Diksha Sundriyal
There is no good story without a great villain, and what makes it even better is if the person in question feels like they are pulled out of real life. While everyone loves Joker, they needn’t have met someone like that in real life, but Leplevsky, aka the Bishop from Showtime’s ‘A Gentleman in Moscow,’ can be considered someone that people can claim they have encountered at some point or other. It is his sheer refusal to go against authority and let someone else do it that makes him such a compelling and hatable villain in Count Rostov’s story. He is a true Bolshevik, hating Count Rostov the moment he meets him and mourning Stalin’s death like he has lost someone of his own family. The end of a story generally doesn’t bode well for the bad guys, but does the same hold for Leplevsky? SPOILERS AHEAD
Leplevsky is Saved by the Count’s Kindness
Due to his unflinching loyalty to the regime, Leplevsky hates anyone who doesn’t conform. He is a stickler for rules, and it isn’t just that he hates when someone breaks them. He actually relishes the idea of punishing the people who have gone against the tide, especially if that person is Count Rostov or his daughter, Sofia. Both the Count and Leplevsky arrive at the Metropol at the same time, and they rub each other the wrong way immediately. From here, there is no turning back, and this animosity continues till the end.
Rostov never hits back at Leplevsky because the latter continues to rise through the ladder, even if it is due to his connections with the people in high places. It doesn’t make sense for the Count to worsen the situation for himself further when he can perfectly get by not responding to any of Leplevsky’s attacks on him. The villain, however, doesn’t miss a chance in trying to get Rostov caught, even though he knows that the former aristocrat will most probably be executed for it.
When Leplevsky discovers that the Count and his daughter are planning to flee the Metropol, he decides to out them for it. This is his chance to have Rostov punished, something he tried when Rostov ran out of the main door of the hotel carrying an injured Sofia. At that time, the Count succeeded in evading the consequences, mainly because all his friends came together to save him. But now, Leplevsky knows that he must gather all the proof beforehand to leave no doubt of Rostov’s plan. He finds exactly what he needs when he snoops around Rostov’s room and discovers a map of Paris and the passports. This makes it clear what Rostov is about to do, and Leplevsky knows he must seize this opportunity.
It might be fun for Leplevsky, but it is no game for Rostov. When he discovers that Leplevsky has found him out, he decides to do whatever it takes to save himself, Anna, and Sofia. So, he shows up at Leplevsky’s office and points a gun at him, even firing a shot to show the hotel manager that he is serious about hurting him. Rostov knows that Leplevsky is not the kind of person you reason with, and he will ring the authorities immediately after Rostov leaves. He needs to make sure that Leplevsky is rendered incapable of alerting the authorities for as long as possible.
Rostov is aware that Leplevsky doesn’t have many friends, and he won’t be missed if he doesn’t show up at the hotel for a couple of days. Rather than worry about where he has gone, the employees would actually love the idea of his absence and not raise any alarms immediately. At gunpoint, Rostov takes him to the remotest place in the Metropol, a place he knows no one will come to for days. He ties up Leplevsky to a chair and leaves him there.
Leplevsky pleads to be let go, saying that no one will find him there, worrying that he might spend the rest of his days tied to the chair. To some extent, Rostov wishes that to happen, but he is not going to kill Leplevsky by his own hands. He also knows that it might take a few days, but eventually, Leplevsky will be found, so he isn’t too bothered with having blood on his hands. Moreover, it would give him exactly the time he needs to slip unnoticed, as he knows his friends would never report him to the authorities. With Leplevsky out of the way, Rostov has all the window he needs. He doesn’t need to kill the man, but if he dies, it would actually be for the better. So, Leplevsky is left in the dungeons, tied to a chair, hoping he would be found soon enough, though the chances of that are rather slim, considering how he is the kind of person who won’t be missed easily.
Read More: A Gentleman in Moscow: Is Where is Our Purpose Now a Real Poem?
