Finlay Donovan Is Killing It

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano revolves around a single mother and writer, the eponymous Finlay Donovan, who finds herself mistaken for a contract killer. A series of (un)fortunate events draws Finlay deeper into this world, even as she comes into more money that she could have ever imagined. The way the story unfolds leaves Finlay’s character highly reminiscent of the antihero archetype.

The antihero is the protagonist of a story, but they distinctly lack qualities typical of a heroic character. The antihero archetype is not a new one; it can be traced as far back as the Greek dramatists, and the archetype exists in literatures across other nations and cultures as well. One of the most famous antiheroes in historic literature is Satan in Paradise Lost. The antihero is typically seen either indulging in morally suspect actions toward a justifiable cause or exhibiting similar behavior in line with an inherent moral flaw or vice.

The antihero has found popularity in different kinds of media at different points in time. For instance, the early 2010s saw the rise of the antihero across television, several articles noting this phenomenon as well as theorizing its cause. Common examples of antihero quoted across different television shows include Tony Soprano from The Sopranos, Walter White from Breaking Bad, and Don Draper from Mad Men (Bender, Eric H. “Rise of the Antihero.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 29 September 2013).

The antihero reflects a world that  is flawed and morally gray, and typically finds appeal in a time when the zeitgeist reflects these same beliefs. The 21st century rise of the antihero is attributed to the succession of cataclysmic events in the Western world, such as 9/11, the Iraq war, the 2008 economic recession, and multiple hurricanes and shootings, among others (Michael, Jonathan. “The Rise of the Anti-Hero.” RELEVANT, 7 June 2017). In a world that no longer promises a stable future in return for hard work, integrity, and moral uprightness, the nobility of the traditional hero does not resonate as well with audiences. Actions based on baser emotions of anger, despair, and a desire for vengeance, are not only relatable, but also justifiable.

Despite the rise of the antihero, women cast in this archetype remained sparse until the end of the decade. However, as more women found roles in the writing, directing, and producing processes for television, a more diverse representation of female characters found themselves onto television, resulting in the rise of the “antiheroine” (Omar, Yasmin. “The Rise of the Antiheroine: Why Women Are Finally Allowed to Be 'Unlikeable' on-Screen.” Harper's Bazaar, 16 Nov. 2018). Elle Cosimano’s Finlay Donovan Is Killing it, published in 2021, is a product of the same phenomenon. Television shows such as Fleabag and Killing Eve, among a host of others, are centered around non-traditional, complex, and layered women, who stray from conventional ideas of morality; Cosimano’s Finn, too, fits this description.

Finn is no hero—she is drawn to the large sums of money offered to her first by Patricia, then Irina. She is often impulsive and has acted on feelings of vengeance even before her new life as a contract killer: dumping soup on her husband’s mistress’s head gets her banned from Panera Bread, for example. She has no qualms about breaking into Steven and Theresa’s house and stealing Theresa’s dress.

However, Finn is clearly not a villain, either. The pull money has over her is because of her situation as a single mother looking to keep custody of her children and pay her bills—a highly understandable, even justifiable cause. Despite this pull, Finn also consistently demurs from actual violence; she does not actually carry out either of the murders she is eventually paid for (though she does, in antiheroine fashion, eventually bury both bodies). She even tries her best to keep Theresa, whom Finn has every reason to despise, out of jail. Finn’s character constantly crosses lines, and the reader cannot help but forgive, if not entirely condone her actions. The easy acceptance of a character like Finn, and her very existence in the first place, is primed by the rise of the antiheroine archetype in media and pop culture.