The following article contains spoilers for Killing Eve Season 4.
While many adore Killing Eve, a huge portion of the fan base hated the predictable and disappointing conclusion. The show killed Villanelle and left Eve heartbroken right when it seemed like they'd have a happy ending. That drew the ire of loyalists and even the book's author Luke Jennings - who criticized the decision for not following through on character development and ignoring what he felt was a chance for Eve and Villanelle to ride off into the sunset.
Whether it was fans heartbroken about Villanelle's death or viewers feeling like it reinforced a harmful LGBTQ trope, there was a lot of criticism leveled at the final episode, Interestingly, Sandra Oh recently commented to Deadline (via TVLine) that she wanted Eve to die at the end. It sounds surprising, but Killing Eve did have the narrative space to live up to its name -- and that would have been a far better conclusion.
The controversial finale had Carolyn use a sniper to shoot Villanelle right after she took out The Twelve. Carolyn needed the assassin dead to get back into MI6, and she walked off while Eve lost her beloved to the bottom of the London ocean. Villanelle's death felt cruel because this was supposed to be the women's crowning moment. They would have taken down the terrorists and proved that there was a chance at redemption after everything they had done.
However, Eve dying would have also been appropriate because the show was always about consequences. Earlier examples of this in Killing Eve Season 4 were when Pam murdered Konstantin and freed herself from being an assassin, and Hélène being killed by Villanelle. The puppet masters and manipulators died throughout the season -- which is why Eve should have been murdered.
Eve manipulated so many people in her obsession with Villanelle and then The Twelve. Kenny got killed for his snooping and her ex-husband Niko was almost murdered due to Eve constantly pursuing Villanelle. Eve was the same kind of blight she preached against, so her taking out The Twelve wasn't being a hero -- it was balancing the scale after she'd caused so much collateral damage. Even her new beau Yusuf warned that she was a tidal wave consuming everyone in her path and this ambition would lead to her death. If Eve had been shot, it would have felt like karma.
Comeuppance aside, Killing Eve would still have serviced its other characters. Carolyn could have passed Eve off as a spy and still have gotten her job back. Villanelle's goal of redemption would have been truly tested by Eve's death. She could have proven she wanted to be good for herself and not for some woman she loved - or she could have gone back to the assassin life, which would have fit her chaotic nature. Either way, all fans can do is wonder what if while they're stuck with an ending that divided viewers and creatives alike.
Killing Eve is now streaming on Hulu.