Killing Eve: Turns out contract killers are just like us

Sure, Villanelle is a psychopath who’s incapable of experiencing empathy — but that doesn’t mean Killing Eve’s resident assassin isn’t relatable!

There’s a lot to like about the new BBC America show, Killing Eve: it’s written by Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge; it stars Sandra Oh in her first series regular TV role since Grey’s Anatomy; and it’s a stylish, proudly feminine take on the cat-and-mouse thriller.

The best part of Killing Eve, however, just might be Villanelle (Jodie Comer, My Mad, Fat Diary), a contract killer and the cat to the titular character’s mouse. Yes, Villanelle is a merciless hitwoman and lacks basic human empathy — but many aspects of her life are shockingly recognizable. She and normal, law-abiding people actually have tons in common.

That’s right: Villanelle the Paid Assassin is just like us! Here are 10 details from Sunday night’s “Nice Face” to prove it:

She travels for work

Villanelle’s job is exhausting: in a two-day timeframe she had to do a hit in Vienna, return home to Paris, do another hit in Tuscany, and go home once more. True, trans-European travel tends to be on the shorter side, but that’s still a crazy schedule. Let’s be real, which situation is less soul crushing: a five-hour layover in Cleveland every month for a normal office job or jet-setting around Europe to carry out contract kills?

She indulges

Not only does Villanelle eat, she eats with vigor. Most female villains are characterized by their slinky clothes, tendency to speak in riddles, and general sex appeal — food isn’t often part of the equation. It’s nice to know there are female contract killers out there who have the same passion for ice cream and bruschetta that I do.

She plays practical jokes

Putting a friend’s bra in the freezer during a sleepover, making crank calls to random people, pretending to be dead to freak out your boss — who among us hasn’t pulled off a sick prank, am I right?

She snoops around the host’s house during parties

What are we gonna do, not look through people’s closets on our way to the bathroom? Getting the chance to survey medicine cabinets, jewelry boxes, and desk drawers is at least 50 percent of the reason anyone even bothers to attend parties.

She doesn’t want strangers touching her

If nothing else, Villanelle taught us all of a very important lesson with her job in Tuscany: never put your hands on someone unless you have their consent. Just don’t.

She’s a fan of handy, multi-purpose gadgets

Hairpin/syringe combos are the niftiest, most useful tool since the Swiss Army knife. They’re stylish and get the job done!

She struggles to maintain a healthy work-life balance

Like Eve, Villanelle has a close, platonically affectionate relationship with her boss (Kim Bodnia). So close, in fact, he feels comfortable walking into her apartment unannounced at any time. Separating your work from your personal life is almost impossible when your superior a) apparently has keys to your apartment, b) has zero qualms about waking you and your sexual partners up post-coitus and c) thinks debriefing assignments is more important than your privacy. It’s nice that she gets along with Konstantin, but Villanelle needs to set some boundaries, stat.

She occasionally gets chewed out by her boss

Konstantin is fond of Villanelle, but doesn’t refrain from doling out criticism when need be. After a couple sloppy mistakes on Villanelle’s part, Konstantin informs her that the situation is “very bad” and sends her to London to clean up her mess.

If my boss had given me a bulleted list of every way I screwed up my job, I would be humiliated and ashamed. So, obviously, this is a situation in which feeling no emotion would come in handy. After receiving the negative feedback, Villanelle shrugs it off and asks if her train ticket is first class. (It is.)

She hunts down what she likes

Before taking out her mark in Tuscany, Villanelle inquires about his lovely bedspread so she can procure one for herself. I’ve done the same thing — written down the designer or brand name of something I admire on my hand, I mean, not interrogated a target about his textiles — several times. I mean, it would be rude to Google it in the middle of a conversation, after all.

She could do without small talk

Next time someone asks me an annoying, silence-filler of a question (such as, “How does writing for a blog work, exactly?”) I’m going to just ignore it and stare stonily like Villanelle does to Eve when they cross paths in the bathroom. I bet it will make social interactions a lot simpler.

Next: Killing Eve premiere review: Nice Face

Killing Eve airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on BBC America.