Updated November 8, 2026 · By Shivam Das
Quick answer: Williams is the first to say what she feels for Eleanor in Black Doves Season 2, Episode 4, “The Opportunity to Become Savage,” blurting out her confession while the pair are under sniper fire. Eleanor does not fully return the confession in that same moment. Her answer arrives in Episode 5, “Murder Mix,” when the two assassins are caught in another firefight and share their first kiss with a live grenade nearby. Their romance unfolds across two episodes, not one.
Spoiler warning: This article discusses major relationship developments from Episodes 4 and 5 of Black Doves Season 2.
There are easier ways to tell someone you love them. A quiet dinner, a late-night walk, perhaps a conversation in which neither person is trying to keep their head below a sniper’s line of sight. Williams and Eleanor get none of those options. In the world of Black Doves, the most honest thing Williams can manage is a confession delivered in the middle of a dangerous operation.
It is funny because the setting is so absurdly wrong for romance. It is moving because, for once, Williams stops hiding behind the dry wit and professional distance that usually protect her. The moment also gives the season’s assassin partnership a new dimension: the danger is not only that either woman could be shot, but that saying the truth might change the one relationship they have learned to rely on.
Williams says it first — and the timing could hardly be worse
Williams, played by Ella Lily Hyland, has spent much of the season trying not to name what is happening between her and Eleanor. Her jealousy when Eleanor grows close to someone else is not simply professional irritation. It is the reaction of someone who has become emotionally invested but does not know how to admit it without risking the partnership.
Netflix’s official Season 2 ending explainer places Williams’s confession in Episode 4. With gunfire closing in, she tells Eleanor: “I love ya. Probably. Definitely, actually.” The line is classic Williams: she begins with a qualification, tries to soften the admission, then abandons the escape route and says what she means. The correction from “probably” to “definitely” is the emotional event. For a character who usually sounds certain when everyone else is panicking, the hesitation is revealing.
The scene does not suddenly turn Williams into a different person. She is still blunt, funny and practical. What changes is that she lets Eleanor see the uncertainty underneath those qualities. The confession is not delivered as a polished romantic speech; it is an unguarded thought that escapes while survival remains the immediate priority.
Why Eleanor does not answer immediately
Eleanor, played by Gabrielle Creevy, is not short of confidence. She is open, funny and often disarmingly direct. But emotional honesty is different from speaking freely. A person can say almost anything and still avoid the one truth that would make them vulnerable.
In Netflix’s interview with Hyland and Creevy, the actors describe Eleanor as someone who takes longer to put a name to the relationship. Creevy says Eleanor is avoiding what she feels and enjoys the chase, even though she has the same feelings. That reading makes the delay after Williams’s confession more meaningful. Eleanor is not necessarily unmoved; she is not ready to answer in the middle of a firefight.
The interview also gives the relationship a deeper emotional context. Creevy describes the characters as people who do not have the usual family support or nurturing safety net. Letting someone close is frightening when most of your life has been about surviving. For Eleanor, Williams becomes a person who understands her humour and sees her clearly. That is a bigger offer than a simple romantic spark.
Episode 5 turns the confession into a two-way relationship
The answer comes in “Murder Mix.” Netflix confirms that Williams and Eleanor are again under gunfire in Episode 5, where Eleanor returns Williams’s feelings and they share their first kiss. The season does not make the relationship official through a quiet declaration in a safe room. It makes the pair work through the emotional consequences while the world around them remains dangerous.
The live grenade adds one more layer of dark comedy. A conventional romance might use a first kiss to pause the plot. Black Doves places the kiss inside the threat, so the characters have no luxury of pretending their lives have become calm. The danger is real, but the scene is not only a gag. It shows that Eleanor has finally chosen to stop keeping the emotional distance that once made the partnership easier to manage.
That is why it helps to separate the two milestones. Episode 4 is Williams’s confession. Episode 5 is Eleanor’s response and their first kiss. Calling them one single scene misses the way the show lets the relationship develop over time.
The actors explain why the pairing works
Hyland and Creevy have spoken about the ease of playing the two characters together. Hyland says Williams feels as though she cannot exist without Eleanor, while Creevy describes their connection as built on humour and understanding. Their Irish and Welsh accents also give the partnership a distinct sound and rhythm, helping the dialogue feel like a private language developed through shared work.
There is an interesting difference between how the characters and actors describe the bond. Williams is the one who makes the first explicit confession, but Creevy’s comments suggest Eleanor has been emotionally aware for some time and is simply reluctant to admit it. That imbalance gives the romance its slow-burn shape: one character risks saying it; the other needs longer to accept what saying it will mean.
The show’s creator, Joe Barton, has also described the tension of two people who are business partners suddenly discovering feelings that complicate the job. The attraction is not separate from their work. It makes the work harder, more personal and potentially more dangerous.
What the confession changes for the assassin duo
Before the confession, Williams and Eleanor can treat their connection as a useful arrangement: two skilled assassins who understand each other’s timing, humour and instincts. After it, the partnership carries a new emotional stake. Each woman now has something to lose beyond the next job or the next firefight.
That does not mean the series has turned them into a conventional couple. Their affection still arrives through sarcasm, chaotic teamwork and a willingness to walk into danger. The romance works because it does not erase the characters’ edges. Instead, it reveals that the sharpness is partly a defence against a world in which tenderness can be exploited.
It also gives the show a refreshing counterpoint to Helen and Sam’s more complicated history. The central friendship in Black Doves is full of loyalty, regret and unspoken feelings; Williams and Eleanor offer a different version of intimacy, one that becomes visible precisely because neither woman is especially good at slowing down.
Where to watch the key moments
To follow the confession and its answer in order, watch Episode 4, “The Opportunity to Become Savage,” followed by Episode 5, “Murder Mix.” Netflix’s official Williams and Eleanor interview includes comments from Hyland and Creevy about the scenes, while the Season 2 ending explainer confirms the episode-by-episode sequence.
For a closer look at the next step in their relationship, read our companion article: Williams and Eleanor’s First Kiss Comes With a Live Grenade. You can also explore how Joe Barton built their love story.
Frequently asked questions
Which episode does Williams confess her feelings to Eleanor?
Williams confesses her feelings in Season 2, Episode 4, “The Opportunity to Become Savage,” while the pair are under sniper fire.
What does Williams say to Eleanor?
Williams tells Eleanor, “I love ya. Probably. Definitely, actually.” The hesitant opening makes the admission sound like Williams: awkward, funny and sincere at the same time.
Does Eleanor say she loves Williams back?
Yes. Eleanor returns Williams’s feelings in Episode 5, “Murder Mix,” during another dangerous sequence.
When do Williams and Eleanor kiss for the first time?
Their first kiss happens in Episode 5, “Murder Mix,” while they are again caught in a firefight, with a live grenade nearby.
Are Williams and Eleanor together by the end of the season?
They have acknowledged their feelings and shared their first kiss. The season leaves their future open rather than showing a settled, ordinary relationship.
Who plays Williams and Eleanor in Black Doves?
Ella Lily Hyland plays Williams, and Gabrielle Creevy plays Eleanor.
Why is their romance important to Black Doves Season 2?
The relationship gives two professional assassins an emotional vulnerability and shows how connection can develop even in a life shaped by danger, isolation and violence.
Sources and further reading
- Netflix Tudum: Black Doves Season 2 ending explained
- Netflix Tudum: Williams and Eleanor’s romance, explained by the cast
- Netflix Tudum: Season 2 cast and character guide
- ITV News: The stars on playing a Welsh assassin and an Irish assassin
Editorial note: The confession and the reciprocal kiss occur in separate episodes. This article keeps that chronology clear and does not present the two moments as a single scene.
