a MacGuffin whose contents remain unknown, adding a level of mystery and intrigue to the series. The supporting characters are also some of the best, as Sven and Kleo's new strange friend Thilo often steal the show. Jella Haase is spectacular as Kleo, as she delivers on the comedy and the darker aspects of her character.
Paralleling Killing Eve
Kleo is clearly in the same vein as Killing Eve, in terms of the female assassin perspective as well as the dark comedy and aesthetics. However, it is somewhat darker and changes up its format to be different and entertaining. In many ways, the two femme fatales parallel each other. They are both stylish dressers, with Kleo wearing colorful tracksuits and bold shirt-pant combos, which are very era-appropriate. She even wears a bubblegum-pink tulle gown like Villanelle. These women are characteristically funny, warm and vulnerable, but underneath it all, they can kill without hesitation.
Their killing styles also match as they dispatch their targets with flair while seamlessly taking on any persona to get closer to them. Their activities have also led them to be targeted by police or intelligence agencies. Villanelle has Eve, a former MI5/MI6 agent, tasked to investigate the international assassin. Comparatively, Sven doesn't have the support of his superiors and is doing the investigation on his own. These aspects of the show suggest that Kleo emulates Killing Eve, but there is enough distinction between the two for it to stand on its own and leave a favorable impression on audiences.
Kleo is currently streaming on Netflix.