Symbolism of hair in Killing Eve
“Wear it down”
When we first start the series we see Eve as your everyday, mundane office worker; consciously wearing her hair up. It symbolisises the way that Eve is shown as in control of herself, perhaps too uptight.
(1x01) Beginning.
When Eve meets Villanelle; unaware of the obsession she will succumb to, Villanelle simply tells her “wear it down”. The way that Villanelle commands and Eve follows, completely changes the dynamic between them. And subsequently, Eves internal conflict.
(1x01) Ending.
By wearing her hair down, Eve is allowing herself to literally “let her hair down”, as well as metaphorically succumbing to a new, unknown, darker side of her; the one that Villanelle brings out.
Perhaps unknowingly, Eve is allowing Villanelles impact to influence everything in her life. Eve keeps banging her head on the enigmatic wall that is Villanelle, and this frustrating attraction is represented when Eve sees a crack in a bus stop partition, tests its strength, and shatters the pane of glass.
(1x05) before Villanelle goes to Eves house.
Likewise, here Eves hair is down. She is loosening up, allowing herself to feel more freely, and in doing so shatters the bus stop glass. With both the glass and Villanelle, Eve is intrigued and pokes at it, but without the proper understanding, it blows up in her face. This could be foreshadowing the near death experiences Eve faces when meeting Villanelle, continuing up the the S2 finale in which Villanelle will attempt to kill Eve.
(1x05)
In 1x05 we see Eve allowing herself to be completely vulnerable to Villanelle. By allowing Villanelle to undress her, see her completely naked, we are shown the way that Villanelle is inside Eve’s head and able to expose herself to Villanelle. Once again, Eve’s hair is worn down; “letting herself go” and enabling Villanelle to have this insight into her.
(2x05)
However, Villanelle’s encounters with Eve would have been situations that she had preplanned and conjured to ensure they could be as she predicted. The way that Villanelle has worn her hair up in every one of their interactions has disabled Eve from seeing her freely, the way Villanelle sees Eve. She has her guard up and is unwilling, for even someone she has such a deep investment in, to witness her in pure vulnerability.
(2x08)
When we see Villanelle at her most vulnerable, there are strands of her hair that fall over her face. This symbolises the beginning of Villanelle letting eve in, expressing herself openly; her declarations of how their future “will be amazing”. Likewise Eves hair is down and shows the two characters in pure, raw, honesty for the first time with one another.
However, the way in which Villanelles hair half heartedly falls across her face; the rest remaining in her bun, shows how she is still reserving a part of her. This is then evident when Villanelle switches back to her defensive, impulsive self, consequently shooting Eve, in an attempt to kill her. Following Eves rejections to Villanelles expressions of love.
