The Boss - Killing Eve on BBC America
Carolyn Martens is one of the characters in the BBC series Killing Eve. She is the Head of Russia Desk at MI6.
Background
Charismatic, erudite, incredibly well-read and irreverent, Carolyn is a principled yet ruthless leader in her field. As a young agent on the ground in Moscow in the 80s, she cultivated one of MI6’s most valuable assets and has since saved the world at least three times.
Naturally suspicious, a spate of un-attributable assassinations around the world has prompted her to set up a secret unit to investigate.
A literal and strategic woman, Carolyn is smart enough to know when someone has a specific talent, and is not shy about pointing out qualities or perspectives other people have that she might lack. She sees that Eve thinks outside the box and where everyone else has dismissed her, she admires and encourages her. She herself is not a maverick, but she’s very good at hiring them.
Having set up the secret unit, Carolyn puts Eve in charge of it. She needs a group that can be invisible and work without the restraints of a typical MI6 unit.
Carolyn has formed intimate relationships with her foreign counterparts on more than one occasion –an occupational hazard. She is on her fourth husband and her only child went to boarding school; she’s obsessed with her work. [1]
Significance in series
"Nice Face"
Even though it is Saturday, Eve has to go into work at MI5. She enters the meeting late and sits down next to her boss, Bill Pargrave. Frank Haleton introduces everyone to Carolyn Martens who runs the MI6 Russia Desk. Carolyn informs them of the assassination of Victor Kedrin, a high-profile Russian politician. He was leaving a sushi restaurant near Stephansplatz with his girlfriend, Kasia Molkovska, when his femoral artery was sliced open. The girlfriend fled the scene and was picked up in Hammersmith. Eve and Bill are to provide diplomatic protection for Kasia. Eve tells Carolyn that it was a woman who assassinated Kedrin.
After Kasia is murdered, Bill sits with Eve and tells her she did the right thing. Frank and Carolyn enter and Frank blames Eve for conducting an illegal investigation, manipulating a witness, putting a minor in danger, and failing to protect Kasia. Eve confronts Frank about the assassin being a woman and Frank fires her. Eve and Bill both call Frank a "dick-swab" and Frank fires them both.
Eve is at home watching television with Niko when her doorbell rings. Carolyn invites her to walk to the corner shop where she reveals to Eve that Villanelle has been operating for two years across ten countries. She offers to buy Eve breakfast on Thursday at 9 am at the Purple Penguin by Charing Cross.
"I'll Deal With Him Later"
Eve shows up at the Purple Penguin to meet with Carolyn. They discuss Eve's background: how she was born in the UK but moved to Connecticut when her parents split up and came back when her father died. Carolyn confronts Eve with a folder of documents on female assassins they found when they were going through Eve's computer after she was fired. Eve explains that she believes there is a female assassin running around who doesn't have a specific signature but has a definite style.
Carolyn takes Eve to a decrepit building where a dingy office has been set up with all of Eve's information on the female assassin. Carolyn has set up an "unofficial-official" investigation that she wants Eve to run secretly. Kenny enters and is introduced to Eve as the person who has been gathering the evidence. Eve is allowed two more people for her team.
"Don't I Know You?"
Carolyn is in the office with Elena and Kenny waiting for Eve and Bill to arrive to let them know that there has been another assassination. Eve thinks that Carolyn is referring to Carla de Mann but Kenny tells her that it was a Chinese colonel, Zhang Wu, who has been killed. The name the assassin gave to the receptionist was "Eve Polastri". Outside, Eve paces as she begs Carolyn to keep her on the team. Carolyn asks her what she wants to do.
"Sorry Baby"
Eve meets Carolyn at a butcher shop. She tells Carolyn about a work party a year ago where Frank got really drunk and emotional about not being able to afford to send his kids to St. Henry's school. Kenny is tracking Frank down so they can bring him in for information.
As Elena drives Eve to Bletcham, Elena tells stories about how Carolyn has saved the world several times going all the way back to the '80s when she stopped an ex-KGB agent from selling plutonium.