Sumith Prasad
HBO Max’s thriller series ‘The Tourist’ follows an amnesiac named Elliot Stanley, who confronts an unknown and mighty enemy as he struggles to find out about his identity. Elliot’s efforts to know about his past leads him to Kosta Panigiris, an infamous drug lord. Kosta threatens to kill Elliot if he fails to return the bag that contains $1 million dollars Elliot stole from him. However, Kosta’s expedition to Burnt Ridge to retrieve the invaluable bag ends with him getting severely hurt. As he laboriously tries to stay alive, one must be wondering about the notorious criminal’s fate. Well, here’s everything you need to know! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Kosta Dead or Alive?
Kosta is dead. Kosta arrives at Burnt Ridge to retrieve the bag Elliot and Victoria/Luci stole from him when they eloped. Since the bag contains the first million dollars he ever made, the bag and the money are of sentimental value for Kosta and he decides to go any length to get it back. Upon kidnapping Rogers’ wife, the drug lord blackmails the detective to capture and take Elliot to him. A perplexed Elliot does everything Kosta asks him to do. Elliot leads the group to the stone men even though he isn’t sure of the bag’s location. After testing Kosta’s patient enough, Elliot finds the bag.
However, Luci arrives at the scene to rescue Elliot from the viciousness of Kosta. As someone who knows Kosta really well, Luci is sure that Elliot will bite the dust even if he gives the bag back to Kosta. She instructs Elliot to commence a shootout to kill Kosta for both of them to escape. Luci’s prediction proves to be right as Kosta expresses his ruthlessness after regaining the bag from Elliot. After creating a distraction, Elliot captures Rogers’ gun, a shootout ensues, and Kosta gets shot. He falls to the ground and tries to breathe with all his might.
After Rogers’ testimony, police officers go to the scene and collect Kosta’s body, indicating that Kosta indeed dies. The disreputable kingpin’s life comes to an end in the Australian outback with no one to accompany him during his last moments. Before allowing death to defeat him outrightly, Kosta seeks the comfort of his illusion and holds the hands of the imaginary Dimitri. As he witnesses his hands, hanging alone in the air without anyone holding him, Kosta may have realized that he was always alone and the accompaniment of Dimitri was just a creation of his mind.
When Luci gives him an opportunity to talk to the real Dimitri, Kosta gets a chance to listen to his brother’s wisdom. Although Dimitri tries his best to convince Kosta that he is his real brother, the drug lord listens to the illusion inside his head, created by LSD, and dismisses his brother as a lie. The imaginary Dimitri’s influence and the realization that his brother selfishly abandoned him incite rage in Kosta, leading him to be ruthless. Realizing that there’s only one way to stay alive, Luci and Elliot kill Kosta to save themselves from the gunshots of the drug lord.
In a way, Kosta paves the way for his own death by dismissing the real Dimitri. His LSD-controlled mind gets better off the reality in front of the drug lord and escalates fury in him, forcing Luci and Elliot to kill him. A little patience to listen and understand Dimitri’s words may have saved his life and prevented Luci from plotting a plan to kill him.
Read More: The Tourist Ending, Explained: Is Elliot Dead or Alive?
