In an effort to build a space for queer people like myself, every Tuesday I’ll be posting interviews, opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx/WOC community since I am Latinx.) Welcome to Queerly Not Straight! Enjoy and leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for what I should cover next.
Anyone who knows me, pre season 3 of Killing Eve, knows how I’ve felt about Villaneve. I couldn’t connect with the ship. Yes, I knew they had chemistry out of this world, but I couldn’t click with Villaneve on a shipper level. Season 3 of Killing Eve changed things for me. I could understand both women in a way I’d never done so before. Now I’m here for Villaneve and will throw it down if anyone badmouths the queer glory that was the season 3, particularly the finale!
Repeat after me: Just because Eve and Villanelle didn’t kiss, doesn’t make their connection any less queer.
Ok, you got it? Now store that little bit of information in your head and listen up. Romance is more than just kissing. Connection is more than kissing. Bonds are more than kissing. Yes, it would’ve been nice to see Villaneve kiss; we all want that. But at the end of the day we got some amazing scenes that blew everything out of the water and solidified the fact that these two are meant for each other.
Need evidence that I’m right? Let’s break down the essential Villaneve scenes of the season 4 finale!
First up, the ballroom scene. Eve and Villanelle held each other close on that dance floor. With their bodies pressed against each other they swayed to the music. Hell, at one point they even closed their eyes like there was no other place they’d rather be. Then they started talking about being like the people around them and how they would devour each other if in a relationship with Villanelle responding that it sounded kind of nice.
What part of that is queerbaiting? You had two women, completely and utterly into each other. Read the room, their body language, and the words coming out of their mouths. They know the spark is there, the love is there, and the bond is there. There is no turning back or take backsies when it comes to these two! That’s what happens when you’ve got something as special as these two do.
Then there’s the scene at Paul’s home.
Villanelle and Eve were standing close together, whispering to each other like besties, while Carolyn held Konstantin and Paul hostage over the death of her son, Kenny. And even in the midst of that crazy, Carolyn pointed out clearly that they should sit down together and run away together. That’s what she meant when she said that Eve should quit cold turkey. And we forgot to mention that Carolyn knew that Villanelle was at the door.
What part of that is queerbaiting? You had two women with their bond being blatantly talked about. There was no holding back or edging around the question on whether they are together or could be together. Carolyn and the showrunners were open and honest with the understanding that if things go down, Eve has Villanelle’s back to the moon and back. It was made even more obvious when Villanelle chose to stay with Eve because Konstantin wasn’t family. Why? Because she was declaring to the room that her family was by her side
That’s not queerbaiting.
Then we have the beautifully shot scene at the bridge. Frankly, it’s the best shot Killing Eve has ever given us. Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh have this electric chemistry that dominates their scenes and makes each moment between Villanelle and Eve charged. That’s what I saw on that bridge. Two women, talking about life together and who they were before they met each other. Walking away from each other to “Tell Me” by Saoise Ronan sealed the deal for me.
What part of that is queerbaiting? You don’t write two women walking away from each other and then turning around like they did to just queerbait the audience. For some, they wanted Villaneve to kiss during this moment, as if that’s the ultimate sign of an OTP getting together. It’s not. There are other forms of intimacy that are grander than kissing and we saw that throughout every scene between Villanelle and Eve in the season 3 finale.
The way that Villanelle and Eve are written is romantic in Killing Eve and the true test of time and their intentions will become apparent in season 4, whenever that happens. Until then, I’m going to live in a happy world, for just a few minutes because the world is literally burning around us and #BlackLivesMatter, where queer characters are given the love and care they deserve. No queerbaiting or exploitation of our feelings. Just love, connection, and a bond like none we’ve seen before.
And that right there is a sign of progress.
Queerly Not Straight posts every Tuesday with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx community since I am Latinx.)
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