Wide Awake

**"Wide Awake"** is the seventh episode of the second season and 15th overall episode of *Killing Eve*.

## Summary

Villanelle dives deep into the dangerous world of her target under the guise of her newfound persona, Billie. Eve may have worrying competition for Villanelle's affections.

## Plot

Villanelle is making breakfast in her apartment when the doorbell rings. Outside, she finds a book-shaped package with a note reading "Forgive me. Come to lunch tomorrow. Aaron." attached to it. It's a Dictionary of Philosophy.

Villanelle is reading on her bed when Eve walks in. She tells her that she got her date with Aaron. Eve wants to get dressed. As she's taking her coat off, she sees herself in the mirror positioned behind the bed and stops. She sighs. Villanelle asks if she's okay but Eve doesn't know. She doesn't want to talk about it. Villanelle says honesty is the best policy. Eve brings up Villanelle talking about being bored in that AA meeting. Villanelle is not sure if she was telling the truth but she admits she feels things when she's with Eve. Just then, a woman walks in from the bathroom. She thanks Villanelle for the sex and leaves. Villanelle can't remember her name. As she gets up to leave, Eve says Aaron is heading to Rome, where they believe the sale is taking place. Villanelle tells Eve not to be jealous; she's not actually with them when she's with them. A second woman then comes out aand leaves. Eve orders Villanelle to read the file this time so she can charm Aaron into bringing her to Rome. Eve leaves for work.

Villanelle meets with Aaron in an empty restaurant. He booked the whole place to avoid eavesdroppers and he wanted round two to be in private. He already ordered for her while he won't have anything. She takes a bite and admits it's amazing.

At home, Eve calls Villanelle to check in. She leaves clunky voicemails explaining she wants to make sure that she is fine.

When she is done eating, Aaron asks Villanelle why she befriended Amber. He thinks she planned the whole thing. Villanelle laughs and says she does not like rich men. He knows she likes money and wonders why. She likes buying and owning all kinds things and looking at them. She buys things that make her feel something. He invites her to Rome and assures her he won't touch her. The second plate of the amazing pasta arrives. He observes her closely as she eats.

Villanelle comes home. As she takes her wig off, she sees she has nine missed calls from Eve. She listens to the voicemails and laughs.

At Carolyn's house, Carolyn tells Eve that her plan appears to be working. Eve admits she wasn't listening when Villanelle managed to wangle the invitation to Rome. Carolyn inquires about Villanelle's state of mind. Konstantin says she's excited. Carolyn needs Eve to keep her calm. Eve is responsible for the operation. All they need is for Villanelle to get the buyers' names on tape and what he's selling. Eve says Villanelle just needs to think that she is in charge. Carolyn has arranged for Eve to stay in a hotel near Aaron's palazzo. Eve turns down Konstantin's offer to come and supervise. Carolyn tells Eve to take Hugo as Jess can't fly anymore and Eve sacked poor Kenny. Carolyn asks Eve to let Villanelle knows that the safe word is "gentleman."

Gemma and Niko arrive in the storage unit where he has stored all of his stuff. She offers to let him keep stuff at her place until he has found his own place. He says she has done enough but she thinks she can do more. Having appeared in the doorway, Villanelle tells them to get a room.

Villanelle has taken an Alaska snow globe. Niko asks her why she's there. Gemma is confused. She then remembers Villanelle from the school party. Villanelle points out she got what she wanted. Villanelle wants a thank you for the good time him and Eve had after their talk in Oxford. She reminds him to always close the curtains. As Villanelle draws a knife, a scared Gemma backs away. Villanelle wants the recipe of Niko's shepherd's pie as Eve likes it. He tells her the recipe and then asks if she's going to leave them alone. She says no and forces them to sit down.

With Konstantin gone, Carolyn asks Eve about Villanelle's behavior with her, if she has had any escalation, increased attention-seeking, or recklessness. Eve says no. Carolyn then asks the same about her. Kenny comes back from the store with bread. Carolyn warns Eve that Rome is crucial. Villanelle cannot kill Aaron.

Villanelle asks Niko if he loves Gemma. He says no. Villanelle tells Gemma it's better to know now. She then asks if he loves Eve. He says he does. She's his wife. Villanelle says she was so close to letting them go. Niko pleads for Gemma's life. Villanelle says Eve would never forgive her if she hurt him.

Kenny catches up with Eve as she's heading out, pretending she forgot her charger. He quickly tells her not to go to Rome. As he brings up the operation he has been switched to, Carolyn comes over asking him what peanut butter he wants. She lingers until Eve leaves with her charger.

Konstantin enters Villanelle's place as she's packing. He checks her suitcase and finds razor wire. He hands her a pack of the pill. There is a small mic hidden in the strip. He orders her to wear it this time and informs her about the safe word. He says she might need it as she can't just kill her way out of this situation. He also hands her a passport, clean phone, and money. Villanelle says Aaron will buy everything for her. Konstantin warns Villanelle not to try anything. If anything happens, she and Eve are on their own.

A man named Tommy sits down next to Eve as she waits for her appointment with Martin. Tommy is soon taken away by a nurse. Martin tells Eve that Tommy has killed three women. She is unimpressed.

Eve and Martin sit down and Eve says Carolyn doesn't know she's here. After verifying that their conversation is confidential, Eve tells Martin that they are putting their psychopath undercover for a few days with an extremely irritating man who's most likely a psychopath himself. She wants to know how she can defuse things if the situation gets out of hand. He thinks it already sounds like it is out of hand. Eve is sure Villanelle cannot take care of herself. Martin says when people come to see him to talk about someone else, they usually want to talk about themselves. He asks how much of the day she spends thinking about her. Eve admits most of it. When he asks if they are in a relationship, she asks him to define relationship. They are not having sex. She admits her husband has left her. Martin asks if Eve is behaving differently than she normally would. She says yes. She also feels unsafe, but also wide awake. Martin says he has recommended that Eve be taken off the operation for being too involved and compromised, but his recommendation was ignored. She will bear that in mind. As she walks out, he warns her to be careful.

**Rome**

Eve and Hugo arrive at their hotel while Villanelle is dropped off at Aaron's palazzo.

Eve and Hugo check in. Afterward, they head up the narrow stairs.

Aaron meets Villanelle and shows her around. He has Mrs. Leary show Villanelle to her room.

Eve and Hugo enter Hugo's room. He wonders how they will pass the time. She ignores his question and tells him to get everything set up in his room.

As they arrive in her luxurious room, Mrs. Leary informs Villanelle that her clothes are already in the closet. Villanelle finds that Aaron has picked out impressive clothes for her. Villanelle says these aren't her clothes and asks for her bag, which has her contraceptive pill. Mrs. Leary says she won't need it here. Aaron has already chosen everything for her. Mrs. Leary invites her to try some things on.

While Villanelle is admiring the clothes, Aaron is watching her closely from his control room through cameras.

Hugo has set up the equipment. There is no signal yet. Hugo suggests Villanelle is getting busy with Aaron. Eve will kill her if she doesn't put the mic on. Hugo thinks she just hasn't found the time to put it on yet. Eve decides to bring her the back-up mic. Hugo thinks she just needs to see her. Eve checks herself in the mirror before heading out.

Over lunch, Aaron tells Villanelle that Rome suits her. He asks if she likes her things. She does. He has her touch the jacket, which took hundreds of hours to make. He softly moans as she does it. He leaves the table to make a call. Eve then leans back from her table and hands her some bread. Villanelle briefly caresses her hand as she takes it from her. Eve urges her to stay focused. Aaron returns and says they are heading home because he has a meeting. They'll stop at an ice-cream shop on the way home, though, so he can watch as she tries the crema.

Eve enters Hugo's hotel room and says Villanelle was fine, having a great time.

Back in her luxurious room, she retrieves the mic from the bread and hides it. Watching her closely, Aaron is too late switching camera angles to see it. He wonders what she is up to. As she eats some bread and lies down, she starts singing Blondie’s "One Way or Another."

Eve is delighted to hear her. She knew Villanelle wouldn't let her down.

Aaron zooms in on Villanelle.

Wearing a new outfit, Villanelle meets Aaron in the living room. He tells her the belt doesn't go with the outfit. He makes her take it off. He needs things to be perfect or there's no point.

Eve and Hugo roll their eyes. They hear how Aaron tells Villanelle there are some people coming over for a business dinner.

Aaron knows Villanelle will be bored. She can be bored. He tells her she looks like a painting, so still. He wants her to stay exactly like that until he comes back.

Hugo tells Eve that it looks like she's got competition. Eve maintains that Villanelle is just doing her job.

Over dinner, two Russian businessmen, Ivan and Gregor, want to discuss the price. Aaron is only accepting blind bids.

Hugo and Eve wonder what kind of business the men are from.

Ivan wants proof that what they are bidding on is as good as Aaron is saying it is. Aaron says Ivan texted his mother to tell her he loves her just before he arrived for dinner. He had a Caprese salad for lunch and a secret packet of Haribo Fangtastics in the back of his car. He put them in one of the calorie-counting apps that Aaron owns. Yesterday, Ivan told his wife that he was working late while he was actually spending time with his boyfriend Gregor at Hotel David. They watched two episodes of *Gossip Girl* and had sex twice, once at 10:23pm and again this morning. From the look of his text messages, Gregor will start blackmailing him shortly. Aaron says Ivan's weaknesses are his mother, his daughter, not his son, whom he doesn't like, and an old school friend called Philip. Aaron also knows Ivan is self-conscious about the size of his penis but he assures him it is average, if a little on the thin side. Also, since he was going bald, Ivan's wife once contemplated poisoning him. And finally, he knows Ivan dreams of ice skating. Overwhelmed but eager to do this to other people, Ivan is prepared to make a bid.

Hugo confirms to Eve that they got all that on tape.

After the dinner, Aaron joins Villanelle in the living room as she is having some chocolate. He finds out she is having orange chocolate. He told his staff to get rid of it as he finds it disgusting. She likes it. He makes her spit it out. Aaron says Ivan was frightened near the end. Aaron then says he looked up Villanelle. He found nothing on Billie Marie Morgan.

Eve gets mad at Hugo, who says she should not have fired Kenny. They listen as Aaron tells Billie he knows everything about everyone. He could get into her phone's camera and watch her sleep. She is the only person in the whole world he knows nothing about. Villanelle says she is a void. He thought so. He is a void, too. He never gets lonely as he is with people all the time. He knows things about them even their closest friends don't. Villanelle asks if he doesn't want to be with them, touch them, sleep with them. He does not. She does, all the time.

Hugo suggests they call Carolyn. Eve says Villanelle is doing fine but Hugo is worried about them. He thinks Villanelle is getting cozy with Aaron. Eve is sure that Villanelle is working for them. Since there is no more sound, Hugo says he is going to bed. Eve decides to stay up. She puts the earpiece in.

Villanelle lies down in bed.

Eve sits up as Villanelle asks, "What are you doing?" Villanelle starts breathing heavily.

Villanelle asks if Eve is going to listen all night. She asks if Eve is having fun in Rome. She chuckles and continues her heavy breathing. She tells Eve that she needs to let herself go once in a while. Villanelle says she can help with that. With Villanelle breathing heavily in her ear, Eve turns around and climbs on top of Hugo. She tells him not to talk.

The next morning, Villanelle wakes up with a grin on her face. She tells Eve "Good Morning" through the mic and asks if she slept well. Eve smiles widely. Hugo greets Eve and her smile fades. He tells her he was surprised about what she did. She doesn't want to talk about it. He does. Instead, she tells him to get them coffee and sits down at the monitors. She takes out the earpiece as she says there should be more buyers today. Hugo thanks Eve for the threesome before leaving.

Villanelle lies in bed with a smile on her face.

Back in the storage unit, which shows signs of a struggle, Niko regains consciousness on the floor. He sits up on the floor and sees Gemma has been suffocated with a plastic bag.

## Cast

### Starring

* Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri
* Jodie Comer as Villanelle
* Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens
* Adeel Akhtar as Martin
* Edward Bluemel as Hugo Turner
* Sean Delaney as Kenny Stowton
* Henry Lloyd-Hughes as Aaron Peel
* Owen McDonnell as Niko Polastri
* Kim Bodnia as Konstantin Vasiliev

### Guest Starring

* Andrea Tivadar as Young Woman
* Laura Karklina as Young Woman 2
* Emma Pierson as Gemma
* Austin Hardiman as Tommy
* Emanuele Romano as Palazzo Guard
* Olivia Carruthers as Mrs. Leary
* Marko Leht as Ivan
* Renars Latkovskis as Gregor

## See Also

 **#02** | "Nice and Neat"
 **#03** | "The Hungry Caterpillar"
 **#04** | "Desperate Times"