Aahana Swrup
The German Netflix show ‘Kleo’ tells a thrilling story about a vindictive assassin whose own people wronged her in a plot to keep the secret of several historical conspiracies. In season 1, the Fall of the Berlin Wall leads to the prison release of the titular character Kleo Straub, an off-the-books Stasi assassin framed by her agency. As she follows the thread of her imprisonment orders—killing those responsible along the way—she learns about a red suitcase, which is somehow at the center of the mystery. As she investigates the case, her paths cross with comrades from her old life, including Andi Wolf, her former commanding officer and ex-lover.
Naturally, despite the dissolution of the Stasi, Andi becomes a crucial part of Kleo’s story. However, as a result of the same, the former agent finds himself in a deadly predicament by the end of season 1, inviting intrigue about his fate within the show in season 2. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Andi Wolf’s Surprising Execution in Season 1
From his introduction into the narrative, Andi Wolf comes across as a character who—much like Kleo—gets caught up in his agency’s convoluted conspiracies. As the assassin’s commanding officer, he supervises her assassination job at Big Eden—albeit from a distance—in 1987. Even so, as a result of the Stasi chain of command, Andi remains similarly oblivious about the identity of Kleo’s target and the context of his assassination order. However, while he’s a perfect soldier in the sense of not asking questions, he skirts the rules by pursuing a secret relationship with Kleo. In fact, he’s ecstatic to hear news of her pregnancy, eager to have her quit the agency and start a family with him.
Nonetheless, Andi’s support vanishes once the authorities wrongfully identify Kleo as a traitor and commence an unfair trial against her. Consequently, once the former assassin exits prison three years later, she immediately moves to confront him for his betrayal. After the Stasi’s end, Andi has started leading a civilian life that he shares with Anja, his pregnant wife. Yet, even though the situation remains complicated, he insists on helping Kleo behind his wife’s back. Still, Kleo remains relatively distrustful of him and keeps him in the loop from a distance. However, soon enough, the truth about the depth of his actual betrayal reveals itself.
Andi never truly stopped working for the Stasi and remains in contact with his former superior officers. Therefore, he has been spying on Kleo since her prison release. Nevertheless, during a meeting between the assassin and another ex-Stasi operative, Uwe, the former’s partner, Sven, spots Andi training a sniper on Kleo. As such, she realizes he has been playing her all along. The same culminates in a confrontation at his house, where Andi attempts to placate her with his fake concern.
Nonetheless, while Kleo doesn’t kill Andi, another person—Anja—interrupts the interaction and shoots him dead. As it turns out, the Stasi operative wasn’t the only one lying in his marriage. Anja is actually Ramona—one of the best Stasi agents in history— who received an assignment to spy on him. Therefore, Andi dies in season 1 with a clean headshot, leaving little to no possibility for his potential return.
Andi’s Brief Reappearance in Season 2
Although the show has a penchant for faking deaths—especially when it comes to one particular character—Andi’s death was indisputable enough to erase the possibility of his return in the flesh. Nevertheless, his character had been an instrumental part of Kleo’s life story, sporting a multitude of complicated relationships with her. As her boss and her boyfriend, Andi was an inextricable part of the assassin’s history. Therefore, season 2 brings him back in an episode that explores Kleo’s past more than her present.
In season 2, episode 5, ‘From Russia with Love,’ the narrative brings a series of flashbacks to Kleo’s past that provide an insight into her complicated origin story. Thus, in exploring the same, the flashback briefly cuts to her earlier interactions with Andi—notably her recruitment as his subordinate and the beginning of their romantic relationship. Even though these scenes have little impact on the plot, they strengthen Kleo’s characterization and allow a peek into her dynamic with Andi.
Vladimir Burlakov’s Departure From Kleo as a Series Regular
Due to Andi Wolf’s irrefutable death in the series, the lack of involvement in the project from Vladimir Burlakov, who portrays the character—at least within the same capacity as season 1—is inevitable. As seen in season 2, a short episodic cameo is the most fans can look forward to of Burlakov’s appearance in ‘Kleo.’ Since the character has appeared in flashbacks throughout the previous two seasons, it would be almost a breach of tradition if he doesn’t reappear in a similar fashion in potential future seasons. However, outside of such flashbacks, his character could hardly serve a purpose in the narrative otherwise.
For his part, Actor Burlakov has undertaken many other artistic endeavors since his involvement in ‘Kleo’ season 1. Thus, fans can spot him in German shows like ‘Hotel Barcelona’ and ‘Tatort,’ in which he plays a significant role. Alternatively, he also made a brief appearance in another crime thriller show, ‘Der Bozen Krimi,’ and has an exciting titular role in ‘Gabriele Muenter—In the Shadow of Kandinsky.’ Furthermore, Burlakov is also involved in several future projects, including a war-centric film, ‘The Man with the Camera’ and ‘I Know Your Face.’ Likewise, he’s also currently shooting for a Disney+ project, ‘Vienna Game,’ as per his social media accounts.
Read More: Kleo Season 2 Ending, Explained: Who is Kleo’s Father?
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