Killing Eve (3×05) Are You From Pinner? Review

For our review of the last episode of Killing Eve, click here.

Synopsis: Villanelle returns home to Mother Russia to try to find her family; perhaps a new connection to her roots will give her back what’s been missing in her life. (TV Guide)

Jodie Comer deserves to be in the Best Actress in a Drama Emmy conversation after this Villanelle episode of Killing Eve.

Are You From Pinner? began with Villanelle arriving home which was a farming village in Russia, Walking throughout her childhood home, we saw a unusual side of her as he became inundated with memories and quickly hitting it off with her little half-brother Bor’ka (Temirlan Blaev) who was also a huge Elton John fan (and so would the rest of the home). However, when confronted by her stepfather Grigoriy and her many step-siblings (Grigory had been married 2 previous times), she was viewed as an intruder. Nobody seemed to recognize her until her brother Pyotr (Rob Feldman) arrived and couldn’t believe who he saw. The reason for her return, however, was a contentious issue among the others as they were suspicious of her intentions. Meanwhile, the reunions continued with her mother (Evgenia Dodina) (Villanelle did not know how to process these feelings).

The story was that Villanelle supposedly died in an orphanage fire. She was dumped there for being a difficult child while her mother was allegedly supposed to come back for her after a month (she regretted dropping her there and cried many nights over it) while her father died whom she still shared a strong connection to. Little did she know, the rest of her family was an incredibly tight knit group though it did not take her long to seemingly try and fit in (despite not speaking Russian at any time which would become a moot point). Meanwhile, as Villanelle and her brother did some reminiscing, we learned that the orphanage lied to her about her family’s death. She thought her brother should leave but their mother needed him.

The village was gearing up for their annual harvest festival. Villanelle had fun, excelling at all the carnival games (especially dung throwing). It was only a matter of time until her feelings towards her mother could no longer be ignored. The episode was more or less Villanelle giving her the chance to prove that she had changed, however, that was clearly not the case (and her even giving her mother a chance was proof that perhaps Villanelle was evolving). Her opportunity to experience some of the childhood she never got was cut short once Villanelle’s mother wanted her to leave the house. She did not want her darkness though Villanelle claimed that she was the darkness. Her mother blamed her for breaking up her marriage with her father (he was allegedly worried that Villanelle would do something bad to both of them). Villanelle was okay with what her mother did but she was not okay with her not admitting the kind of person she really was which was dark like her.

Seeing that the writing was on the wall, Villanelle killed her mother and set her house on fire, seemingly killing her the majority of her family. She would spare Pyotr who was sleeping in a nearby barn and Bor’ka, giving him the remainder of the money he needed to see Elton John in London. Riding the train back, she still seemed fazed by what had just taken place.

Villanelle is clearly not a child anymore. If the final third of this episode hasn’t proven how much of a great actress Jodie Comer is, I don’t know what will.

If you liked this, please read our other reviews here and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or Instagram or like us on Facebook. Also subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.