From this point on, however, Villanelle struggles with her identity. She’s realized The Twelve has been manipulating her from the start and she’s getting pretty tired of it. So when Konstantin (Kim Bodnia) offered her the chance to return to the motherland, Villanelle jumped at the opportunity, as it was presumably going to offer her the chance to learn whether she’s a natural born killer or a trained assassin.
Once in Russia, Villanelle shed her heels and tailored suits in favor of looks that were more casual, or at least casual by Villanelle’s standards. She donned more reasonably priced designer items and attempted to blend in to the family in ensembles that still represented her.
Again, for the average person wearing Givenchy trousers or a Paco Rabanne blouse isn’t exactly subtle, but it’s what’s expected of Villanelle.
“We didn’t want her to look like she’s just dressing up in a kind of big frock for meeting her family. It’s almost like, for her there’s a bit of modesty, like fitting-in to where she is. Again, it’s always in her own quirky way. It’s always off-kilter and frightens everybody else,” Perry said. “She doesn’t look like she belongs there but she’s trying her best to fit in.”
(It must be mentioned that Perry, Costume Supervisor Katie Broome and Justin Selway, assistant costume designer, are nominated for an Emmy for this complex episode.)