Greetings shippers welcome back and it’s time for more femslash and tackling a canonical
ship.
For yes one can ship something that is fully supported by canon it’s not just for pairings
that are fanon based which is a common shipping misconception.
Just as a fan can reject a canon pairing they can embrace it.
This ship was the winner of last months monthly vote over on patreon just beating out Dark
stuck so we did both.
Thanks so much as always to everyone who voted.
It helps us diversify and tackle a wide array of ships it may otherwise take a long time
to get to.
There’s a lot to talk about here so as always let’s get to it but before we get started
if you haven’t already please follow on social media to stay up to date know when
we’re streaming and just come on over and chit chat about fandom it’s a good time
I swear.
So Villaneve this is the pairing of the sociapathic assassin Villanelle and the Mi6 agent hunting
her down Eve Polastri.
They hail from the series killing eve a classic cat and mouse tale with several twists the
least of which being that the two leads are female though some feel it is the most and
it does give the series a unique flair.
At the centre of the series aside from the intrigue and the question of just who is pulling
who’s strings and why is the relationship between Eve and Villanelle and their mutual
obsession with each other that starts early in season 1 and quickly grows to a fever pitch
by mid season and never lets up.
The interest these two have in each other has many layers, intellectual, emotional,
romantic, sexual, hate there’s a lot going on and it’s all canonical and most of it
is solid text.
There is very little sub in this text.
As a result what you have is a series where this relationship is very discussed and very
out in the open which has resulted in the series managing to avoid a complain that plagues
many series those with and without queer themes that of queerbaiting.
As the relationship is set up from the start as an obsessive and unhealthy one the will
they won’t they aspect of this tale is not regarded as queerbait by most viewers as the
will they won’t they has very good canonical reasons for being there namely that one of
the players is a murderer who has murdered people close to the other protagonist.
If this sounds Hannibally it does indeed skirt that territory though Killing Eve never fully
forgets that Eve is a bad person while Hannibal could at times fall just in
love with it’s protagonist as the fans and arguably Will.
The series has been hailed as unabashedly queer and feminist in it’s very nature.
Some feel it has avoided the typical fetishization of female queer relationships while others
feel it very much is still highly sexualized and the fact that the show runners are female
as are many of the writers does not change how seductively and enticingly these scenes
are shot and that it could still be viewed as highly fetishitic mileage of course will
vary.
Needless to say this series has many many moments worthy of it’s own shippable moments
video for sure.
In terms of the shows themes as it is so reviewed and discussed it is possible that some of
the reviews tones may have frightened off some potential audience members and not just
male ones but rather those seeking fun escapism as some of the reviews will feature buzz words
such as suffers no cis males, or "patriarchy's impact on the already delicate complexities
of female relationships" so some have steered clear fearing they’re in for a lecture or
some kind of very angry fare but the series is anything but it explores a variety of topics
through the tale it tells as well as by telling but never loses sight of it’s main mission
telling an intriguing story while showcasing that such tales can be told with female leads.
Also sidenote as a general rule when possible always check something out for oneself as
just because of review says something doesn’t mean it’s accurate or that upon checking
out the material that you will agree.
A good example of this is how season 1 showrunner Phoebe Waller Bridge described the relationship
between these two leads stating the two "give each other life in a way that’s more complex
than a romantic relationship.
It’s sexual, it’s intellectual, it’s aspirational."
some who have watched the series feel this is exactly accurate while others feel why
does that have to be more than a romance can’t a romance be all those things.
One of the feelings running through this series is that were it but for one change of circumstance
these two characters would be lovers with Bridge stating the two women are "fueled by
a volatile cocktail of ambition, curiosity and morbid adoration" As you can see there
has been much discussion on these two largely because they are canonical so actors , series
creators and news/entertainment outlets feel much more comfortable to discuss this ship
than they do ones with no acknowledged or pure canonical backing as there is that line
that the mainstream likes to draw between shipping/fandom and canon.
And canonical ships are an area where the twain meet so there is often an attempt to
legitimize these through discussion lest they appear fanficy a word used as an insult by
most though it belies a lack of exploration into transformative fandom.
In this pairings case it also facilitates discussion since it is so layered and intriguing.
So with all of that said let us meet the players first up Eve Polastri.
Eve changes quite a bit as the series unfolds though it could be argued she is just becoming
more and more who she already was, fundamentally Eve craves excitement her life is boring and
she finds herself drawn to the exceptional and the morbid having a particular fascination
described as fetish even in the show with female assassins.
Through her keen observations she discovers Villanelle and is drawn into a game of cat
and mouse growing more and more obsessed with Villanelle even though she knows she shouldn’t
be in many ways viewing Villanelle as free and empowered, sexy things she herself wishes
to be and embody.
From the first time she truly sees her Eve is attracted describing Villanelle as She
had very delicate features.
Her eyes are sort of cat-like, wide, but alert.
Her lips are full, she has a long neck, high cheekbones.
Her skin is smooth and bright.
She had a lost look in her eye that was both direct, and also chilling.
She’s totally focused, yet almost entirely inaccessible."
This interest is entirely mutual.
Villanelle is a cold calculating killer who sometimes leaves the cold behind for pure
enjoyment.
She revels in her life's excesses, such as clothes and sex and yet she too longs for
a break in the routine and finds that in Eve.
Whom she is instantly drawn too at first captivated by her bountiful locks.
Thrilled to be being challenged and also to have someone so clearly intrigued by her Villanelle
is the first to up the anti in their game but also to turn it deadly.
She also is the first to send gifts which Eve finds herself incorporating into her life.
These two woman in many ways function as parallels to one another for better and for worse both
ambitious, driven and seeking to live life on their own terms away from expectations
it is their differences in personality and circumstances that change their lives course
and ultimately keep them apart even as they find themselves hopelessly attracted to one
another.
So why do people ship these two well for one thing it is largely what the series is about
these twos relationship but it’s a very slow burn not just jumping each others bones
relationship so it provides fodder for a couple of different types of shippers those who want
to explore this nuance, those who are thrilled at such a prominent queer relationship, and
those who want these two to hurry up and get it on smut lovers and of course people can
vacillate or enjoy all three or have something else drawing them to it.
The sequences between these two even when they are not together on screen can also be
very seductively shot not necessarily sexual though some are but rather seductive which
can be highly suggestive and leave much especially in the female viewer to be explored some use
fandom as that outlet for exploration.
What some find more curious is why do people not ship it while some jump instantly to assumptions
if bigotry there is more here to discuss.
The series may be acclaimed but not everyone has heard of it it is a little niche and as
a result doesn;t have the reach of say a supernatural which thusly reaches a much wider audience.
The themes are far too unsubtle and constant to be mistaken for anything else so while
some reject it cause they don’t gravitate to femslash some out of preference others
indeed out of some internalised bias unconsciously rejecting the couples queerness or interacialness
or both though one should never just assume that as it can quite quickly close conversations
and be condescending or arrogant.
However trends do stand and some feel that is the dominant cause.
While others feel that these two are not good people and they don’t want them together
they cannot empathise with one both or this genre which some have dubbed murder porn arguing
that even if the relationship isn’t fetishized murder and sociopathy are and they aren’t
ok with that.
In short this entire type of pairing isn’t their cup of tea no matter who it involves.
Violent
Others can never get into canon ships beyond canon finding them less interesting and feel
they have less room to maneuver because of the canonicity of the couple even if they
aren’t exactly fully together while paradoxically for others this fuels them.
As always every shipper is different ship and let ship.
And some feel it doesn't matter how big the ship is and that looking at it as a this ship
should be bigger or deserves to be bigger speaks of a transformative fandom entitlement
or a projection if ones wishes for more content while they feel the focus should be on how
is the community for a having a huge but toxic community is no fun at all.
In general the killing eve fandom has been welcoming for most though experiences vary
depending upon where one is.
If one is looking for more femslash and hoping for a series with plenty of moments to sink
ones teeth into the Villaneve and killing eve are waiting for you.
Are you a villaneve shipper how has your experience been in fandom, are you enjoying the show,
share all your thoughts down below.
Thanks so much as always for taking some time out of your day to discuss shipping with me
I always appreciate it.
And special thanks to all my patrons for voting.
Names as always on the side please don’t forget to like share comment and subscribe
for more shipping videos let me know if you need those moments and I will see you again
soon stay tuned for there are as many ships out there as there are stars in the sky.