Killing Eve Season 4 Episode 3 Fashion Recap: Locked Up
Praise the lord: Villanelle has finally abandoned her attempts at salvation. Even she knows she went too far when she stabbed the vicar and his daughter to a very bloody death at the end of episode 2, and while we most definitely hope they rest in peace, we can’t deny the joy of having our old favorite chic assassin back in true form. Alas, we can’t say she’s entirely back to her old chic self just yet, but the Miu Miu-esque collared maid uniform she dons to sneak into Eve’s hotel room is a definite improvement. Even the bathrobe she’s wearing when Eve discovers what’s essentially a home invasion is a sight for sore eyes.
“What the…,” Eve says when she spies the bloodied ensemble Villanelle carelessly left crumpled on the carpet. She’s presumably referring to the evidence that the assassin is back at doing what she does best, though we wouldn’t blame her for solely reacting to the fact that Villanelle was wearing a lavender t-shirt and €15 mom-jeans-style shorts from the H&M-owned Monki. “Are you going to slap me again?,” Villanelle asks, looking disappointed when Eve, trying her hardest to act disinterested, ignores her and—underwear and all—unabashedly gets undressed. For once, it’s Villanelle who’s flustered; it takes quite the effort to tear her eyes away. It’s not the reunion neither we nor Villanelle had been hoping for: Eve coldly informs her that there’s money in the bedside table as she rushes out, requesting her to vacate before she returns.
Meanwhile, Pam-from-the-morgue looks mousier than ever when seated on a park bench next to Hélène, who’s looking chic per usual in an expertly tailored suit (and disgusted at the “toxic waste” that they picked up at an ice cream truck). Pam is understandably taken aback when her new boss claims to have been drawn to her from the moment they met. “This little ghost of a girl hiding in the shadows,” she says. “People don’t notice you, and if they do, they underestimate you. And there lies your power.” A backhanded compliment if there ever was one, but Pam is thrilled—anything to get her away from her intolerable brother. Alas, Hélène is less than impressed when she tries to prove herself by stabbing him to death no less than 19 times.
Villanelle hasn’t given up on her self-improvement efforts just yet. She gets back to her mission to win Eve over in the most Villanelle way possible: getting therapy by way of taking her therapist, Martin (Adeel Akhtar), hostage. She’s there to get down to business, and looks the part in a menswear-esque bespoke vest suit custom made by the Savile Row designers Will Adams and Holly Robins. (Plus a blue button-down that looks suspiciously like the one Eve just removed.) “I feel like shit. All of the time,” she informs Martin. “I want you to fix that.” She needn’t point out that she’s “a rainbow in a world full of beige people like you” to her therapist, who’s looking regular-degular in a flannel, but of course, does so anyway. He’s doing his very best, and when he raises the topic of “the elephant in the room,” Villanelle immediately knows he means Eve. Then comes their first (and only) breakthrough: Villanelle can carry on enjoying her power over Eve, but she has to give Eve some power over herself, too.
Too bad, because Eve is going full steam ahead with her efforts to move on. She’s made up her mind to call the cops on Villanelle, and there’s no trace of regret when Villanelle accidentally concusses Martin when she shows up. For once, they really do look like they could be a couple when seated next to each other on the couch. There’s even some chemistry on Eve’s part when she allows Villanelle to take her hand. A moment later, the authorities cart her away. Villanelle better get moving on her escape, because outfit-wise, prison uniforms just aren’t going to cut it.
