'Killing Eve' Ending Explained: Who Died in the Finale? (2024)

After four years, countless award wins and incredible performances from Jodie Comer, Fiona Shaw, Sandra Oh and more, Killing Eve has officially come to an end. The fourth and final season saw psychopathic assassin Villanelle (played by Jodie Comer) and former MI6 agent Eve (Sandra Oh) finally come together, not as enemies or acquaintances, but as lovers, something fans had been waiting years to see.

Nothing is ever simple for Villanelle and Eve and instead of basking in the honeymoon period, Villanelle and Eve decided to take on The Twelve, which unfortunately came with some serious collateral damage fans may never recover from.

Newsweek has a recap of the ending of Killing Eve but warning, there are big spoilers below.

Who Died In The Killing Eve Finale?

Killing Eve fans barely had a second to breathe following the deaths of Konstantin (Kim Bodnia) and Hélène (Camille Cottin) in part one of the finale, only to be hit with the most shocking death of the entire show and in the most surprising of circ*mstances.

Sadly, legendary assassin and much-loved character Villanelle was killed in the final moments of the last ever episode of Killing Eve. What made her death so shocking and upsetting for many fans was the fact Villanelle and Eve were so close to having their happy ending.

The finale episode finally saw Eve and Villanelle reunite in Scotland and together, they made their way to London on a mission to take down The Twelve, the mysterious organization Villanelle, Eve and Carolyn have been trying to eliminate together and apart over the past four seasons.

At first, it seemed like Carolyn was hell-bent on taking revenge against The Twelve following the death of her son Kenny (Sean Delaney) but, after meeting Villanelle and Eve in an MI6 pub, she let Eve and Villanelle have this one all for themselves, taking a step back, in her own words, "to do something different."

Following the clues from the postcard, Villanelle and Eve found the boat on the River Thames in London where The Twelve were having their secret meeting. As Eve was roped into officiating a wedding as a distraction, Villanelle got to work.

She poisoned the staff in the kitchen with a gas leak and waited for the fumes to consume them. As she waited, she heard Eve deliver a beautiful speech, leading Villanelle to realize she truly was well and loved.

Eve said: "Relationships are a lot of work. They require effort, and you'll have tough times. Sometimes you'll feel like you're losing your way, and sometimes you'll feel like you're losing each other. But the beauty in your relationship will be found in the ways you reunite."

Teary-eyed, Villanelle then slipped away below deck and burst through a door into a secret meeting room where The Twelve had gathered. Unfortunately, audiences never got to see exactly who the members of The Twelve were, but in a very satisfying sequence fans got to see Villanelle take down The Twelve once and for all, merged with Eve dancing with the wedding party upstairs.

When Villanelle's work was done, she and Eve took to the open deck to celebrate, unaware tragedy was about to strike.

As they embraced, Villanelle and Eve were attacked by a sniper from Tower Bridge (the same bridge from the end of Season 3 where they walked away from one another), forcing them both to jump into the water below.

The shooting was relentless and ultimately, Villanelle, who had dodged death on numerous occasions, was defeated. Sadly, her death came after she finally realized she was well and truly loved.

As Eve emerged from the water letting out a visceral scream, Carolyn was seen standing on the bridge with a radio. Seconds later, Carolyn uttered the words "jolly good" into the radio, confirming she was the one who ordered the hit on Villanelle.

Why Did Carolyn Kill Villanelle?

Well, at least somebody in the Killing Eve finale (sort of) got their happy ending.

Killing Eve began with Carolyn and MI6 trying to catch Villanelle and it ended with Carolyn finally completing her mission.

Earlier in the season, Eve had discovered Carolyn played a huge role in The Twelve's creation back in 1970s Berlin, which explains why there was always a big question mark over who Carolyn was really loyal to. In the end, the only loyalty she had was to herself.

In the finale, Carolyn stressed to Pam (Anjana Vasan), the latest assassin for The Twelve, that she wanted to return to MI6 after being pushed out for being a traitor at the end of Season 3 and was willing to do anything to be back on top.

For Carolyn, killing Villanelle, The Twelve's best assassin, was the only way back into the organization she held so close. Not to mention, she could pass the massacre of The Twelve off as her own work.

Other Big Moments From the Killing Eve Finale

• It was revealed Carolyn knew all along who killed Kenny but pretended not to, as an excuse to stay in the game and take down The Twelve. Perhaps Kenny really had fallen to his death after Konstantin warned him they would come after him at some point. However, the letter Konstantin wrote to Carolyn could well have been his confession that he was the one to kill Kenny.
• Despite killing Konstantin, it seemed very much like Pam had taken his advice to live a normal life, rejecting Carolyn's offer to work for her and walking away from The Twelve for good.
• Konstantin had always loved Carolyn. For the past four seasons, the nature of Carolyn and Konstantin's relationship was never quite clear. When he died, he asked Pam to deliver a hand-written letter to Carolyn and asked her to tell Carolyn he had always loved her, which Pam did in the season finale.

Killing Eve is streaming on Hulu, BBC America and AMC Plus now.