Inclusive Screenwriting for Film and Television

6From Killing Eve to an Eve Who Kills

DOI: 10.4324/9781003170310-9

This section focuses on issues of progressive representation, particularly at the intersections of gender and sexuality, in the BBC series Killing Eve (2018–present) and how those representations are disciplined by generic and narrative conventions.

Critic and fan responses to Killing Eve are overwhelmingly positive. The show has been applauded for creating complex female characters who aren’t defined by their relationships with men, who have “weird and wild inner lives,” and who, unlike female characters whose complexity boils down to being acerbic, alcoholic, or both, are at once vulnerable, humorous, and deeply intelligent.¹ In addition, by centering women in the cat-and-mouse ...