1x01 Nice Face

Opening scene at the Vienna cafe is a wonderful introduction to the tone, aesthetic and dark humour of the show. We see our (fashionable and young) assassin purposefully spill icecream on a young girl, doing it with glee. Then we jump to Eve Polastri waking up screaming in bed cause she feel asleep on her arms. As of this starting point, they are as far apart as possible. These two will be pitied against each other, and I can't wait to see the journey that will take them to each other. How they will bend, break, grown and be pushed to be able to stand on equal ground. Eye to eye. As rivals and companions on this journey.

Our second shot of our Assassin is as she walks past a woman with large black bouncy hair, and it is quite clear she is checking her out, not as competition, but in attraction. The woman kinda reminded me vaguely of Eve. It is confirmed in the episode that she is possibly bisexual. It will be interesting how the writer(s) decide to use this part of who the assassin is and how/if will be brought into the story.

Eve is MI5 security department for foreign high profile peoples, and she is now on security duty of the only witness to an assassination. She is a career MI5 desk job person. Her life is simple and boring. She even hangs out at the local civic center playing Bridge with her Polish husband. What sets Eve onto the trail of our killer is her curiousity and intellect... a lethal combination (we're just not sure who will be the victim, her or for the assassin). Her instincts have placed her on the path that will lead straight to our blonde assassin. Breaking protocol by using her Polish husband and nephew to translate her interview of the witness. Eve is willing to break any rules to get her goal. I do wonder how much she will break to reach her assassin. Sidetone: the snickering and bickering and general snark of the rest of the MI5 team gives them breath and depth as people. These are not just suits, but people.

In contrast our assassin is a young, silly, carefree, smart and scarcastic little shit who enjoys the challenge of the kill. It has become a game she is a master at, and the more challenging the situation, the more fun she has. Since she has never been caught and is clearly the smarter than her targets, she need getting cocky. And Eve seems to be the only true player who can potentially match her game. We see Villanelle interact with her handler, and it's so informative. Villanelle acts like a teenager wtih him; playing a prank, trying to hang out with him, teasing him for being work focused and him being use to her antics. It's almost like a parent-child relationship. Even as Villanelle is an assassin, she is playful and young and trying as much as possible to enjoy life. Instead of a stereotype of an assassin (serious, cold, calculiting).

Holyshit! I can't believe the show did this. They actually have Eve and the Assassin meet each other, without knowing who the other person is. As Eve visits the witness at a hospital to try to get more info, she bumps into the Assassin in the bathroom. The assassin is clearly awestruck in meeting Eve, they way when your brain malfunctions when you see a pretty girl. She is clearly attracted to Eve...and also Eve's hair. She leaves the bathroom before Eve does. Then we jump straight into Eve finding the bodies of four people, including the witness in the hospital.

Eve and the Assassin are a Ying and Yang, both smart, feeling unchallenged in their jobs, and drawn to those who can give them the challenge and thrill they desperately crave. The only problem is they are opposite sides of the investigation. Let the cat and mouse game begin, the only problem is I don't know who the cat and who the mouse is.

The pilot feels more like the first chapter of a book. It sets up our lead and the journey's starting point, who they are and what the world is to them before it all changes. The writing is amazing, where no scene or beat or line feel out of place or filler. Each word and silence is there to add to the storytelling. I love the dark humor aspect of the show's tone, reinfoncing this with its use of music. The choice in actors is superb. Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer bring life to characters that I didn't think was possible. They are not phoning it in, this is not a cookie cutter story, and their performances show it. Also, physically they are a ying and yang in looks. Another layer to the story. Smart, intelligent and full of charm both from the writing and the actors. Can't wait for the journey ahead.