DISCLAIMER: This recap of the Killing Eve episode “Don’t Get Attached” has spoilers. Sorry, baby — proceed at your peril.
Welcome back, assassins! Killing Eve‘s explosive fifth episode, “Don’t Get Attached,” gives us a much-needed backstory for Carolyn and Konstantin and The Twelve’s origins. Methinks Eve will pursue Carolyn, thinking she’s in cahoots with the criminal organization. Based on the flashbacks, it’s abundantly clear The Twelve didn’t start as a corrupt organization; instead, it became corrupted over time. Its objective changed.
Eve and Hélène’s cat-and-mouse game is entertaining but not as fun as what the former has with Villanelle. Eve’s complex feelings for Villanelle continuously resurface in this outing. She had Villanelle arrested and is furious when Hélène reveals she released Villanelle, but Eve’s also distraught when Hélène tries to assassinate our fave assassin. That’s love, baby — confusing as hell.
Ready to dig deep into “Don’t Get Attached”? Let’s get to it.
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We open in Berlin in 1979 with a young woman called Janice (Imogen Daines). Well, she’s a younger Carolyn, operating under a pseudonym. She walks in on her beau Johan (Siggi Ingvarsson), a.k.a. Lars Meier, hosting a meeting comprised of their anarchist friends. They’re attempting to pick a name for their revolutionary organization.
Carolyn throws out a suggestion, which Johan runs with; he writes “The 12” on a chalkboard.
This meeting marks the beginning of The Twelve, but from a vastly different position than it’s in now. Unsurprisingly, Carolyn was one of the founding members.
Later, everyone lounges about with drinks, relaxing after a productive afternoon. Carolyn spots Karl (Louis Bodnia Andersen) with his girlfriend, Karolina (Teresa Klamert). Carolyn admits to Johan that she finds Karl attractive.
Thus, the dam breaks, and Carolyn and Karl unite. Carolyn sets relationship boundaries, asserting their lovemaking is a “no strings attached” situation. Karl lets out a guffaw. In case you didn’t know, this is young Konstantin. Fun fact: Andersen is Kim Bodnia‘s real-life son, which explains the uncanny resemblance!
After her tryst, Carolyn interacts with her father, Dickie (Nigel Cooke), an international spy extraordinaire. Dickie advises Carolyn to proceed with caution regarding her affairs. There’s playful energy between these two. Before parting, Dickie refers to his daughter by Carolyn.
We’re back in the present! Carolyn (Fiona Shaw) arrives in modern-day Berlin. Meanwhile, Villanelle (Jodie Comer) enjoys an overabundance of breakfast in Cuba, courtesy of Benita (Anna-Maria Everett). Villanelle wonders why Benita doesn’t go home to rest after cooking so much food. Benita shows Villanelle the burn mark from her cruel, abusive husband, Camilo.
Benita asks Villanelle if she can kill Camilo like she did Rustem.
Next, we see Eve (Sandra Oh) in Paris, watching Hélène’s daughter Chloe (Anyastassia Melehes) play tennis. That’s a normal thing you do, right? Creepily observe your enemy’s daughter from afar?
In Margate, Konstantin (Bodnia) joins Pam (Anjana Vasan) for lunch. While he extols Pam’s courage to shove him into the water, Konstantin has an ear infection, which is not cool. Konstantin threatens to eat Pam if she pulls a stunt like that again.
Then, he reveals they’re embarking on a shopping journey together. Although no one can compete with Villanelle in the fashion department, Pam needs a new wardrobe.
Yusuf (Robert Gilbert) reunites with Eve in her hotel room in London and brings research on Oliver Schubert, a professor who might have information on Lars Meier. Eve will pose as a student and meet with him.
What purpose does Yusuf serve beyond pleasing Eve in the bedroom and providing her with vital information? We don’t know much about him, and the series doesn’t seem keen on fleshing him out. If you think about it, Yusuf’s doing most of the heavy lifting regarding research. Killing Eve only utilizes him as a plot point and support system for Eve.
Anyway, Yusuf discovers Chloe in the bathroom — Eve kidnapped her.
Later, the fire department arrives on the scene, with Villanelle screaming and waving her arms from a burning apartment. Benita’s husband is a firefighter, so this must be part of her plan to kill him. Camilo (Pano Masti) emerges from the truck and climbs through her window.
Then, Villanelle entraps Camilo, straddles him and shoves a firehose into his mouth, blasting it. There’s no way anyone would survive that.
Eve tells Yusuf her plan concerning Chloe. She hopes to lure Hélène to London. Eve is playing a dangerous game, folks.
Next, we fall down the flashback rabbit hole again, with young Carolyn throwing a party at her humble abode. When Carolyn heads into the garage for more alcohol, she finds a note on the door from her dad: “Some toerag found out. Don’t come in.” For the uninitiated, “toerag” is British slang for “contemptible, despicable person.”
Carolyn opens the door anyway and finds Dickie dead in his vehicle. A slew of photos showcasing Dickie kissing a man is secured under the windshield wipers. Carolyn only looks slightly aghast, maintaining her stoic façade. She grabs a bottle of liquor.
Then, she returns to the party, smashing the bottle against the wall. She encourages the partygoers to destroy the house.
Villanelle arrives at the Cuba safehouse with Camilo’s firefighter pin, which she gives to Benita. Benita thanks her for getting the job done. Benita introduces Villanelle to her friends that have abusive Camilos of their own, and Villanelle agrees to kill them all. Look at our fave assassin — she’s a philanthropist!
Carolyn reunites with Karolina (Stacy Thunes) in Berlin, briefly catching up on life. It’s abundantly clear Carolyn wants to pump Karolina for info regarding Johan/Lars. However, when Carolyn mentions Lars is alive, Karolina seems baffled. She thought he died decades ago via drowning.
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Meanwhile, Pam revisits the carnival, running into Darren (Josh Zaré), her favorite carny. Pam notices a few girls sporting the latest in carnival fashion, so she asks Josh to grant her access to “the bucket,” where said girls obtain such threads. Darren is utterly smitten with Pam.
Darren rehearses giving Pam a slushy and asking her on a date when our new assassin emerges, donning fashionable clothing. Before Pam departs, she gives Darren her name.
Eve and Chloe sit it on Oliver Schubert’s (John Keogh) lecture. The professor regales his students with the tale of Cupid and Psyche, which resonates with Eve, arresting her attention. Afterward, Eve discusses her research with Oliver, delving into failed revolutions during the Cold War.
Oliver was present during the early days of The Twelve, so he knew Carolyn, Konstantin and Lars. Of course, Eve doesn’t know this. Oliver describes Johan and the unfortunate drowning accident that took his life. Then, he offers to show Eve footage of their meetings if the latter has a projector.
Later, Hélène (Camille Cottin) arrives at Eve’s hotel and embraces Chloe. Eve reveals she didn’t pump Chloe for information because the little girl knows nothing about Hélène. Even though Chloe doesn’t want to leave Eve, we see Hélène and her daughter hastily depart.
Then, Carolyn breaks into Karolina’s house. Simultaneously, we watch a flashback of young Carolyn sneaking into Konstantin’s quarters. Present-day Carolyn finds a piece of paper with information about Karolina’s father, Peter. Meanwhile, young Carolyn discovers a Russian passport concealed in Konstantin’s room.
Eve gets a projector and watches Oliver’s footage. She spots Johan/Lars with none other than Carolyn. Eve pauses the video and puts the pieces together, figuring out Carolyn’s connection to The Twelve.
Next, in a flashback, young Carolyn lures Konstantin to a dock. She knows he’s not German, and his name’s not Karl. Carolyn speaks to him in Russian, hoping to break him. Carolyn calls him by his real name, and the pair draw their guns on each other.
Carolyn orders Konstantin to lower his weapon, and she kicks it into the water. Konstantin admits to being a KGB plant, seducing Carolyn and giving up info about her father, leading to his murder.
Suddenly, Johan appears with all the rage of a jealous lover. Carolyn attempts to stop Johan from attacking Konstantin, so she smacks him in the head with an oar. When Johan tries to clamber out of the water, Carolyn and Konstantin thwack Johan with oars.
In the present, Carolyn calls Konstantin to ask about Karolina’s father’s cabin. Konstantin promises to send Carolyn the address for the said cabin. Even though she’s still irate with Konstantin regarding his part in Kenny’s death, Carolyn muses how their lives would be if they hadn’t gone down their respective paths.
Eve meets with Hélène the following morning, who reveals she knows where Lars is hiding. Hélène invites Eve to join her for the trip.
Meanwhile, Pam models her latest fit for Konstantin, but Villanelle chimes in, stating it’s overdone. Villanelle and Konstantin, together again at last! Villanelle reveals she wants to know Hélène’s location, but that’s above Konstantin’s pay grade.
He admits he faltered where Villanelle’s concerned, but he’s trying to rectify that with Pam. Konstantin jots down the name of the woman he trained before Villanelle — she’s a bit out there; he thinks Villanelle will like her.
Before Villanelle leaves, she and Konstantin hug it out. It’s a touching, heartwarming moment between our fave surrogate father-daughter duo.
Carolyn finds Peter’s cabin, with Lars (Ingvar Sigurdsson) tucked inside. Lars doesn’t forgive Carolyn for trying to drown him and brandishes his weapon to emphasize how much he doesn’t want her there.
But Carolyn does what she wants, and she barges past him into the cabin.
Eve and Hélène arrive at their desired location, and the latter tells Eve to wait for the door to open. We see Villanelle emerge, holding the piece of paper Konstantin gave her. It says, “Her name is Gunn; Feasgar Island.” On another note, Konstantin and I have similar handwriting.
Anyway, Eve spots Villanelle instantly and knows what Hélène has in store. Hélène’s driver locks the car, so Eve pounds on the car windows and screams, hoping to draw Villanelle’s attention.
While Villanelle admires her reflection in a mirror, we see an arrow pierce her shoulder. She collapses, unconscious. Admittedly, the camerawork here, especially watching the arrow fly into Villanelle via her reflection, is a nice touch.
Hélène’s chauffeur unlocks the doors, and Eve runs to Villanelle’s side. Eve cradles Villanelle’s body, urging her to cling to life.
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“Don’t Get Attached” is propulsive and thrilling, filled to the gills with new developments that maintain the episode’s momentum. I hope the focus shifts to Villanelle and Eve’s story later on, as there are many characters in this outing. But I enjoy the new character dynamics explored this season, and I have my fingers crossed for happy endings for the leading quartet. That said, I don’t think we’ll get that. As Carolyn notes, they’re not meant for happy endings.
Do you think Villanelle survives? When she does (it’s inevitable), what do you think she’ll find on Feasgar Island? Will Eve try to kill Carolyn? When will VillanEve become canon? Join me next week while I recap Killing Eve, only on Geek Girl Authority.
Killing Eve airs Sundays at 8 pm on your BBC America affiliate.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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