Sandra Oh Pitched Another Major Character's Death in Killing Eve's Finale as the 'Strongest' End (original) (raw)

The Killing Eve series finale infuriated some fans because of a shocking death

Published on May 5, 2022 02:04PM EDT

Photo: bbc

Warning: This article contains spoilers from the series finale of Killing Eve_._

Sandra Oh wanted Eve Polastri to go out with a bang.

The Killing Eve star said she suggested the show's title character should be killed in the series finale instead of costar Jodie Comer's Villanelle. In a conversation with Deadline, Oh explained why she "felt emotionally it was the right place" for the series to end.

Oh, 50, said she told series writer Laura Neal that the demise of her character "would be the strongest and the most interesting" conclusion.

Faye Sadou/MediaPunch

Instead, the show's beloved antagonist, Comer's Villanelle, was the one to die. The series finale became highly controversial with some viewers who felt that Villanelle's death negated the show's advancements in not only a thrilling plot, but a well-represented romantic relationship between the women.

Even Comer, 29, was up for Villanelle's death at the end of the show, Oh confirmed — but viewers didn't necessarily agree with the writer's room when it came to the lovable villain's end.

Oh saw other reasons why Eve should be the character sacrificed. "Eve was starting to get into, like, a nihilistic place," she added, "and we're like, 'Let's just continue that line and go straight into it.'"

BBC America

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Unfortunately for Oh, COVID restrictions and general structuring of the fourth and final season didn't allow for her death. "They came to me, and they said, 'We can't do it. We need to change it… Eve needs to live.'"

Killing Eve, which was created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), aired for four seasons on BBC. The series began by following Oh's detective Eve on the hunt for the murderous Villanelle. A game of cat and mouse unfolded throughout the seasons, but what neither woman expected was a personal bond that would make both catching the killer, and fleeing for good, nearly impossible.

Episodes of the series are available to stream on Hulu.