Ava Andor (Kelcie Stranahan) is the main villainess from the 2021 Lifetime film, Designed for Death (airdate August 13, 2021).
Backstory[]
Ava Andor is an interior designer, though her backstory only revealed that she was subjected from verbal abuse from her mother as a child. A flashback scene that would play throughout the film showed Ava as a child cradling her doll, which as a birthday gift given to her by her neighbor, Betty Wilcox, only for Ava's mother to snatch the doll away and intentionally break it--while referring to both the doll and her daughter as "messy."
It was while Ava held her doll that she voiced her dreams of having a family and living in a big house; though in adulthood, Ava had a brief marriage to Zach Tully, who would work for her in the film's events. Since then, Ava obsessed over her childhood goal, though as the film's opening established, she developed a habit for trying to date married men.
Events[]
Ava in her masked disguise
The opening scene showed Ava lashing out at her latest lover, who voiced his plans to remain with his wife, leading to an outburst that was witnessed by a sympathetic Betty. Later on, Ava took on main protagonist Jim Kellens as her latest client, as he needed his house renovated. Though married, Jim's wife, Miranda Kellens, was away on business, leading to Ava making her plans to become Jim's girlfriend and eventual wife. Her sinister scheme began with sneaking into Jim's house and planting cameras everywhere, including (but not limited to) the master bedroom.
However, Ava's first night spying on Jim saw her seethe as she watched Jim and Miranda make love, and afterwards, the deranged villainess left the house and attacked Miranda's assistant and friend, Darlene, before setting Jim's office on fire. After watching news coverage of the fire with sadistic glee, Ava was hired by Jim to touch off his office, with Ava charming Jim's daughter, Chelsea, into assisting her. The villainess continued her scheme by enlisting Zach to approach Jim and introduce himself as Derek, an illicit lover of Miranda's, while promising to pay $1000 for Zach's services. As Zach gave details of Miranda's sexual habits, Ava gleamed and cackled as she watched her plan unfold on video.
Ava's actions drove Jim and Miranda further apart, but regarding Zach, he demanded more money from Ava--$10,000. Zach was in the midst of contacting Miranda and telling everything, only to end up bludgeoned to death with a statue by Ava, who later moved his body away from the house. After killing Zach, Ava brought herself closer to Jim to the point where they actually engaged in a sexual tryst. Ava was later confronted by Miranda, who revealed Ava's past marriage to Zach, leading to Ava bludgeoning Miranda with a rock, placing Miranda in the hospital and leaving her clinging to life. As Chelsea voiced her worries about Miranda, Ava mentioned that she and Jim were seeing each other, doing so by informing Chelsea that she could be her new mother once she marries Jim, leaving Chelsea angry and disgusted.
Climax & Arrest[]
Ava attempting to kill Chelsea Kellens
During the film's climax, the evil Ava attempted to kill Miranda inside her hospital room, only to be caught by Jim, after which Ava voiced her belief that she and Jim belonged together before escaping. She left a note telling Betty that she was moving, but she later returned to Jim's office and drugged him before attacking Chelsea at the Kellens house, which was followed by Ava ranting and lashing at Jim for (in her mind) making her attack and attempt to kill "their" daughter.
Ava gave Chelsea a choice of fabric material for her to use, with the promise that she would live if she chose correctly. Once Chelsea asked Ava why she was plaguing her family, especially her mother, Ava believed that Chelsea was talking about her mother, leading the villainess to reveal to Chelsea that she would kill her anyway, but as Ava raised her knife, she ended up knocked out by Jim. Ava was arrested and institutionalized, and the final scenes showed Ava in a psychiatric hospital being visited by Betty, who presented Ava's doll to her, with the madwoman cradling her doll and giving a crazed smile at film's end.
Victims[]
- Darlene (bludgeoned while being attacked but survived)
- Zach Tully (bludgeoned)
- Miranda Kellens (bludgeoned on a rock before clinging to life, later survived)
- Chelsea Kellens (attempted to stab to death, knocked out by Jim)
Personality[]
- Ava Andor is similar to fellow Lifetime villainess Molly Matson from 2013's Dirty Teacher, both were physically abused by their mothers and had childhood nightmares. Each women ended up losing their mothers in rage of their abuse, but the difference was Molly killed her foster mother by accidental insulin overdose, while Ava's mother died when she was a teenager. The only opposite was Kelcie Stranahan played the main protagonist in Dirty Teacher.
- Ava is also similar to another Lifetime villainess Alyssa Winters from 2023's Her Affair to Die For, both women allegedly have a secret relationship with their respective film's protagonists, while having befriended the protagonist's daughter. The only difference was Ava tied and kidnapped both of them during the quest, Alyssa never successfully did.
Trivia[]
- This was Kelcie Stranahan's first villainous Lifetime film role and first adult role.
- Kelcie Stranahan later played crazed villainess Natalie Clark in 2023's Spinning Out of Control.
- The younger version of Ava is played by Leyla Benson.
Gallery[]
