Killing Eve knows how to titillate audiences and shock them, but one character's tragic death proves the show also knows how to break hearts. Kenny Stowton (Sean Delaney), the tech-wizard, plummeted to his premature death in the Season 3 premiere, and viewers are still not over his murky end, but the writers had a reason for killing Kenny.
BBC America's Killing Eve always stood out in a sea of scripted television shows, as it follows the entrancing cat-and-mouse game of a restless M16 agent, Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh), and a mercurial worldly assassin, Villanelle (Jodie Comer). Kenny and Eve head up an unofficial task force to track down an international crime syndicate known as the Twelve, bonding over light hearted banter and adorable exchanges along the way; however, Season 3 picks up with the gang scattered and in need something to jolt them back to their senses.
Kenny, much like his unrelenting mother and boss, Carolyn Martens (Fiona Shaw), digs into finding the Twelve even after being dismissed from his job. This is where he runs into trouble. In what starts out as a friendly visit from Eve, Kenny is alone in his office and hears a noise in the elevator. He is next seen falling from the roof, to the horror of Eve and everyone watching, but the writers knew what they were doing.
"It’s such a tough call," head writer Suzanne Heathcote explains to Variety. "Sean is a brilliant actor; Kenny is a fantastic character and beloved. He has an emotional relationship with Eve, but it was really because of all those reasons that the death would mean so much."
The writers wanted a death that would have a significant emotional impact, so losing Kenny would hit the hardest. After the splintering of the team at the end of Season 2 and the isolating slump Eve fell into in Season 3, the characters needed a unifying cause.
Even Delaney recognized the choice's poignancy, saying to Variety, "it’s brilliant, story-wise." In order to keep audiences on their toes, sometimes beloved characters have to die. Eve may not have been motivated to continue her search for the Twelve if this death wasn't someone she truly cared about. Ultimately, it was a hard decision, but one that continually proves the show's ambition.
As to what exactly happened on the roof, the Season 3 finale sheds some light on the still dubious nature of Kenny's death. Carolyn points a gun at Konstantin during the climax and demands the truth. In what appears to be an emotional confession, Konstantin says he went to Kenny to offer him a way out. Since Kenny was getting too close to the Twelve, the only way to save himself was to come work for the organization. Konstantin claims Kenny back-peddled in disbelief and accidentally fell off of the roof, and Carolyn foolishly spares his life, believing Konstantin didn't kill her son. However, with his history of falsehoods, can Konstantin be trusted?
"It definitely wasn't accidental," Heathcote told ET. "It's definitely open to interpretation." Based on this, it's highly likely Konstantin had more to do with Kenny's death than he is letting on. Afterall, he has become almost as dangerous as Villanelle with his ability to manipulate situations.
While it's unfortunate that Kenny had to pay the ultimate price for his good-intentioned spying, shocking and powerful moments like this are what make Killing Eve a captivating show. The real unfortunate thing is that Konstantin went unpunished for having a forceful hand in Kenny's death.