1.

Baking a cake for Eve

Vill is making a cake and dancing around happily, in her robe, at home. She stops by her mirror and
thinks aloud that someone is "so not over" her. This person is definitely Eve, given their kiss, on the bus,
in the last episode. She is distracted by a timer and runs back to the kitchen.

Here is the first, of a few times, that the audience will see Vill listening to music, through headphones.
Her happiness is rejuvenated by the encountering Eve, for the first time, since their "break up," in
Season 2.

Also, this is one of two times Vill will be seen to be able to dance comfortably; the other time will be
with Eve, in the finale. When she is dancing with Maria, and her family, in Russia, Vill does not feel as
comfortable. Vill is only really comfortable with Eve because they are soul mates, another theme of
Season 3, along with dancing.

Dasha visits Vill and delights in the cake, which she believes was made for her. Vill says it's not for her.
The cake, as the audience knows, is obviously for Eve. Dasha comes closer and observes that the
misshapen cake doesn't look like the picture, in the cookbook.

Poor Vill is embarrassed by this. She can't cook or bake, but she loved Eve so much she really tried for
her. Once again Eve has brought out Vill's domestic spirit, and a desire to be 'normal.'

Vill makes as if to throw the cake out, but Dasha relents: "Just because it looks bad, doesn't mean it
tastes bad." She samples some of the icing. Vill looks on, hopeful. Her eagerness to make a nice cake for
Eve is so cute.

But Dasha delivers her final judgement, "Throw it away." Vill really tried, but baking a cake is not easy
(as contestants on the first season of The Circle US found out). She continues eating the icing out of the
bowl though, throughout the conversation, showing that the cake somehow tastes good to her.

Dasha begins to pick up Vill's clothes, thrown all over the place, acting like a mother to Vill. Vill is
ashamed and irritated by this, like a teenager, telling her to stop doing that. Dasha retorts like a parent,
saying Vill doesn't deserve “nice things,” if she isn’t going to take care of them. This follows within the
continued theme of motherhood, in Season 3.

Dasha and Vill both agree that Vill's mission in London went well, but nothing gets past Dasha: she
wants to know if Vill saw anyone in London. Vill lies, rather unconvincingly, and Dasha bears down. Vill
claims she saw Konstantin (and a "Jack the Ripper walking tour").

Dasha knows Vill saw Eve, in London, but she no longer presses Vill on that issue, pivoting to how Vill is
"so close" to getting the status that she wants. Vill only responds by flicking a cherry, off of the cake, at
Dasha - which makes a direct hit, with Dasha's head - saying "You are so annoying today," again like
Dasha is her mom.

They continue to bicker, with Dasha sounding like a mom, from the '90s, with her scolding idiosyncrasies,
and Vill ribbing her on it ("who are you talking to?"). Finally, Dasha gives in, and says a higher-up, from
the Twelve wants to meet with Vill. It is the promotion Vill wanted. Dasha congratulates her but tells her
to "stay put...no travel," and leaves.

Ecstatic, Vill jumps up and down, cheering silently. It is so cute and realistic. Relieved of her mortification,
over the cake, Vill dumps her cooking attempt, without hesitation. As the audience will see later, Vill will
use some of her newfound money to buy Eve a professionally made birthday cake, comedically molded
in the shape of a bus and a bus stop, to commemorate their first kiss.

2. Scared by Konstantin

Naturally, Vill goes shopping to celebrate her success. She has everything she wants: a nice house, a "fun
job," tons of money and cool clothes. The only thing she is missing now is "someone to watch movies
with," as evidenced by when Vill looks into the store window, with the kimonos, and sees two women
shopping together. This is when Konstantin scares her.

The song playing, over Vill's victorious walk through Barcelona, is "Satan is His Name," by Holly Golightly.
The audience is initially led to believe Vill is the titular Satan, like if "The Devil Wears Prada" had
assassins in it.

However, when Vill longingly looks at the lesbian couple, and wishes to have that love in her life, we
realize that, from Vill's point of view, Eve would be Satan, for breaking Vill's heart. Even after the kiss,
Vill still doesn't really know where they stand.

It's a little bit of misdirection, in a tiny scene, that shows that Vill is beginning to wake up to the hole of
emptiness and loneliness in her life, and is becoming more honest, with herself, about her deepening
feelings for Eve. In Season 1, Vill saw nothing wrong with her life, and saw no need to change. By Season
3, Vill is more self-aware, and is feeling more of her emotions.

Finally, it's funny to see Konstantin's face appear, in the glass window, and then see Vill jump, and come
to a full stop, before she turns to face him. Usually, it's Vill who is the one scaring Konstantin, and it
looks like she was really frightened there. Sadly though, she doesn't tell Konstantin about her feelings,
and they only segue into the next topic.

3. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

The first shot of Vill, back from Russia, shows her messing with a pink pastry, her hand deep in her hair,
and holding her head up, as if exhausted and overwhelmed - like she is hungover (but the audience
knows she's not hungover).

The audience immediately sees a tension in how Vill is put together. She is still pristinely dressed, in a
navy pantsuit, with pointed shoulders, but her hair is tousled - a wild look - and her face is preoccupied,
like Vill had been crying only recently.

This is to be expected, given what happened in Russia. It's like Vill put on the ‘Villanelle’ look, but the
persona hasn't come all the way back up yet - nor will it ever really come back, for the rest of the season.
In seemingly solving her original emotional wound, Vill has solved why she does what she does, and she
will never be able to easily eliminate targets ever again.

Helene finally walks in, stately, and dressed to the nines, a spectacular creature from the classic Cold
War jet set. The audience was already introduced to Helene, poolside, with her red heels almost
impaling Dasha's post-exercise cigarettes. Helene is on the phone, with her daughter, and Vill is
immediately also positioned as Vill's daughter. She gets Vill to sit on the other side of the room, away
from the distracting pastry.

If Vill were in her usual state of mind, Vill would want to be Helene. Having finally got everything she
ever wanted, Vill would also be closer to that goal. Helene is the arch-company woman, while Dasha is
more provincial and homely - comforting, but not really inspiring. Helene is like the "grown-up" version
of Vill - urbane, sophisticated, worldly.

Her call over, Helene finally focuses all of her attention, on Vill. She is like a cat - like Vill - but more
mature. In silken tones, she explains that she has been watching Vill for a long time. Nonplussed, and
out of it, Vill immediately replies, "In a kinky way?" (which would fit the themes of surveillance and
privacy, in Season 2). Standing up, Vill looks even more harried, almost feral and lost, like she spent a
week as a castaway, instead of at her mom's house.

Helene is not disturbed or affronted by this, merely remarking breezily that Vill is "remarkable." Vill
looks around the expensive meeting room, and again bluntly shuts this down, saying "Are you trying to
seduce me?" which of course, is out of character for Vill (Of course, Helene is trying to seduce her!). It's
like Vill is living her life over again, and meeting Anna again, after the chaos of her childhood - but Vill
isn't reacting the same way.

Russia has shaken Vill's ordinary state of mind. Suddenly she is feeling regret, remorse, a whole new
suite of feelings, but almost all of them affecting her negatively - unlike her feelings for Eve. She has
been broken down to the state of a kid. Vill has fallen off her high horse, and hurt herself - like a child,
on a scooter.

Vill would normally appreciate an older woman, like Helene's, attention - like how she appreciated
Anna's advances. But today, Vill is off her game, seeing through Helene's ploy, but not rising to play
along, play her own games, or give her own witty rejoinders - like usual. Vill's own tragedy has made her
angry, and she is throwing Helene's niceties in Helene's face.

Still not riled by this, Helene simply takes another call, this time from her mother - her daughter's
grandmother - saying that her daughter is just acting out, for a reaction. Helene's parenting mirrors how
the Twelve seems to be now dealing with Vill.

In Season 2, the assassin world began preferring the more subtle tactics of the Ghost. In Season 3, the
Twelve just puts a temporary balm on Vill's explosive emotional wounds, with an honorary, but
soon-to-be toothless, promotion.

Vill doesn't seem rude yet though, just halting, and vulnerable and miserable, like she is in shock - which
she is. Helene may or may not know about this already, but given the Twelve's way of operating, she
probably does - the same way Dasha and Konstantin already seem to know all of Vill's going-ons with
Eve, and with her family, in Russia.

Vill wonders if 'Helene' is Helene's real name, meaning Vill isn't in a very trusting headspace right now.
Vill craves an authenticity now, that the Twelve could never provide. Helene simply replies with a
question: why are they having a face-to-face meeting? "To watch me some more?" Vill replies, at a loss,
feeling confused and small and weak - not full of her usual bravado, like normal.

Vill does seem genuinely happy to be promoted, as Helene pours her a glass of champagne, but she also
looks scared and full of relief, that this process is over - almost like working for the Twelve is already a
chore, grating on her already stressed nerves. She gulps her alcohol, instead of sipping it (like Helene),
and seems ready to go home, instead of engaging in any banter with Helene.

Vill's armor of invincibility is gone, and she doesn't revel in or celebrate what should be her finest
moment (like how she didn't get to be happy at her wedding, what is supposed to be the best day of
one's life).

Helene toasts Vill, "the Keeper," but immediately just gives her another postcard, this time for Romania,
saying this usual challenge is bound to be "exciting." Like the drawing of Anna, in Jerome's office, Vill
doesn't take the post card; she just merely stares at it - so Helene places the card on the table, and sits
down, on the couch, next to her. The postcard says to "bring warm clothes." Vill looks aghast, and
Helene is puzzled and concerned by Vill's reaction.

Vill's frustration, about her life's general state of affairs, finally begins to boil over. She thought that she
would be "giving orders." Helene's response is to simply wonder who told Vill that; no one did. Keeper
was always a vague idea, that was kept vague.

Vill only becomes more agitated. Feeling betrayed, she finally rises to her feet (in her amazing gold,
men’s-style shoes), decrying this promotion in-name-only. Helene, still on her couch, with her glass of
champagne, shrugs. It's Helene's turn to be nonplussed; she doesn't understand what more Vill could
want. Vill still has all the "material" perks she has ever wanted - but she is not free. Helene tells her to
"enjoy Romania."

---

When we are first introduced to Helene and Vill's dynamic, she has two phone conversations which
situate her within three generations of women, in her family - a family connection that Vill craves. Even
in Barcelona, Vill tried to create a makeshift family of Dasha, herself, and the baby, while practicing her
characters - but Helene has the real thing.
The phone calls are about a minor family happening, where Helene's young daughter accidentally hurt
herself, while playing (she fell off a scooter). To her own mother though, Helene says that her daughter
is making a big deal out of it, just to get attention. This is bound to rub Vill the wrong way, since she is
still raw, after coming back from her home, in Russia, where her mother rejected her from her family,
again.

The scene also establishes that despite what Helene says, Helene is not going to be the nurturing
mother archetype, for Vill. The dichotomy between the caring mom trope and how Helene really feels is
readily apparent. 'Helene,' of course, is not even her real name. Helene is like Anna, from Season 1, but
with a tilt or a twist. Obviously, what happened with Anna wasn't ideal, but Anna was the more
authentic person, for Vill.

How Helene is set up will also touch on how both Helene and Dasha will both seek to comfort Vill, after
her own actual injury, later on, but will also seek to use this newfound vulnerability against her. Helene
is a terrific addition, as a character, but as another example of the maternal archetype to Vill, she is just
there to rub more salt in the wound.

4. The hockey game

Konstantin is at Irina's hockey game, cheering her on. But he has a surprise guest: Vill is also in the
bleachers, waving an air horn around and ostentatiously supporting Irina. It's kind of obnoxious, but it's
also silly and cute. It seems like Vill is back to normal, on the surface.

However, Vill's levity is a little bit hyperactive, a bit of an overcompensation, for the pain that she is
feeling inside. Konstantin senses this when it turns out Vill is accidentally cheering for the wrong team
(wrong way Willie), but then refuses to correct herself, when he points this out ("Go other team!"). She
also randomly asks about food: "you can't watch sports without hot dogs" she says, with a finger gun.

Konstantin finally gets exasperated and reaches for Vill's hand, asking what all of this about, since Vill's
energy is all over the place. Vill's mien turns somber immediately: she's coming with him, "Your plan to
get out? I'm in," she says, with an unsure, pained smile.

Konstantin is in disbelief, and Vill's happy façade and voice crack, as she answers him quickly, in the
affirmative ("It's exciting, huh?"), her face looking briefly truly angry and sad. Her disillusionment with
the Twelve is real, she feels her dreams have been ripped apart.

Obviously, this is deeper than just a momentary disappointment. Her failure to find her family, in Russia,
has only strengthened her desire to find a family, (this time with Konstantin again) and find true
freedom, outside of the Twelve, not just a life in a "gilded cage," or on a "tilted stage" - the life that she
was previously accustomed to and satisfied with, in the other two seasons. (A cover of Taylor Swift's
"Look What You Made Me Do," by her brother Austin, will play in the next episode.)

Right on cue, Konstantin pivots to reveal the true heart of the matter, asking about her recent trip to
Russia. Naturally and as usual, Vill deflects, making a joke, instead of telling the truth, like when
Konstantin made her visit Jerome. Konstantin presses onward: "And your mother?"

At this, Vill turns away, and stops talking. Her jaw works, and she takes a couple of deep breaths, before
looking back at him, still unable to speak. Konstantin probably knew what happened already, but at her
wordless admission, he groans, "No, Villanelle." Finally, she manages to squeeze out that her mother
deserved it, while not looking at him. At least, she was able to finally be honest with him.

It almost sounds like Konstantin's voice is breaking, as he picks apart her assessment, like he is sorry for
the tragedy Vill has found herself in. Everyone feels these feelings, but you're not supposed to act on
them, he expresses.

Vill begins to go on the defensive, shouting that she doesn't want to talk about it, but Konstantin's
words, as her conscience, ring true: "You were supposed to grow up and realize she isn't evil; she is just
insane!"

In the next episode, Helene will also echo that Vill cannot kill her, because Vill has not, as Konstantin put
it, 'grown up,' and is still just a "child." It's an interesting question on whether Vill could have seen her
mother was unwell, and just walked away from the distressing situation.

Interestingly enough, when Irina appears, Vill tells her that Konstantin is a bad father, and she should
just "run away," even though Irina is too old to do this anymore. Vill seems like she is joking, but she
says this with real vehemence; her feelings are still very raw.

Vill begs Konstantin to go with him, when he escapes from the Twelve, like they are all going to
immigrate to a new country. She seems truly desperate to get out. Konstantin, for his part, warns her
repeatedly not to let the Twelve know that she wants to get out. When Konstantin asks her if she has
told anyone else about this, Vill gets serious again, and says, "of course not."

Throughout the whole conversation her eyes glisten. Even as she continues to pretend to act like she is
OK, she is constantly on the verge of tears. Vill has never been vulnerable like this before. What
happened in Russia broke her heart. But Konstantin cautions more heartbreak is coming, because if
Konstantin does send for her (which she doesn't believe he'll do), Vill will also have to leave Eve.

Vill promises to "act normal," but Konstantin counters that then the Twelve will definitely know
something is up, since Vill is always, well, Vill. Even with this bit of humor at the end, Vill has never
seemed more broken, nor has her life, and outlook ever seemed so uncertain, and bleak.

5. Stitched up

Things get bleaker. In addition to being emotionally wounded, Vill is now physically wounded also.
Dasha comes back from her fateful bowling game, with Eve, which felt like a prospective wife meeting a
disapproving mother-in-law. She is shocked to see what happened to Vill, after the mission, in Romania,
and demands to know what went wrong.

Vill isn't having any of it. She says she is "done" with the Twelve, and that she is "leaving," unwittingly
violating Konstantin's adage, to not tell anyone that she is actually getting out. Dasha, in return,
wonders how the meeting with Helene really went. Vill retorts that 'Helene' isn't even her real name;
she is still upset about that (and clearly out of it).

Delirious from the pain, and probably also an infection, at this point, Vill once again congratulates
herself on becoming a Keeper, but relents, saying at least Dasha gets to "go home." Vill obviously very
much wants to get out, and "go home," even if that means she has to find a new family with Konstantin,
in a strange new land.

Acting as a caring mother to Vill, Dasha helps stitch Vill up, as she sits on her bathroom floor, in
Barcelona. Afterward, Vill who was already hyperventilating, begins crying harder. She "doesn't want to
do this anymore." Things have come full circle from when Vill was eating shepherd's pie, with Eve, in
Season 1. Before Vill was just feeling Eve out; this time Vill actually means it, when she says she wants to
leave the Twelve.

Dasha continues to act as a nurturing caregiver to Vill, wiping the tears from her face, and announcing
that she will order pizza. But before she leaves the bathroom, Dasha casts a concerned, and confused
look over Vill. Her chances of going home, to a ticker tape parade, are looking more, and more dubious.
Dasha has never seen Vill like this before; no one ever has.

The audience has never seen Vill this vulnerable before, and this side of her probably even shocks Vill
herself. There is a shot of Vill from above, mentally wiped out, on the bathroom floor, surrounded by
bloody tissues, that resembles the Hanged Man Tarot card.

Odin purportedly hung, by his foot, on a tree, for several nights, to gain wisdom. The meaning of the
card is that one must release old, maladaptive mental models that are holding one back, to find
catharsis and better opportunities. Vill is at this liminal threshold now, contemplating letting go of the
Twelve, which is holding her back, for a completely new life.

Unloved's "Boy and Girl" comes on here, as Vill's epiphany and crushing defeat is placed alongside Eve
finally letting go of Niko, and Irina taking several bits of Vill's advice, and 'running away,' indeed - even if
this means that Irina’s life is now going to be following the same difficult trajectory that Vill's once did.
The season has reached its climax, the turning point, before the denouement - the point of no return.

"Boy and Girl" is a mellow and a romantic song, but it is essentially a break-up song. It also plays over
when Eve is standing in the rain, before she yells at Carolyn, at Kenny's funeral. It is a song of major
transitions, loss, and catharsis, but also a song about the new beginnings Vill and Eve are desperately
seeking. Like the bus ad Eve saw, on that fateful day, they both hope to wipe all of their 'worry' and
'grief' away.

---
More Tarot: The fiery color scheme of the promotional material, this season, is also reminiscent of The
Lovers card. In the Lovers Tarot card, the lovers are standing in Eden, with the Tree of Life and the Tree
of Knowledge, fitting the imagery around Eve's name. It also fits because Vill and Eve are trying to
balance life and knowledge, surrounding disillusionment, in both of their jobs.

The angel Raphael is also above the lovers, on the card, surrounded by red flames. Raphael's name
means "God heals," which also fits Season 3. Vill goes on a journey of healing, to find her birth family,
and the both of them find healing, with each other, in the finale.

Also, in the promotional material, Vill and Eve's arms are bound together, by a red sash, and they are
clasping hands. The color red refers to the flames of love, and devotion, in the Tarot card, but also the
red string of fate, in Northeast Asian folklore. This fits with the Season 3 theme that Vill and Eve are
bonded together, and that they are soulmates.

6. Helene's love and care

Vill is sitting in a historical building or a museum, surrounded by spears, lances and suits of armor. She
keeps looking nervously at a large full suit of armor, right in front of her, it's head turned in her direction.
Finally, Helene appears and calls her into the other room. Vill peevishly complains that the display was
"staring" at her. Helene looks bemused at this.

The suit was the Watcher, and Vill was the one being 'Watched.' This is an inversion of when Eve was
staring at the Ghost, while Vill was staring at the street performer, in Season 2. The Watcher is the one
in control, the one with the power. That Vill is now the Watched underscores how her position of power
and control has shifted and slipped, since that time.

Vill comes into the meeting room, and again, looks at more suits of armor and medieval weaponry,
arrayed on the walls before her. Another Dutch tilt is used, signifying disorientation, like when Vill first
found out Eve was alive, from Konstantin, earlier on in Season 3. Vill is feeling disoriented for another
reason though - she is clearly not the one in charge here. She has lost direction over her life. The
autonomy and agency she thought she had, are nowhere to be found.

Helene asks what Vill is doing, when Vill compliments her surroundings, showing that Helene recognizes
Vill is feeling off. Helene knows Vill isn't feeling up to snuff or keen on missions anymore, and they trade
barbs on that. Vill brusquely comments that she is contemplating how to take Helene out, as if to
overcompensate for faltering, in Romania.

Helene, unaffected, humors her, and asks how she would do that. Vill doesn't know, but she "definitely
knows it would involve a tiny chair." Rhian, who tagged along, glances at the small, antique chair Vill is
mischievously eying. Helene also looks at the tiny chair – a bit of humor.

Helene has had enough of Vill's games and tells Vill to sit down. Vill impishly moves to sit on the tiny
chair, and Helene immediately says, "not that one," like she is Vill's mom. Vill sizes up the bodyguard,
Rhian, and figures she can't take on the both of them, at the same time, so she folds. Vill looks
disappointed, and reluctantly sits down in the normal-sized chair, in front of Helene, hesitating like a
scolded kid.

Vill listens when Helene, and Eve tell her to sit down – like when Eve invaded Vill's apartment, at the end
of Season 1. She did not listen to Anton, when he told her to sit down three times, in Season 1. It's also
interesting because "the best sex" Anna and Vill "ever had," was in a chair, and Helene's character is set
up to be like Anna, which will only become more apparent shortly.

Again, treating Vill like a kid, Helene tells Vill to 'point to where it hurts.' Vill, also still acting like a kid
here, complies, pointing woefully at where she got injured in Romania. Helene was originally set up as a
mother, figuring out how to deal with her young daughter, who had fallen down, and hurt herself.

However, this is where the tone starts to shift. Helene probes Vill's wound, with her finger, causing Vill
to wince. Helene is capable of causing Vill pain. But just as immediately, she grasps Vill's hurt arm, and
presses it to her body, as she holds Vill's head against her chest. Her other arm wraps tightly around Vill,
deepening the embrace.

It is here that Unloved's "Tell Mama," begins to play, low in the background. The song also plays during
some key scenes between Vill and Eve, like when they meet for shepherd's pie, in Season 1, or when Vill
is first pouring champagne for Eve, in Eve's house again, this time in Season 2.

But most importantly "Tell Mama" plays when Vill is in Anna's bedroom – formerly Vill and Anna's
bedroom – looking for her documents, in Season 1. Here, Helene is supposed to be most like Anna.
Helene is being set up to be Vill's arch maternal-romantic figure, her 'Eve' so to speak, and what follows
is another intense psychosexual experience for Vill, within that vein.

Helene says, into Vill's hair, "do you know why I love you Villanelle?" and goes on to explain how Vill is
like a destructive, and cleansing forest fire. Catharsis. The phoenix. Pluto in Western astrology. Vill
moves to grasp Helene's arm, as if to push Helene away, but she cannot do so. She only succeeds in
holding on to Helene's arm.

Vill needs this. She starts to tear up, and a tear rolls down her cheek, as her face creases in pain. Now
that her real mother is gone, the original emotional wound, the void in Vill - the love that she is missing -
is especially raw.

Helene lets go of Vill, and Vill jerks away, like she was frightened or burned. It is almost an autonomous,
subconscious motion, like Vill was frightened of herself, like she had gone in too deep, and just come out
of Helene's spell. But Vill is still under, she is still disoriented and in a daze. Helene strokes and smooths
strands of Vill's hair lovingly back into place, before brushing her own hair back.

It is almost like a romantic experience, although Vill is at a loss, about how she should feel about this.
Vill is conflicted because she wants this, and needs this, but is also repulsed by Helene herself. Helene
smiles, and kindly calls Vill a "beautiful monster." Helene means this as a compliment, but Vill's brow
creases with confusion, and hurt, as if she does not want to be called "a monster." Psychopaths don't
like being called psychopaths.

Vill continues to look perplexed, as Helene is speaking, almost remorseful. It is again Vill at her most
vulnerable, another one of these firsts, for Season 3 - since Vill's armor had been more up, in prior
seasons. Like in the Unloved song, Helene assures Vill that she can "Tell Mama all." Something is
obviously still bothering Vill, and "bottling it up inside" is preventing Vill from being her normal self and
being "truly monstrous."

Vill is about to tell her; she begins, "I did something bad to my mother," looking up, her voice breaking,
at the all-important word of "mother." Helene again comforts Vill, saying "whatever it is," Vill can be
honest with her about it. But like with Konstantin, Jerome, and Eve, up to this point, Vill again pulls back
from the brink of true honesty, and vulnerability. She makes one of her usual crass jokes, instead of
confessing.

The mood changes again, back to normal. Unloved's "Tell Mama" moves into the more inorganic, and
industrial part of the song. The moment is over. Exasperated, Helene gives a look to Rhian that says,
'we're done here,' and rises to go. Helene obviously already knows what happened, with Vill's family,
and her mother, in Russia. She doesn't have the time, or the patience for Vill, if Vill isn't going to open
up to her, and be truly honest with her.

Vill senses she is being emotionally dismissed and snaps out of her reverie. She rises as Helene and
Rhian are about to walk out the door, begging for another job. Helene shrugs, and says "you're injured"
('you're on profile'). Vill doesn't relent and says she will take Dasha with her. Helene acquiesces but says
Vill is on a short leash, because otherwise why shouldn't she send Rhian instead.

Vill appears to be back to her normal self, ribbing Helene on the physically and emotionally intimate
moment they just had. Helene doesn't rise to this, and simple retorts Vill wouldn't be able to kill her
before Helene killed her. Fitting the mother-daughter theme of Season 3, Helene denigrates Vill as
merely a "child," emotionally immature, unable to really understand love and hate, sex, and death. Vill
pretends that this doesn't bother her, and ripostes, saying, "God, you're sexy."

After Helene and Rhian leave, Vill's defenses come down. She exhales a shuddering sigh and sinks back
down into the chair she was just sitting in, emotionally decompressing. It seems she can no longer
maintain the Vill persona, or bring it fully back up, for extended periods of time. Since she left Russia, it
seems 'Villanelle,' as an entity has died, and only the more vulnerable, original Oksana is left.

As the camera pans out to show Vill alone and isolated, in that empty room of sterile steel and wood
paneling, Austin Swift's cover of his sister Taylor Swift's song "Look What You Made Me Do" comes on
over the opening credits. The song during the extended title cards reflects how Vill's lack of freedom is
only becoming more apparent to her, and how much she deeply resents this course of events.

---

A brief note: The opening shot of Vill, where she seemed to bristle, with the halo of lances and spears,
around her head, resembles another Tarot card - the 8 of Swords Tarot card. This speaks to Vill's
bellicose profession, but more importantly, the meaning of the card is similar to that of the Hanged Man
card allusion, shown earlier in the season, when Vill was first wounded, after her mission in Romania.

Vill is being pushed to let go of old mental models and accept new opportunities. On the card, this
meaning is made all the more explicit with the blindfolded woman. The woman's blindfold doesn't give
her power or objectivity, like Lady Justice – it simply blinkers her from the truth, from the sub-optimal
environs surrounding her.

Like Vill, the woman on the card feels constricted, trapped. But if she took off the blindfold, she could
easily see a way out of her predicament. The water, at the woman's feet, on the card, points to the fact
that the woman has the intuition and the genius to live a much better life, than the one she is leading
now.

Vill is also at a similar crossroads. She can take off the blinders the Twelve have placed on her, the
blinders she has allowed to be placed on herself, and forge a brand new, better life. As the season
unfolds, Vill comes to realize the only person she can truly rely on, and trust is Eve – not Dasha, Helene,
Konstantin or the Twelve.

The song that plays over this small scene, that opens the episode, while Vill is waiting for Helene, is an
unreleased song, by Unloved, which features the repeated lyric of "into the fire." The ominous feeling of
the song speaks to Vill's sense of unease, and discomfort, while be "watched" by the suit of armor and
the fact that she isn't looking forward to meeting Helene again. Also, since what happened in Russia,
Vill's life has metaphorically 'jumped out of the frying pan, into the fire.'

7. Elevator ride

Vill and her adopted mother, Dasha, are in Aberdeen, Scotland, for Vill's make-up mission. They can't
seem to keep their stories straight, for the hotel receptionist. Vill says that her 'mother' "has a funny
sense of humor...It's dementia," stunning the woman behind the desk.

The extent of how Dasha and Vill's relationship has deteriorated continues to be apparent, in the lift.
Dasha reaches across Vill's personal space, to hit the button to close the elevator doors, before
launching into it, beginning with "You think you have won, because you got your stinking promotion?"
Somehow, Dasha has become jealous and bitter now.

Vill isn't going to rub it in; it was Dasha who got Vill back into the Twelve and pushed and pleaded with
Vill to get this promotion, in the first place. But Dasha is not amused. Capitalizing on Vill's newfound
desire to go home, Dasha rubs in that she gets to go home, after her long stint abroad. To hammer that
point home, Dasha reaches for and searches for Vill's arm wound, the one she recently helped stitch up,
and presses on it, just like Helene did.

At the same moment, the lift doors open, and groaning with pain, Vill reaches out and hits the button,
to close the elevator door, momentarily trapping them both together – so they can continue their
heated discussion, in private. Assured of Dasha's betrayal, Vill leers, with newfound malice, "Do you
know what's waiting for you, at home?" Vill has already been home, and it wasn't great; Russia is
different now.

Vill denigrates the idea that anyone is going to be there, waiting to welcome Dasha home. All that will
be waiting for Dasha is "indifference." Helene has promised them both a set of career pipe dreams.
Dasha counterattacks saying, that if she wants "stroganoff," her son can make it for her.

At this point, there is a close-up of Vill; Vill didn't know she had a son. What happened with the baby, in
yellow, earlier, definitely wouldn't have indicated that Dasha had any conventional, in-grown, maternal
instincts.

(Mustard yellow is used, subconsciously, throughout this season, to signify family - Vill's biological
mother wore it, during their last discussion, and Vill will wear it during her and Eve's conversation, on
the bridge.)

From the beginning, Vill has been set up as Dasha's heir-apparent, or at very least, her best student –
the closest thing Dasha will ever have to a child. Vill even re-enacted Dasha's 1970s talcum powder
mission, a homage.

Dasha choosing to reveal this now, after raising Vill since prepubescence, is her way of disinheriting and
diminishing Vill. Vill who has been already disowned by her own mother twice, is internally hurt by this.
She has lost every shred of family she has ever known.

Vill doesn't show her hurt. Helene is a romantic-maternal figure, but Dasha is only a maternal figure, and
Vill (Oksana) is able to better maintain the 'Villanelle' façade here. She simply makes a dig about the son
and Dasha, before finally hitting the button, for the elevator doors to open, ending the confrontation.

However, Dasha has shown that even though she has cared for Vill, as a mother, she is only too ready to
use Vill's vulnerabilities against her, both physically and emotionally. She is just as ready to manipulate
Vill, like Helene does - just without the romantic or psychosexual element. Dasha has pointed out that
Vill has destroyed any family she has left and will "die alone." This is the end of their relationship, and
their professional partnership.

8. Tea room dance

Vill is sitting in the tea dance hall, watching the dancers, and listening to the 1950s-style waltz music.
Eve comes in and sees Vill from afar. The scene mirrors when Eve came to see Niko, at his bridge club, in
Season 1. Vill has now become the significant other, in Eve's life.

Eve reaches Vill's table, and says, "Hi." Vill turns around, and also says, "Hi." They both ask each other
"How are you?" This is the most normal meeting Vill, and Eve have ever had. It's a date. Eve sits down,
and takes off her coat, asking, "Why here?" Vill says her first mission in the UK was here. The target was
a "tango champion." Vill picked a place that has significance to her.

Vill briefly wonders what would have happened if she had refused. Would she have become an "interior
designer" maybe? This would certainly fit, given the amazing cerulean and vermilion suit Vill is wearing,
to this dance. Eve remarks that this would have saved her "a lot of heartache," finally admitting what
she has been feeling for Vill, all this time.

Eve pauses and then fills Vill in on how Dasha tried to frame Vill and drive her and Eve apart. Vill's brow
creases, and she looks slightly confused at this, almost like she's hurt that Dasha would do that, or stoop
so low. Vill is distracted and emotional; she asks if Eve ever thinks about their past. Eve says, "All the
time. That's all I ever think about."

Vill comments that the dancers seem "happy" and "carefree." Eve notes that "dancing will do that to
you." But Vill is still troubled by her own past, and worried about the future, saying that she wants to
feel that happy also. Eve immediately picks up on Vill's emotional distress, asking "What happened?"

This is a change from Season 1, when Eve was concerned about Vill, but merely surmised something
must have "happened" to Vill, for her to act the way she does. Before Eve was merely looking at Vill, like
a subject, in a scientific study, or like a patient, to be psychoanalyzed. Here Eve is actually empathizing
with Vill, and asking her to tell Eve what happened herself, instead of assuming things, and filling in the
blanks on her own.

Vill stiffens, her eyes glistening with tears. She finally looks away from the dancers, at Eve, as if about to
tell Eve about what happened in Russia. Vill was going to be honest, and straightforward with Eve, in a
way that she hadn't been able to honest with Konstantin, Jerome or Helene. However, they are
interrupted by the dance hall compere, who is inviting everyone to dance, for this number.

The compere wants everyone to dance, even if they don't think they can dance. In a bit of levity, Vill is
jokingly taken aback by this, but doesn't move. Eve, however, gets up, and moves toward the dancefloor.
Vill, slightly alarmed, says "dancing's not my thing." Eve agrees that it's not hers either, but encourages
Vill, saying "it's good to try new things."

Two arcs are ending here. Eve had always been afraid to be fully pulled into Vill's life and world, but Eve
has finally accepted her attraction to Vill, and that "it's good to try new things." Also, throughout the
season, Vill has been shown not being able to dance comfortably, with Maria, or with her family, in
Russia, but she will be able to dance with Eve.

As Eve walks further on to the dancefloor, she turns around, and does a little shimmy. This is a callback
to Vill's shimmy, when she asked if Eve had broken into Vill's Paris apartment, and thrown a "party or
something," in Season 1. Vill, looking shy and nervous, finally gets up, and follows Eve on to the
dancefloor.

Vill gins herself up and takes Eve's hand. They bounce off each other at first, and almost step on each
other's feet. Flabbergasted, Eve asks "Are you leading, or am I?" Vill sheepishly admits, "I have no idea."
What Eve says is the title of the episode: finally, Eve and Vill have realized that their relationship works
best when neither of them are "leading" the other, but when they are both equals.

They find their rhythm, and begin to sway together, in tune to the music. Vill leans her head against
Eve's, and finally looks at peace. Eve, in Vill's embrace, also smiles. They both close their eyes and are
able to let go of the emotional burdens they have been carrying around, all this time. They can finally
feel "carefree" with each other.

Vill opens her eyes and looks at an older couple. She asks Eve, "do you want to be like that?" Eve looks
around at the couple, and then turns back around, back into Vill's shoulder. Eve says, "not anymore,"
because they would consume each other, before they got old. Vill smiles, and says, "that sounds kind of
nice."

It's an interesting sentiment, but it's a step forward, for them, in a few ways. Eve finally refers to them
as a unit, as a "we." Vill also asked Eve what she thinks, and how she is feeling. She is no longer trying to
determine for the both of them that they're going to Alaska anymore, like in Season 2. They are both
communicating and seeking input from the other. They're no longer running after some normalized
ideal, but are meeting each other, where they are.

Vill looks as if she is about to cry again, and speaks into Eve's hair, admitting all that she has ever done.
Eve says, "I know," and Vill looks like she is about to sob. The person Vill is most vulnerable, and honest
with is Eve. And unlike everyone else in Vill's life, including Vill's biological mother, Eve has accepted Vill,
unconditionally.

Just at that moment, Rhian walks through the door, and is spotted by Vill. Vill looks scared but doesn't
want to alarm Eve. She protects Eve, by telling her their "party is getting crashed" (another reference to
the Season 1 "party," in the finale). They trust each other: Vill gives Eve the betting slip, from the Twelve,
that is the ticket to their "freedom," and Eve goes, although she immediately misses Vill, and looks back
at her longingly.

In Season 1, Vill took a few steps toward Anna, when Anna was turned around, and distracted by Irina,
in her kitchen. Here, Vill takes a few steps after Eve, before stopping herself. Eve has replaced Anna, in
importance, in Vill's life.

Freedom has been shown to be one of the things Vill values the most, throughout the series. She didn’t
understand why Agniya, her prison friend, from Season 1, and Kruger's wife, in Season 3, didn’t want to
be "free." Kruger's wife wanted her late husband back, and Agniya wanted to stay with Vill, and stay in
the prison, in Moscow.

Vill has realized that her freedom is entwined with Eve's, like the red string of fate, in the Season 3
promotional videos. Before she would have wanted to be free by herself. She would be only thinking
about her own freedom. Now Vill's freedom has become their freedom. Kruger's wife said, "I don't want
to be free. I want to be a family."

Vill watches Eve go and makes sure she is safely out the door. There is a wide-angle shot of Vill
surrounded by the still waltzing dancers, emphasizing how alone Vill feels without Eve. The rest of the
world continues to revolve, but for each other, it's like the world stops, when they're apart. This shot
mirrors when Vill called Eve, in the train station, in the last episode, and Eve was surrounded by all the
commuters.

Another thing Vill does is also briefly touch her lower stomach, where the scar, from Season 1 is. This
scar, from Eve, is from their first real connection together, and Vill feels connected to Eve when she
remembers this. It's like a reminder of the thread of fate stretched between them.

Rhian finally reaches Vill and says that Helene wants to see her. Rhian is like Vill's British double. Vill
turns around, and her full 'Villanelle' persona is back up. With Eve, Vill can be herself, she can be Oksana,
her original self. With everyone else she has to be far more guarded. Vill proceeds to dip the shocked
Rhian, a power play. Vill is up to her old tricks. She is briefly back to her old self, back to normal, for
'Villanelle' that is.

Vill pulls Rhian up, and spins her around. They end up face to face, showing that Vill can dance the tango.
It's just something she only uses for 'business.' It's not from the real Oksana. Rhian looks terrified, and
disengages from her, almost bumping into another dancing couple, as she flees the dancefloor.

Vill looks after her, all ginned up now, like a shark - her eyes gleaming with a quite different energy,
from when she was dancing with Eve. Vill is steeling herself up to have to eliminate Rhian, in order to
protect Eve, even though she doesn't want to fight anymore. It's like when Green Goblin found Mary
Jane, and forced Peter Parker to fight, in the 2002 movie. This time it's personal.

Arguably this will be Vill's hardest fight yet, emotionally, even though Vill is always able to make things
look effortless for her or look like these things don’t bother her. These things do bother her, and the
only person she can talk about this with is Eve. They are soulmates.

---

This is a big scene for the development of Eve and Vill's relationship, and the writing features a couple
allusions to prior conversations they had. This technique was previewed in Season 3, Episode 3, before
the bus kiss, where Vill says, "I can't stop thinking of you," in the Build-a-Bear Workshop, a sentiment
that references past #Villaneve encounters.

For example, the above Build-a-Bear quote is an echo of when Eve said, "I think about you all the time,"
when she came to Vill's apartment, in Season 1. When Vill visits Eve's house, in Season 2, they both
admit to thinking about their Season 1 finale encounter "all the time." Finally, in Season 3, during the tea
dance above, Eve answers Vill's question by saying she thinks about the past, their past, "all the time."

In their Season 2 kitchen meeting, Vill leers and says that during Season 1, Eve could have killed her,
indicating that Vill might be there for revenge (she wasn't) and Eve answers "I know." During the Season
3 tea dance, the sentiment of this earlier moment is turned on its head, where Vill is tearfully admitting
that she has killed many people, and significantly, Eve accepts her, and also answers with, "I know."

Another small thing I liked, personally, is how for most of the conversation, at the table, in the dancehall,
Vill and Eve aren't looking at each other. Thus, when Vill does turn around to face Eve, and stops looking
at the dancers, after Eve asks her "what happened?" it's a major development, in the scene.

Ingmar Bergman used to use this technique a great deal, in his films, where two characters would have
these very deep, incredibly involved, or intimate conversations, without directly looking at each other.
The characters are just sharing the same space, but it's still a meaningful exchange.

9. Sit-down at Paul's house

The main players of this season come together for an Agatha Christie-like round table in order to get to
the bottom of the season's murder mystery. Villaneve aren't in the forefront here, but their reactions,
on the sidelines, allow one to get to see a picture of them, as a couple, so having them there is cute.

Eve arrives with Konstantin, and Eve and Carolyn are both surprised to see each other. To Carolyn's
inquiry, as to why she's here, Eve says haltingly that she's "helping...Villanelle." It's refreshing; Villanelle
and Eve's newfound sense of closeness is growing on Eve.

Carolyn deflates; she's not surprised. In fact, she is more surprised that Villanelle didn't appear with Eve.
Right on cue, Villanelle starts leaning on the buzzer, with her tell-tale impatience, and Eve sheepishly
asks if she can open the door. When Villanelle comes in, she lampshades that this kind of get-together is
"something new," for the series.

Konstantin tries to mansplain down to Carolyn, and she proves perfectly capable of firing and aiming a
pistol, taking out the temple of a Greco-Roman bust. The danger level of this meeting has skyrocketed,
and Vill plaintively whispers to Eve "What is going on?" At a loss, Eve replies surreptitiously, "I have no
idea..."

That small exchange is an inversion of when Eve asked Vill a question, during the tearoom dance, and
Vill responded weakly, "I have no idea." The doubled scene shows how much Eve and Vill have become
equals. In a broader sense, this fits with the episode title of "Are you leading or am I?" Neither of them is
"leading" or have any "idea" "what is going on," but they are on this journey together, and are not trying
to dominate or subjugate the other.

Even cuter, is that they continue their sidebar amongst themselves, with Eve asking, with concern,
"what happened?" while Vill was away from her, and Vill reassuring her that "it's fine" (she took care of
Rhian). Carolyn, the clear emcee of these events, interrupts their exchange, ordering them both to be
quiet, and sit down. It's kind of funny watching them both comply, in alarm. They both sit down, at the
same time, like a couple. The opening of this scene is lighter than most of Season 3.

The meeting moves on to actual business. Konstantin fingers Paul as a member of the Twelve, and Vill
asks if he knows Helene, her "boss," now "ex-boss." "It was a very toxic workplace," Vill concludes. This
is absolutely true, to say the least.
They get to the bottom of why Carolyn is upset, "Did you kill my son?" Carolyn unearthed some new
footage, from Bear, that implicates Konstantin. There is a pregnant pause, where Vill seems to be
absorbing the charged energy in the room, before finally ordering Konstantin to "tell her." This is an
inversion of when Konstantin told Nadia to "tell them," in the prison, in Season 1. Now Vill is the one
giving orders, and Konstantin has lost the high ground.

Konstantin's position deteriorates, as Eve breathes, "You killed Kenny!" and Vill interjects, putting her
arm around Eve: "He doesn't kill people, he makes other people do it for him," which makes Konstantin
look, if possible, even worse. Konstantin has always been a great emotional support, for Vill, but the
show is finally interrogating how he orders her around, as an attack dog, and enables the state of mind
that allows Vill to do terrible things, while never getting his hands dirty.

When Konstantin deflects to Paul, Vill scoffs. This whole predicament has opened Vill's eyes up to the
fact that as relatively good as Konstantin is (and he is relatively good), Konstantin has been manipulating
her, just like Dasha and Helene do, and the parallels are impossible to ignore anymore. Someone has to
make that DnD chaotic good, chaotically evil, etc. chart for Killing Eve.

It's not just Vill; nobody believes Konstantin's story. Konstantin's story about Kenny is so implausible.
Perhaps if he had just admitted to accidently pushing Kenny off the roof, in a fit of anger, over him being
Kenny's father, or because the Twelve told him to, his story would make more sense.

Konstantin's last hail Mary pass is to appeal to Carolyn and his prior relationship, like he is on trial. When
Carolyn says, "Don't say loved..." Vill's face goes from angry to shocked. Before this was just a workplace
dispute, with Konstantin – now this is personal. It's like Eve and Vill are watching their past selves, from
the '70s and '80s play out. Vill doesn't want to ever reach the point where Eve and Vill betray each other
like this, and their relationship deteriorates in this way.

As the 'trial' moves to its execution phase – Carolyn: "Get down on your knees!' – Vill, mollified, takes
her arm from around Eve, and shifts closer to Eve. There is a definite chill in the air, as the mood has
shifted from confrontational to deadly. Vill wants to be there for Eve if the danger level spikes any
higher.

Carolyn repeats the order, and Eve leans forward, about to get up, as she tries to placate Carolyn – but
Vill stops her, with a protective, wordless grasp on Eve's arm. Vill has been through enough life-or-death
situations, as an assassin, to know when things are beyond the point of no return. Chekhov's gun is
about to go off.

Vill and Eve both cringe in terror, as whatever Carolyn and Konstantin had dissipates before their very
eyes. The song here is the beginning of Unloved's "Bill," which usually plays when someone is near death
or about to die. Konstantin has lost his status as a 'good person,' to Vill, for possibly killing Kenny. And
Konstantin never stopped Dasha from treating Vill so harshly, in the past, or for trying to kill her, long
ago. Her adopted parents are "to blame," as Dasha said, before she died, in the hospital.

But it's also alleged that Vill's biological mom killed her biological dad, linking Vill and her mother, in
darkness. It's like Vill is watching the original wound or the original crime, of her life, replay before her.
That is why she has such a traumatized and conflicted expression, when Carolyn is about to kill
Konstantin.

Carolyn underscores the fact that history seems to be repeating itself, by saying "this was inevitable." It's
like a Greek tragedy, or the modern retelling of one, like "The Killing of the Sacred Deer," directed by
Lanthimos. When Konstantin cries out for Vill to save him, again ordering her around like an attack dog,
Vill jumps, but is unwilling or unable to save him. Fate and destiny apply to not just love, but also to
death.

The deer that appears, to save Iphigenia, is Paul, and he dies instead of Konstantin. Konstantin walks
away with his life. Before he leaves, he collects the Matryoshka dolls, which themselves symbolize family,
in Russian culture. He asks Vill if she is coming, making good on her wish to escape from the Twelve,
with him. Episodes ago, Vill was ready to leave Eve behind. But in the interim, she has learned how
much she can rely on Eve.

Vill turns him down, saying he is "no longer family," her voice breaking at "family." Throughout the
series, Vill constantly saw Konstantin as her (adopted) family, and even carried on a sort of 'sibling
rivalry,' with Irina, trying to join Konstantin's actual family. However, Vill has finally 'grown up' and left
her "family" of Konstantin, Dasha, and her past in Russia, and recognized Eve as her new family.

Konstantin exits, and Vill is snapped back to reality, as Eve's anger at losing their last source, from the
Twelve, boils over. Both Carolyn and Vill seemed to be giving up on fighting the Twelve (for now), and
Eve is despondent.

A kind of odd detail, that comes to mind here, from Season 2, is how Eve's house number is 39, which
sums to twelve. Still Carolyn looking to Vill, to help with Eve's outburst, is kind of funny here. Vill shrugs
because Eve is being Eve. They are linked together now.

Eve looks back at Vill, for help here, but Vill simply looks down. Eve cannot accept letting go of the
Twelve, and flees the room, into the night. Carolyn tells Vill to stand by her woman and gives her a small
half smile. Vill, flabbergasted, leaves, to run after Eve.

10. Bridge scene

Vill catches up with Eve, on a bridge, and jokes that Eve can be pretty fast sometimes. She joins Eve,
looking out over the Thames. Eve admits that she killed Dasha, a continuation of their conversation, at
the dancehall, and an indication of Eve's continued, deep desire to find the Twelve. Vill reassures Eve
that she killed Dasha, but Eve still insists. Vill looks confused, before admitting that perhaps they both
did (technically neither of them did; Dasha died of a heart attack, in the hospital; that’s the irony).

They both look out on the river again, and Vill suggests wryly that this state of affairs is kind of romantic.
Eve points out that they are probably the only two who would ever think that way. Vill becomes somber
and says that she doesn't want to fight anymore. This is a big admission, that Vill would have never told
to Konstantin, Dasha or Helene, and a continuation of Vill sentiments, before the tearoom dance, about
what her life would have been like, without the Twelve.

Eve is surprised, and asks "what is happening to us?" It's true; both of their character developments
have crisscrossed, in mid-air. Eve attacked Dasha out of pure malice, without anyone coaxing her on,
and Vill doesn't want to fight anymore, for the Twelve, or otherwise. Eve continues to marvel, saying she
used to be like the other pedestrians, on the bridge. "What? Badly dressed?" Vill jokes and concludes
Eve "was never like them." She only thought she was – which is correct.

Eve begins to list all the 'normal' things she used to have, like those passing by, but Vill asks her does she
really still want these things. It's the truth: Eve has changed so much, that this list now seems hollow.
Eve can no longer go back to how things once were. She admits that Vill is right, saying that when she
thinks of the future, all Eve can see is Vill's face "over and over again," like how Eve used to think about
Vill "all the time," in Season 1's finale. Vill remarks that it is "a very beautiful face," and they both smile.

However, Vill grows serious again: she understands what Eve is really saying, and cares about Eve's
feelings. "Did I ruin your life?" Vill asks, "Do you think I am a monster?" This an echo of Helene's
compliment to Vill, that she is a "beautiful monster." But Vill rejected that label then, and she rejects it
now. She now cares about whether Eve sees her as an awful person. Eve says Vill "is many things." Vill
lightens up but says "that's not what I asked."

Eve says everyone has a monster inside of them, but most people manage to keep theirs hidden. It's
reminiscent of their "date" in Season 2, when Eve was stating angrily that it's much harder to be polite
and nice – and try to hide one's monster, to use Season 3 terms – than it is to be like Vill.

Back then, Vill corrected Eve, saying "like us, you mean." However, in Season 3, Vill doesn't have to
convince Eve to be honest about her monster anymore. They are meeting each other on equal footing,
on level ground. Vill admits that she hasn't been able to hide her monster. They both laugh, and Eve
agrees: "Neither have I." Vill says she thinks her monster encourages Eve's monster, and they both smile
again. ("Beautiful Monster" is also a Ne-Yo song. Eve is saying she "doesn't mind" Vill's monster.)

Yet, this is still all very new and scary, to Eve, understandably so, especially since Vill seems to be
abandoning this path entirely. Eve is still afraid of her own monster. She turns to Vill, and says, "help me
make it stop." Eve could be talking about her own monster here, or her love for Vill, or both. Either way,
Vill senses Eve's emotional distress – like how Eve was able to tell Vill was upset, at the tearoom dance.
Vill is not trying to force Eve to do anything, like in Season 2. She is meeting Eve where she is at.

After making one last joke - "So no more tea dances?" - Vill says there is a way Eve can "make it stop." In
a last bit of black humor, Eve asks Vill if she wants her to jump off the bridge. Vill says, "No, then you'll
die." No, the solution Vill is thinking of is a lot easier and safer. Vill says for Eve to "stand up straight,"
and "look at me." Vill looks sad, as she takes what she thinks will be her last look, at Eve.

Vill then abruptly turns around, and tells Eve to turn around, and look the other way, much to Eve's
confusion. "Have you turned? I can't see you," Vill says, sounding terribly disappointed that she can't see
Eve anymore. This process is beginning to hurt Vill. Eve turns around, still bewildered. This exercise is
reminiscent of the game Vill played with Pamela, in Season 1, except far more romantic, and for far
higher stakes, emotionally.

It's here that the romantic song, "Tell Me," by Johnny Jewel, and featuring Saoirse Ronan (an actress
also in the lesbian movie "Ammonite") comes on. The lyrics, the '80s feel and the vocals of this song are
perfect for this scene, since both are trying to figure out whether to tell the other that they want to stay
together forever. It's a song that manages to sound both tragic and hopeful, in its yearning. It's a song
for the end of Season 3's long journey, like the credits song, for a movie. It reminds me of the music for
the film "Drive."

Here the scene, that was previously noticeably light, starts to get understandably sadder. As they are
facing away from each other, Vill leans her head back on Eve, savoring what Vill thinks will be the last
time Eve's body will be next to hers. Vill closes her eyes, and is finally at peace, like when she lay her
head on Eve's head, during the tea dance. But this is a far more complex facial expression, one of pain,
sorrow, and desire. It is a breakthrough of pure emotion, pure unconscious. Vill is hurting.

Eve can't see Vill's facial expression, and wonders, "Now what?" Vill is snapped out of her feelings, and
opens her eyes, the amazing facial expression gone. All that is left is a business-like expression, like Vill is
unhappy to leave her dream – but Vill won't let Eve know how she is hurting. Eve taught Vill what love is,
and how to love. Vill doesn't want to leave Eve – but she also doesn't want Eve to be in emotional pain,
so she must let Eve go. Now they walk, and "don't look back," Vill says, and begins walking.

Eve looks shocked, as Vill's presence and body leaves hers and begins to disappear, in the distance.
Behind her, Vill starts tearing up, in confused heartbreak. This wasn't a trick, and Vill didn't think Eve was
going to turn back around here. Vill keeps walking until she can't walk anymore, like the tether between
them ran out, and Vill is stuck, like an astronaut, tied to a spaceship. Eve and Vill are bound by a red
string of fate. They need to be together.

For her part, Eve is not buying this. Vill is trying to do the right thing, but Eve knows this is tearing Vill up
inside. She feels instant regret for the "make it stop" comment, because she didn't expect the solution
to be so final: that they walk away from each other forever. Eve turns around with a defiant look on her
face, like when she was reluctant to leave Vill, when Rhian crashed their tea dance. She sees Vill
standing some distance away, still frozen.

Vill turns around, with a sheepish smile, on her face. She doesn't let Eve know how much she was
hurting, but she was hurting. They regard each other, across the bridge, before the shot cuts out, ending
the season.

In the next season, viewers will discover what happens next, but the events of the series demand Vill
and Eve must acknowledge each other somehow. Such a depth of emotions has clearly passed between
them. So much has transpired between them and now they have both chosen each other freely.
It seems more realistic that they will try to make something work. (Maybe they run into each other's
arms, and have their first, proper kiss.) The audience should get to see their labors, the work of them
actually being together. There are many places production could go with this.

One scenario: Vill and Eve are together, but naturally, Helene and the Twelve send various agents after
Vill, to collect her, out of retirement. Also, someone much worse and much more vicious (another
straight-up serial killer, a female Dr. Hannibal, with a female Graham, in tow?) replaces Vill, and takes
her spot, spurring Eve and Carolyn to form a new team (with the Bitter Pill people?), to hunt down the
Twelve again.

Vill tries to live a normal, high-functioning life, and hold a day job (interior design? pizza delivery?
poker?), with a daily commute, returning to Eve, at night. She does this with various degrees of success.
Seeing Vill in mindless meetings, with a cantankerous boss, a la Dr. House, would be so funny (cue
MGMT’s “Time to Pretend”). Maybe Konstantin and Irina reappear.

It's also an open question whether Vill will tire of the new normal and want to return to her life of being
Jane Bond, of her own accord – and whether such a return to the assassins' trade would include Eve in it.
Will Vill slip up and return to her old ways, find some sort of balance, or fight the Twelve? Will Vill and
Eve break up and make up, find new people, and come back together? Seasons later, maybe Eve and Vill
finally get married, ending the show.