, older female characters are twice as likely to be shown as physically unattractive and are 69.5% more likely to be shown as sickly. Oh’s character, however, is an active woo-er in an interracial, same-sex relationship with an age gap, which is an important step in the fight against ageism and other forms of tokenism in the media.
Actress Fiona Shaw, who is in her early 60s, plays Eve's boss, Carolyn Martens. This character could have easily fallen into the trope of the hard-nosed, arthritic spy boss, but instead Shaw delivers absurd one-liners, has an active sex life, and displays a fervent belief in her employees’ abilities.also importantly defy the type of sexualization that most women on screen, especially queer women, are often subjected to.
Villanelle’s queerness is further proven to be essential, rather than to please the viewer’s gaze, in that it's an important factor in the plot, specifically in terms of her fixation with Eve. When Villanelle learns an MI5 agent is on to her, she insists on knowing the agent’s identity. When she eventually reveals it is Eve, Villanelle is mesmerized that there exists an agent smart enough to catch her. Eve, on the other hand, is transfixed by what Villanelle has gotten away with.