Villainess Review: Emily Turner (The Nanny Sees All)

2025, so far, has delivered with some delicious villainesses on Lifetime, similar to 2024's impressive crop. The wicked women of Lifetime have really been turning up the heat, making Death Valley look as cold as Lambeau Field in December and January. It's been a fun year for me, so far, as a Lifetime movie uber-fan and enthusiast, and part of this amazing excitement included this film, The Nanny Sees All.

A grisly scene kicks off the film: the body of a woman, Yasmin Davis, discovered. A few months passed, and we are introduced to the central character in this story, Grace Anderson, who returned to the town of Rivertown and was greeted by one of her old friends, Andrea Clark, before another appears in the form of the town's mayor, Alex Turner. Let me just state that the Power Rangers fan in me is over the moon over seeing Chris Violette (Sky Tate from Power Rangers SPD) as Alex Turner. This isn't his first LT film; he was also in Deadly Mom Retreat. Hard to believe SPD was 20 years ago, wow!

So Grace ends up being hired as a nanny for young Andy Turner, while also meeting Alex's wife, Emily, and his strong-willed mother, Vivian. In true Lifetime fashion, it's quickly established that Grace isn't the first nanny; she's replacing a woman named Victoria Fremont, who was portrayed as having quit the position and was briefly shown confronting Grace and Andrea after learning that the former is now the Turners' live-in nanny. When we next see Victoria, she's kayaking before some sinister figure bashes her head with a rock.

So we have another casualty, and originally, it's deemed an accident--until it's not. Meanwhile, Grace's job is littered with ominous distractions; namely threatening messages telling her to leave town. Regarding suspects, Emily had one name in mind: Colin Maxwell, the family's live-in chef. Emily mentioned that Colin had intimate relationships with both women, to the point of obsession. Yeah, I know a reach when I hear one. We later see a gathering at the house, and as for Grace, she ends up locked in the pantry. This is followed by another casualty, and this time, it's Louise, the genial housekeeper, who ends up shoved down a flight of stairs.

The suspicion towards Colin increases when a gun--the very gun used in Yasmin's murder--is found in his room. Colin ends up interrogated, but I realize I'm getting a tad ahead of myself here. Earlier in the film, Andy mentioned his heritage, saying he's 30% Italian. A DNA test is performed as a simple project, but the results reveal no hint of Italian heritage. A double-check provides something even more stunning: Alex isn't Andy's father. Even more crazier, Andy's biological father? None other than Grace's husband, James Anderson.

A call to James revealed everything; before he even met Grace, James was briefly involved with Emily, with James ending it due to Emily still being married to Alex at that time. Clearly, Andy is the result, and the climax saw Grace meet with Emily and reveal her knowledge that James was Andy's biological father. Emily attempted to deny that James was Andy's father, but it was merely Emily lying to herself (among others she's deceived). The denial turns into a full blown rant where she says to Grace that she shouldn't have returned to Rivertown--a statement that sounded very familiar. Speaking of familiar, Grace spotted something else that was familiar: an outfit that was fished out of the lake where Victoria was murdered.

And just like that, two and two were added, and it equaled a maniacal villainess bent on covering up so much. Emily suddenly armed herself with a box cutter and revealed everything. She had known that Alex and Victoria had an affair, and it resulted in Victoria being pregnant. Regarding Yasmin, she was friends with Victoria and found out about the affair, and she threatened to go public. Emily shot Yasmin to death to silence her permanently, but Victoria remained a presence. It was after Grace's earlier conversation regarding her encounter with Victoria, Emily murdered Victoria, and was seen by Andy changing out of her villainous outfit. Emily was also behind the threats to Grace, and she locked Grace inside the pantry before killing Louise, who had seen enough of what she did that night. Emily's statements about Colin were part of her plan to frame him for everything, which included planting the gun in Colin's room.

Emily ranted that she had done so much for her family, and later lunged at Grace with the weapon, only for the arriving Alex to pull his wife off Grace and talk her down. Emily puts down the weapon and breaks down. It's all over. Emily's arrested, and we see a heartwarming scene with James, Grace, Alex, and Andy at film's end.

The Nanny Sees All aired on Lifetime Movie Network on May 16, 2025, and featured Julia Borsellino as the immensely insane Emily Turner. Emily was quite the villainess; bloodthirsty, ruthless, and outright maniacal. We see her cover up all of those traits with a mix of warmth, charm, and the aura that came with being part of a prestigious family. But once that mask is removed, what remains is a deeply unhinged villainess who actually relishes in murder and deceit, with a drive to keep her perfect world intact. Emily's rant in the climax was delicious, as we see her in full psychotic mode with her threats, her rants, and her attempt to kill Grace before Alex stops her.

Borsellino's performance was absolutely beautiful and amazing. She acted out Emily's genial nature and charm to perfection, but when it came to Emily's reveal, Borsellino elegantly dove into Emily's madwoman persona wonderfully; it was a perfect swan dive! This was Julia Borsellino's third Lifetime film, she previously appeared in The Perfect Wedding and Next Door Nightmare (both from 2021). However, this is Borsellino's first time as a Lifetime film villainess, and let's hope it's not her last!

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Check out Emily Turner's profile on Villainous Beauties Wiki!