Killing Eve – The Hungry Caterpillar

By: Kelly Kearney

When it comes to Killing Eve everything is possible and nothing, not even cutting deals with the enemy, is off the table. That’s why it was no surprise when last week Konstantin made his reappearance. Resurrection? At Carolyn’s lavish townhouse leaving Eve speechless. It seems The Twelve’s favorite bearded handler and newest target managed to escape death long enough to join forces with Carolyn who is working overtime to protect his family and keep Eve in check. The Queen of MI6 has her work cut out for her because when it comes to Eve and Villanelle rules don’t matter and nobody is safe.

It Feels Like I’m Losing My Mind

Picking up where we left off last week Eve (Sandra Oh) is speechless yet not shocked to find Konstantin (Kim Bodnia) happy, healthy and very much alive. How did he manage to survive that bullet to the chest? Carolyn (Fiona Shaw) of course. She not only helped save the Russian’s life but placed him and his family in Witness Protection until they can close the case on The Twelve. Eve plops onto Carolyn’s couch and mutters, “Honestly…it feels like I’m losing my mind,” which Konstantin finds incredibly humorous because this guy finds funny in even the deadliest of situations. The two adversaries talk about how he ended up at Carolyn’s and we learn that to keep them safe his family is in an unknown location and thinks he died in the restaurant shoot out. Now he’s hiding out in the spy’s posh pad separated from his family, which is the price he’s paying for getting close to Villanelle (Jodie Comer) – something he warns Eve not to do. The lady killer’s love comes with deadly strings, like a pillow that’s soft and inviting but can suffocate you if held firmly over your face. Eve might think her situation with Villanelle is different, but she loved Konstantin too and proved it with a bullet to the chest. He likens Villanelle’s capacity for love like The Hungry Caterpillar, a children’s book about a worm that manages to eat everything in its path. Villanelle has wormed her way into Eve’s life and like some kind of human black hole, nothing can survive it. Her love is toxic and Konstantin warns Eve not to encourage her. Instead, he says she should do the opposite and make the woman hate her. “Hate is something she understands. Its manageable.”

What’s not manageable is Villanelle’s obsession for Eve, which has landed her back in London where she’s been given a new handler Raymond (Adrian Scarborough) and a new job to do. She is to put a hit on a man named Greg Richardson (Simon Thorp) whom she strangles by trapping his necktie in the elevator doors.  As always, her talent for killing is ostentatious and dramatic, which at this point has become her calling card and separates her from MI6’s newest case “The Ghost.” As we know, The Ghost flies under the radar as if she is invisible and hiding in plain sight, something a pink tutu wearing killer could never do. That’s why when Raymond mentions the new assassin to Villanelle and she isn’t impressed. That is at least not until Raymond tells her The Ghost has not only grabbed the attention of The Twelve but also MI6 and Eve Polastri. Nobody occupies space in Eve’s mind but her, especially not this boring killer who obviously lacks the flair and style she’s worked hard to cultivate. Raymond gets a kick out of making Villanelle miserable and orders her to stay in her hotel room, even if every inch of it is covered in semen.

Telling Villanelle to stay in her room only makes her want to leave more and, besides, she has shopping to do! Wearing those white Crocs was too much for this fashionista and she needs her high-end fashion fix if she’s going to be forced to stay in this no-tell-motel. Not only that, she’s also working on a little side project that requires glitter, a macaroni necklace and the downfall of Niko Polastri’s career. To kick off this plan Villanelle makes a phone call from her to the school where Niko works. She’s been calling in complaints about a certain Polish math teacher who can’t keep his hands to himself – more proof that Konstantin was right. Just like his family has paid the price for his relationship with Villanelle, Niko is about to learn what happens when you get in the way of her love life.

Niko Can’t Win

Being the husband of a MI6 spy can be tough, especially when said spy can’t focus on anything other than her work. Niko’s (Owen McDonald) been trying to be supportive, regardless of how many omelets he’s served to distract him from the very real fact his wife seems to have lost interest in the sex part of the marriage. The mathematician has been cutting his wife a lot of slack while she’s ignored him, his work and their life. She’s so distracted it barely registers that her husband has needs that some undercooked eggs wont fill. Besides keeping Niko at arm’s length, for the third time in a row, she’s forgotten a very important cocktail party at his school. Promising to wear something “slutty” to the party almost puts Niko at ease until he introduces her to his flirty co-worker, Gemma (Emma Pierson). The young and very smitten teacher acts surprised that Niko’s wife showed up since rumor has it his spouse doesn’t even exist. The threesome conversation is very awkward and by the time Gemma excuses herself Eve’s female intuition drops a truth bomb on Niko. Gemma wants more than Niko’s friendship and there is no way Eve’s going to let her sink her claws into her husband. In fact, she plans to stake her claim right then and there by dragging Niko to his classroom for a little alone time. Unfortunately, their passion turns to rage when Eve spots an apple on his desk. An apple is usually just an apple unless your wannabe girlfriend assassin keeps leaving them as a reminder that she is always one step ahead of you and lurking. Eve assumes the apple is a threat and, understandably, freaks out. She forces Niko out of the building, hitting the fire alarm on their way out. Her husband, who seems to always be in the dark about his wife and her motives, doesn’t understand the significance of the apple but Eve is too distracted to explain. Her eyes are glued waiting to see Villanelle. No matter how many times Niko tries to be a part of Eve’s life she continues to push him aside, so he tells Eve to go home and then scurries off with Gemma. If Eve is upset that Niko, for once, put his work above her own she really shouldn’t be surprised. She has allowed this Hungry Caterpillar to start a feeding frenzy on her life and now that worm has weaseled its way, macaroni necklace and all, right into Niko’s orbit. The entire time Mr. and Mrs. Polastri were making out in the classroom Villanelle, in costume, was encouraging Gemma to have an affair with her co-worker crush. Dressed like some bedazzled hippie, she plants the idea that Gemma has two choices: to go after her man or die a lonely cat hoarder. Now that Niko is off with Gemma, Villanelle has a split second to creep up on her stunned love and drop a gift into her purse. Lucky for Villanelle it seems Eve is too upset over Niko to notice her.

Love in an Elevator

While Villanelle is ignoring Raymond’s orders and wreaking havoc on Eve’s marriage, MI6 has been trying to figure out The Ghost’s ties to The Twelve and if she was responsible for Greg Richardson’s death. The elevator murder seems too flashy to be her work but lacks the flamboyance that Villanelle’s kills are known for. That is until Eve reaches into her purse and finds the sneaky killer’s gift – a tube of bright red lipstick with the color aptly named “Love in an Elevator.” Villanelle was a breath away; so close she managed to slip this message into her purse without being seen. The name on the lipstick shade is the assassin’s fashionable way of telling Eve that her wounds have healed and she’s back in the killing game. Eve freaks and goes to Kenny (Sean Delaney) to tell him about the lipstick. He implores her to tell his mother. She refuses and instead pulls rank on the only person whose ever had her back. She orders Kenny to go against his better judgement and his mother to get all the information he can about the location of Konstantin’s family.  Poor Kenny, he had hoped Eve would be different than his mother and all the other spies he’s met, but her obsession for this case is more important than her loyalty to their friendship.

Regardless of whether it was right, Kenny comes through and gets Eve the information she needed which she dangles in front of Konstantin knowing he can’t refuse her. Eve has now gone full rogue and working on the outskirts of MI6 rules, something that she knows she can’t keep from a James Bond type like Carolyn. The quid pro quo plan would have worked too if Konstantin hadn’t taken the information and also gone rogue, getting to Villanelle before Eve does. In an emotionally tense reunion Villanelle arrives back at her hotel with a message from the desk clerk about a new guest who she quickly realizes is Konstantin! Armed with a knife, she sprints towards her former handler. Just when you think she’s about to plunge the blade into his already wounded heart, she hugs him ferociously. It’s not long before the two play catch up and no matter how many times she tries to make Konstantin jealous by claiming Raymond is her favorite, he’s not letting this caterpillar in. In fact, he laughs at her because Raymond isn’t so much a handler as a finisher. His job is to execute those who are no longer useful. Konstantin also tells her that he gave up her location to MI6 and she has a choice to make. Come with him and be a freelance killer or stay in the hotel and go back to prison, courtesy of her curly haired spy. Just as she’s about to make her choice, the two hear the police bursting through the hallway doors. Curious, she runs to her door and through the peephole she sees Eve leading the search. Of course, when Eve notices Villanelle’s room is empty she starts kicking walls, taking shots and yelling – something that reminds Villanelle of how important she is to the woman. Then, slowly, Eve gets a feeling like she’s being watched by someone in the room at the end of the hallway. She comes to the door that separates her from her obsession and can literally feel Villanelle on the other side. She yells for the police but when they kick down the door, the two are long gone. Once again, she’s come up empty handed and all she has to show for her efforts is an angry Carolyn, a missing Villanelle and a crumbling marriage. Konstantin was right. A Hungry Caterpillar will eat everything in its path and Eve’s life is what’s for dinner.

Later, after Carolyn puts Eve in her place, she goes home and can’t stop thinking about how close she was to catching Villanelle. Looking in her bathroom mirror she starts to apply the lipstick from her no-so-secret admirer but buried under the red cream is a perfectly placed blade that snags her lip and leaves her bleeding! Normally this would terrify anyone, but Eve and Villanelle are in deep and if the look on her face is any indication she isn’t afraid so much as she’s impressed. Yes, this is that flamboyant and outrageous killer she loves to hate. Ghost has nothing on Villanelle!