In this episode, the Story Grid Showrunners breaks down episode 2 of the hit TV series Killing Eve based on the Luke Jennings novel, starring Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh. Using the Story Grid methodology developed by Shawn Coyne, we will provide insight to help authors and screenwriters make better stories
This week we will discuss the 5 Commandments of episode 2 of Amazon Prime’s Killing Eve.
Melanie:
When Eve is fired, her computer files are scrubbed and Carolyn discovers that Eve has independently been putting together a file about assassinations conducted by women killers. As Carolyn asks Eve about those files, Eve tells her she used to study criminal psychology and she’s just a fan of those kind of woman, and that’s something that makes Eve such a great and truthful character. Confronted with the question why, Eve says that this new female assassin has style and is not slowing down and that’s what interested Eve.
Speech in Praise of the villain - end of last episode:
“We think she has been operating for 2 years, highly skilled, across ten countries, and she is starting to show off”.
“She’s outsmarted the smartest of us all, and that’s why she deserves to kill whoever the hell she wants to as long as she’s not killing me”.
The Inciting Incident happens when Carolyn offers Eve a job, because she is just perfect for leading a secret task force dedicated to finding the unknown assassin. Eve is perfect because she is deniable.
Difference in power is evident here as well, because Eve is very inexperienced and has very small assets to bring to play, and Eve is like the perfect assassin with a lot of experience and training, as well as assets from her higher bosses.
This is a Causal Inciting Incident due to the fact that the character Carolyn offers Eve the job.
This inciting incident is really powerful because the viewer has already seen the abilities of the Assassin and the instincts of Eve and they are anticipating a confrontation between the two. This incident places Eve on the direct path to hunt down Villanelle.
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