I’m Skeptical of Honey as a Killing Eve Prequel, But It Has My Attention

Four years after Killing Eve ended with its controversial finale, the series is getting a prequel.

Titled “Honey,” the new show will explore the life of an MI6 agent named Martha, who gets entangled in a love triangle while she operates as a cover agent in 1980s East Berlin.

It’s marketed as a gritty spy drama, with a dash of electrifying romance.

The BBC and ZDF series premiered Monday, September 21, at MIPCOM Cannes. While initial reviews aren’t out yet, I’m already a little skeptical of the series — and for good reason.

Preserving the Killing Eve Name

The main connection between Killing Eve and Honey is Carolyn Martens, the head of MI6. 

In Killing Eve, Fiona Shaw portrays her, and Honey will feature a younger version of her.

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Carolyn plays a pivotal role throughout all four seasons of Killing Eve, but I didn’t expect there to be demand to learn more about her backstory.

Sure, she’s an interesting character, but I’d be much more interested in continuing to dive into Villanelle or Eve’s past.

There hasn’t been confirmation about Carolyn’s involvement in Honey, so we don’t know the extent of it, or if we’ll get to explore Carolyn’s origin either.

For the most part, the new series seems to be using its status as a Killing Eve prequel for attention, which makes me wary.

We’re in an era of reboots, sequels, prequels, and spinoff. But a high-quality prequel has to strike an amicable balance between paying homage to the original series and offering something new.

I’m fairly confident Honey can achieve the latter, but I’m doubtful it can do the former.

I don’t usually watch many crime drama shows or procedurals. In general, thriller series don’t interest me, but Killing Eve was a rare exception.

The series’ draw wasn’t just being a spy thriller; it was the relationship between Eve and Villanelle and their undying obsession with each other. 

That’s why I’m confused about the idea of Honey relating to Killing Eve. The original show was so insular and character-specific that I can’t imagine how the writers will make the two shows feel connected.

It seems like Honey is using a similar strategy as the anthology series Beef, which uses the simple premise of characters having beef with each other as the connection between seasons.

The question, then, is whether Honey will be able to preserve the spirit of psychological intensity of Killing Eve.

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Giving Honey the Benefit of the Doubt

Despite my hesitancy around the Killing Eve branding, I might end up giving Honey a try. 

The sneak previews of the show offered so far have me intrigued.

Many of the first look photos give us a clear idea of the time and setting for the series, as the dark, bleak colors clearly place the characters in 1980s East Berlin.

Something else that stands out is Martha’s sense of fashion. She dons a fluffy pink coat in several photos, as well as a stylish leopard-print coat in others.

On Killing Eve, Villanelle’s colorful outfits were an essential part of the show’s visual aesthetic, so I wonder if Honey is attempting to employ a similar strategy with Martha’s outfits.

I also have a strong feeling that the love triangle will be a successful selling point for the series. Plus, there’s been an uptick in the popularity of historical romances in recent years (See Bridgerton).

I’m a little sad that it seems like Honey won’t feature any queer romance, which was one of the main selling points of Killing Eve for me.

I’ll have to find my sapphic show fix somewhere else this TV season, likely by tuning into the final season of Yellowjackets or waiting for Slo Pitch to land in the United States.

Even with my worries about the Killing Eve branding, I’ll still give Honey a chance when it comes out.

After all, it never hurts to approach new series with an open mind, even if it claims to be a prequel.

Honey has not been picked up by an American distributor yet, but will you tune in when it does? Is this the Killing Eve prequel you expected?

Comment your thoughts and worries below!

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