After two episodes that set up the plotline for the season to come Killing Eve‘s third season starts to hit its stride with the third episode, “Meetings Have Biscuits.”
Eve, Carolyn, and Bitter Pill start to look through Kenny’s research about The Twelve and how it links to his death. They find a potential lead through the money trail. But The Twelve are aware of the investigation and send Villanelle to London to clean up.
“Meeting Have Biscuits” was vintage Killing Eve. It matches the heights of the show’s trademark wit and humor as well as having Villanelle do what she does best. The episode opens with Villanelle showing malicious and sadistic sides when on an assassination mission. One of Villanelle’s actions during the episode was kidnapping a baby and uses him as a way to annoy her handler. The baby’s appearance was a way show despicable Villanelle and Dasha were but still be oddly charming.
Most of the humorous moments come from the London team. Their first scene was in a bathroom with Carolyn having a bath and causally lets people in for a meeting. The actual meeting was filled with Shane Black style dialogue that helped made the show so popular to begin with. A couple of my favorite lines was Carolyn’s daughter making a snide commet and Eve revealing who Kenny was investigating.
As well as comedy Shane Black’s work was known for a crafting good thriller and like a Black story “Meetings Have Biscuits” works as a thriller. In the episode Villanelle and the London team were conversing to the same point – they were both looking for an accountant who worked for The Twelve. It had led to a tense conclusion as they race to the same point. The story involving the accountant and a missing $6 million makes “Meetings Have Biscuits” work both as an individual episode and adds to the wider mystery about The Twelve.
When Eve spoke with the Bitter Pill she reveals that Kenny was investigating The Twelve it was linked to events in the first season. It was a nice little callback for fans of the series and showed how extensive the shadow of The Twelve.
“Meeting Have Biscuits” also adds to the dynamic between Villanelle and Eve. When Villanelle receives her orders to go to London she states she’s not ready because of Eve. And when she arrives in the city she spends as much time looking for ways to mess with Eve as she does to go on her mission. This culminated with Eve and Villanelle facing each other on a bus and despite Villanelle being a trained assassin Eve attacks her with fury. Villanelle does get the upper hand in their fight but Eve uses the sexual tension between the pair to save her skin.
“Meeting Have Biscuits” was a big step up for the third season. It has gone beyond the early point plots that each season has to go through and now starting to get its own identity.
