Eleanor Dean (Rebecca Tilney) is the hidden main villainess from the 2019 Lifetime film, Killer Contractor (airdate October 13, 2019).
Introduction[]
Eleanor Dean is a nurse and the mother of Mike Dean, and she was first shown demanding her son's wages, while receiving the news from Mike that Kerry McLeod (the film's main protagonist) had returned along with her daughter, Ella, following the death of Kerry's father, William McLeod. In response to the news, Eleanor advised Mike to stay away from Kerry, who Mike had went to high school with. It was believed that Mike had an affinity for Kerry, and after Claire (a realtor and friend of Kerry's who planned to buy Kerry's childhood home) was killed, Mike was hired as Kerry's contractor.
However, Kerry was charmed by another contractor, Jason Carr, though she informed Jason that she would stick with Mike. Mike's strange behavior ended up resulting in Kerry firing him and replacing him with Jason, and after many mishaps befell the house (including a ceiling fan falling and nearly killing Ella), Kerry suspected that Mike was behind the "accidents." All the while, Eleanor continued scolding Mike regarding his obsession with Kerry, who confided in her friend, Meghan, regarding her suspicions towards Mike.
Reveal[]
Eleanor attacking Meghan; establishing her reveal
Kerry was informed that William's death was actually murder, leaving her to believe that Mike had killed her father. Meanwhile, Meghan spotted Mike watching the house and driving off, leading to Meghan trailing Mike to his mother's house, where she witnessed Eleanor and Mike arguing. Meghan left her car and walked towards the front of the house, where she saw partially burned photos of Kerry on a barbecue grill. She was suddenly attacked from behind with a ball-peen hammer, with the attacker revealed as none other than Eleanor, who later phoned her co-conspirator: Jason.
Following Eleanor's heel turn, her backstory was revealed. At some point, Eleanor and William engaged in a relationship that resulted in Mike's birth, meaning that Mike and Kerry were half-siblings. Both Eleanor and Mike were named in William's will, as was Kerry, but the mother-son duo were later cut out, leaving Kerry and Ella as sole heirs. Eleanor enlisted Jason to kill William out of revenge, and Claire was killed due to being an obstacle. After the co-conspirators met, Eleanor revealed their scheme, which also included killing Kerry and Ella, while discussing what to do with the tied-up Meghan. However, Meghan escaped and ran for help, only to be struck by a vehicle. The villainess even allowed Mike to be accused in his father's murder, and regarding Meghan, she phoned her workplace and was told that Meghan was still alive.
Climax and Arrest[]
Eleanor heading to the hospital to kill Meghan
While Jason was attempting to kill Kerry and Ella via carbon monoxide poisoning, the evil Eleanor revealed her murderous scheme to Mike, stating that William cheated them out of what was rightfully theirs by giving everything to Kerry. In a surprise revelation, Mike informed Eleanor that William told them about Kerry and Ella being left behind by Kerry's husband (Ella's father) and that he planned to change the will, only for the unselfish Mike to tell William to give Kerry and Ella everything. In response to that and to Mike's statement that their own house was enough, Eleanor stated that it wasn't, and that Kerry's home would free her from being treated like trash.
In the process, Eleanor maintained her heel persona in spite of Mike's protests, and after informing Jason about Mike, the villainess went to the hospital and attempted to kill Meghan, doing so by suffocating her with a pillow. As Eleanor would find out, Mike had informed police regarding his mother's scheme, and after Meghan thwarted Eleanor's attempt, police entered Meghan's hospital room and arrested Eleanor.
Victims[]
- William McLeod (killed by Jason under Eleanor’s orders)
- Claire (electrocuted by Jason under Eleanor’s orders)
- Kerry and Ella McLeod (attempted and failed)
- Meghan (attempted to smother to death with a pillow, stopped by police)
Trivia[]
- Rebecca Tilney also played villainesses Claire Babcock and Crystal Shoemaker on Bones and Longmire, respectively.