Until I Kill You

Why I took it off the list:

The evocative poster for this British miniseries caught my eye, and without knowing anything about it, I decided to check it out.

So, let’s dig in!

Review of Until I Kill You

Set in London in the early 90s, Until I Kill you tells the story of 40-year-old nurse Delia, a prickly, somewhat abrasive woman who keeps herself to herself. She has a unique fashion sense, and prides herself on being a ‘traveler, not a tourist’.

Delia lives in a sparsely decorated flat with little furniture as possible to not hold her down – she doesn’t even have a bed, preferring to sleep on the floor.

Her fiercely Independent existence is interrupted when she agrees to go for some drinks after work. There at the bar, she meets a handsome stranger, John, and they hit it off.

She invites him back to her place, but the date doesn’t go smoothly – John accidentally spills tea on her rug, one of her few prized possessions, and she angrily throws him out.

However, she soon has a change of heart, writes John a letter and then delivers it to him at the pub. John accepts her apology, and they start dating.

This portion of the series feels a little like a rom-com, as John woos Delia with spontaneous acts like jumping on top of a car. Soon, they’re moving in together, but hints of unease start to creep into Delia.

John reveals himself to be increasingly controlling and manipulative – at first its just small microaggressions such as insisting on building a bed for the flat. But things come to a head when Delia discovers some sketches of John’s ex, Melissa.

After Delia probes into what happened to her, John becomes violent and claims that he murdered Melissa, cut up her body and threw her remains in a canal in Amsterdam, before threatening Delia with a knife.

Thus, Delia’s ordeal begins, as John ties her to a bed for days and repeatedly rapes her. Quick-thinking Delia eventually manages to outsmart John and escape, going to the police, but John has disappeared.

Anna Maxwell Martin Is Astonishing

Delia attempts to rebuild her life, but when she’s called to testify against a captured John years later, she’s dismayed that he’s let out on bail and fears for her life. Sure enough, John shows up on her doorstep, brutally attacking her with an axe handle and a knife.

Delia is left in a serious state in hospital, and, once recovered, moves into a woman’s shelter. Angry and broken, she turns against the police for failing to protect her, and loses trust in them.

Another few years pass, and Delia has moved on and is doing well, even going back to college and finding romance anew with a gentle man called David. However, the police come calling and ask her to testify again, this time in John’s trial for murder for another woman he has recently killed.

Delia is not happy about this and before her first court appearance gets drunk and becomes belligerent during questioning. However, she soon realizes she has to pull herself together and give a convincing testimony to put John away for good.

Based on a true story as detailed in the book Living with a Serial Killer by the real-life Delia Balmer, Until I Kill You is a harrowing account of one woman’s battle against a true psychopath.

What makes this series unique from other similar stories, though, is the strong character of Delia. Anna Maxwell Martin is suburb as a woman who’s not the ‘perfect’ victim, and not always likeable, through her strength and determination shine through.

Shaun Evans is also effectively chilling as the demented John, whose initial charm soon gives way to reveal the terrifying monster beneath.

Final score: 8/10

Until I Kill You: Worth Watching?

Yes, Until I Kill You is a gripping story of abuse, resilience, and the search for justice, bolstered by immersive, committed performances from Anna Maxwell Martin and Shaun Evans.