'Killing Eve' Season 3, Episode 2 Recap: "Management Sucks"
Killing Eve's premiere episode concluded with the death of long time hacker sweetheart Kenny. This week's episode picks up outside in the rain, post-funeral, as Eve stands under an awning, wineglass and cigarette in hand. She drops the cig in a puddle, causing a stranger to point out if she'd start vaping, this would no longer be a problem. Eve is not impressed with this as a pick-up line, but it's already become the beginning of a meet-cute with the man fans might recognize as Kenny's former boss, Jamie, from Bitter Pill.
Carolyn: Couldn't we be sad and listen to good music?
The wake is a chance for everyone to run into each other. Eve finds herself standing next to Konstantin, who calls her a walking miracle for having survived the Season 2 finale. From their conversation, it becomes clear that the official story is that Kenny jumped from the building, which would explain why Eve is drinking so heavily. She can't handle the lie. Also, Eve still has Kenny's phone and might have started trying to explore had her bathroom break not been nearly interrupted by Carolyn attempting to use the loo, while his ex-worker Audrey sobs in the corner. Later, Carolyn corners her to talk, and Eve asks point-blank if she thinks Kenny jumped. When Carolyn says yes, Eve loses it and exits dramatically into the rain.
Konstantin is trying to hit the spread when Geraldine (Gemma Whelan) walks up. She grumbles it s like one of her mum's dinners. But when Konstantin defends Carolyn's food, Geraldine recognizes him from decades back, when she was little. He found her on the stairs after a nightmare and told her he was on monster-watch. (He also taught her to swear in Russian.) Personally, Konstatin hopes this is the last of being in London. But his overlords refuse. They need him to keep an eye on things, including "that old MI-6 friend of yours." Konstantin responds by targeting Geraldine, engineering a run-in outside a newsagents. He gives her a cheap London tourist magnet, which Geraldine falls apart over because no one ever shows her kindness.
Back in Barcelona, Vilannelle has gotten her new apartment, and good lord, it's a beauty. (Those windows, my gods.) Her clothing allowance has been restored. (That dress, to die for.)
Screw it. Pause the recap.
Ahhh, real estate porn at it's finest. Now, back to the recap.
Dasha is like a proud real estate agent, crowing over the details. But at the same time, she wants to make sure Villanelle isn't going to go down the same path as before, encouraging her to take many lovers and not obsess over Eve. Villanelle insists it is over: "I dealt with it." Dasha says to show she's capable of the responsibility, Villanelle will be assigned to work with a recruit, Felix Philip (Stefan Iancu). Dasha pokes her that she must show patience. Felix is a child, for the record, all of 19. Even though he proudly lists his victims, they were all in the same car, so one murder so far. He did it because the bully beat up the boy he was in love with, which is the first and only thing he says that impresses his new boss.
This leads to the Clown Show. It is not Villanelle's kill to make. The father of the birthday child is the victim, and it's Felix's job to use a fake clown horn with a knife in it to stab the man behind the ear. But when Felix takes too long, Villanelle gets nervous and heads inside. Felix is on the floor, frantically beating the man to death because his horn knife broke. Realizing the job is utterly, incomprehensibly botched, Villanelle does the only logical thing under the circumstances, whips out a gun with a silencer and shoots the kid in the back of the head.
Carolyn wants to go back to work, but she's a mess, as is evidenced by her inability to button her blouse correctly. The entire desk is shocked at her arrival (and appearance), but none so much as Paul, who expected his transition into running things to be eased by a longer absence. Instead, the two attempt to start running the meeting simultaneously from opposite ends of the table. Finally, Paul dismisses everyone and attempts to talk Carolyn into going home, practicing self-care, and allowing herself to grieve. The problem is Geraldine's presence at home is preventing her from doing just that. Carolyn's response is to see Eve, interrupting her at work.
But when she begins to push Eve to help, she's rebuffed. Eve isn't about to forgive what happened in Rome. Carolyn pulls out her trump card, a dossier proving Villanelle is still active, but even that doesn't work. It's not until Kenny's phone starts ringing that she answers the call. It's Jamie, at the Bitter Pill office with Bear. They know she has the phone, they know she's failing to hack into it, and offer to help. When she shows up, it's clear they know Kenny's death was no suicide either. Eve agrees to turn over the phone, in exchange for all the files Kenny was working on. But the encrypted thumb drive was in Kenny's pockets and, therefore, with the police. No files, no deal. Eve snatches back the phone and walks out.
All Eve learned at the Bitter Pill was Kenny and Audrey were an item. Carolyn knew too; she tracks down Audrey to ascertain Kenny was not depressed or likely to off himself. But Carolyn is frustrated. She can't investigate this herself; and she can't find peace until she does. Carolyn needs Eve. Having run into a wall with Jamie and company, Eve finally admits she needs Carolyn too. She heads over to her former boss' house and tells Carolyn to get the thumb drive from the police. But all this is transmitting... through the listening device in the London magnet Geraldine foolishly stuck on the fridge.
It's the key to getting out of the UK, because next thing you know, Konstantin has turned up in Barcelona, in Villanelle's flat. He's here to tell her Eve is alive, something Dasha was keeping from her. Will it be enough to get into Villanelle's good graces?
