Sumith Prasad
The third season of Paramount+’s crime drama series ‘Mayor of Kingstown’ begins with a surprise concerning Tatiana, the right-hand woman of Milo Sunter, a Russian mobster and one of the main antagonists of the show’s first two installments. Instead of Milo, Tatiana meets Konstantin, who doesn’t take long to establish that he is the real head of the Russian Mafia. Tatiana is eager to remain pleasant in front of him, who has been keeping an eye on her every move. As the season premiere episode concludes, Konstantin displays how ruthless he is by killing Tatiana. Her murder is an integral part of the violence that will unfold in Kingstown in the rest of the episodes! SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Untrustworthy Ally
Konstantin kills Tatiana because the latter ceases to be trustworthy for the Russian Mafia boss. In the closing scenes of the second season, Milo escapes from death once again, as the explosion of his boat doesn’t kill him. After saving himself from the ambiguous attack on his life, Milo calls Tatiana to inform her that he is alive. The mobster decides against disappearing into thin air before calling her because he trusts her. The third season premiere reveals that Tatiana betrayed the same trust. When Konstantin confronts her, she says that she gave him Milo, indicating that the club owner led the former’s forces to her partner-in-crime after he faked his death.
Even though Tatiana did a favor to Konstantin, her decision to betray Milo’s trust emerges as a warning for Konstantin. He understands that he cannot rely on Tatiana when she has made it clear that she can turn sides easily. The last thing Konstantin wants is an ally to switch teams and turn against him. To avoid a potential headache, he kills Tatiana. If the Mafia boss has killed Milo by now, he doesn’t have anything to gain from the club owner, leading him to murder her without giving her any time to hide her child. Even though he kills Tatiana, he seemingly spares her baby, who may grow up under the care of one of his gang members.
Gratiela Brancusi’s Exit From Mayor of Kingstown
Although neither Paramount+ nor Gratiela Brancusi has formally announced the actress’ departure from ‘Mayor of Kingstown,’ Tatiana’s death is enough to conclude that we have seen the last of Brancusi in the crime drama. The writers of the series are ruthless about killing characters off, as the first episode itself stuns the viewers with the death of Mitch McLusky. If there is a dead body, it is an unofficial guarantee that the narrative is moving on from the character. As far as Tatiana is concerned, the conclusion of her character arc makes sense. Konstantin’s emergence as a merciless antagonist displays where the third season is heading.
In the rest of the installment’s episodes, we can expect Konstantin to become a major concern for Mike McLusky. As a battle is brewing between the two, Tatiana, or even Milo for that matter, becomes an irrelevant player. Tatiana has nothing to contribute to as the big guns prepare to fight a war. That can be the reason why the writers of the show chose to kill Brancusi’s character. Throughout the series, deaths have been used to establish the ruthlessness of life in Kingstown. Mitch and Miriam McLusky’s deaths are two significant examples of the same. Through Tatiana’s murder, the writers must have wanted to establish how frightening Konstantin is.
Killing Tatiana is a perfect introduction to what to expect from Konstantin. If he can turn against his ally, who is also a mother with a newborn on her hands, this easily, Mike and his gang have to fear him. Therefore, Tatiana’s death and Brancusi’s exit can be seen as developments that cater to the introduction of one of this season’s primary antagonists.
