Killing Eve: Season one

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

For much of television’s history, female characters have been little more than decorations.
On those rare occasions when a program or series featured a lead female character, she was always surrounded by men who kept her from doing something silly, or bailed her our of trouble, or helped her solve a crime.
(Let’s take ABC’s former chart-topping series “Castle” as an example. Kate Beckett is a police detective; a Stanford graduate, is brave and experienced. So, why does she need a guy who writes fictional detective stories to help her solve crimes? Oh, because she’s a woman, that’s why.)
Thankfully, that’s changing and “Killing Eve” is a wonderful example of just how far-reaching the changes are. This is a series about not one, not two, but several strong female characters. Sandra Oh is amazing as Eve Polastri, an Englishwoman raised in the States who now works for British intelligence. Jodie Comer is equally amazing as the Russian woman trained to be a world-class assassin. The series revolves around them but they are not the only strong women in the cast – these range from the young daughter of a Russian spy kidnapped by Comer’s character to the woman who is heading up the team that is chasing the killer.
The series is based on a series of novellas about the assassin – nicknamed Villanelle – and principal writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge has done an excellent job in capturing the dynamic between the two main characters. There is drama, some dark humor, and some interesting character studies throughout this first series. The direction is very smooth and the cinematography is excellent.
There is even a surprise twist at the end of this first series, one that I confess I did not see coming.
All in all, just an excellent piece of work with very fine actors: Five stars.

– Mike Billington

For me, this series was one of the nicest surprises on TV during 2018. Guilty confession: I had streamed the entire season (several times) when I could watch it for free through my cable TV service. After that, I didn’t want to just buy/rent further streaming and was thrilled to learn the season would be available on Blu-Ray. I made my purchase through Amazon right on the release date and it arrived two days later.

Video quality (1080p) of the Blu-Ray is nice, as might be expected. The only audio track is DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 which is certainly adequate for the content, particularly since this series did not contain weighty special effects. As with the original broadcast, you also have the option of English language subtitles although generally unnecessary for most viewers because the dialog is perfectly clear.

I would certainly have loved full optional commentary tracks. But, in fairness, I’ve never seen much included on any discs of any other TV Series. And based on previous BBC offerings, I had no expectation of any notable “Bonus” features, so I was not surprised with this sparse BBC package. Included here, at the end of each disc, are only four very brief “behind the scenes” clips (eight total), the longest hardly three minutes long, and which may even have already been presented Online or On Demand and even during the original broadcasts. For those seeking further related videos and much longer interviews with the actors, the writer and other members of the production staff, one can fortunately find some interesting features available on YouTube – some of which are well worth searching for.

So, is the rather bare-bones Blu-Ray set of two discs worth the (admittedly modest) price? Yes, if you are a fan of the series or wish now to share this series with others who may have missed it. I certainly don’t regret the purchase. I would have been truly delighted if it had contained a bit more bonus features. Surely there must have been many more, even “In-House” BBC programming interviews, which the BBC might have quickly and easily licensed for inclusion with this Season One package, while still meeting their autumn release deadline.

Attached images show the slipcase front and rear which simply copied the sleeve liner.

– Vieux Bob

I could not stop watching. No way. Pacing is crucial in a thriller, and the speed of this show was fast and fun. Sandra Oh grounds the entire enterprise, and has many surprises up her sleeve. Jody Comer is mesmerizing, like a funny vampire: you have to enjoy the crap out of her. I’m not that easy to please, and I laughed and was shocked and obviously had to write a review. I like to watch movies on my little portable DVD player, and for my friends who don’t have Amazon Prime, or other means to watch shows, I like to have the DVD to lend out to them. I have older friends or friends in the hospital who can use a portable DVD player for some shows that are not on their TV. Big applause for all the fine ladies involved in this show including the writer: “Fleabag” writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge.

-Aunt Cherrie B

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Actors: Sandra Oh, Jodie Comer
Directors: Various
Format: NTSC
Region: Region 1
Number of discs: 2
Rated: NR – Not Rated
Studio: BBC
DVD Release Date: October 9, 2018
Run Time: 360 minutes
ASIN: B07FDFQLTC