Maestro In Blue: Is Fanis Dead Or Alive? Character, Explained

When it comes to romantic dramas, there are no such things as heroes or villains in the strict sense of the terms, only characters who represent different shades of the moral spectrum and are guided by their personal motivations. Despite that being the case, in the Greek drama series Maestro in Blue, the character of Fanis can be easily identified as an out-and-out antagonist with no redeeming qualities. A shrewd politician with no moral compass, a manipulative, toxic husband who exploited his wife to cover up his illegal activities, and a pathetic father who didn’t care about the well-being of his children, Fanis single-handedly messed up the lives of everyone he was close to from the very beginning, and his absence changed things in a significant way as well. The third season of Maestro in Blue offers a thorough look at the transformation in the lives of the members of Fanis’ family following his absence, which is put into perspective through his actions as shown through the previous two seasons. 

Spoilers Ahead

As the mayor of the town of Paxos, Fanis was determined to maintain an image represent a progressive political figure who valued traditions, someone who is in touch with the ground reality and tries to uplift the community through welfare and charity. To uphold the image of a perfect leader, he projected a perfect image of his personal life as well—as a responsible father to Klelia and Antonis and a devoted husband to his wife Sofia. Whereas, in reality, this concocted image of him stood in total contrast to the kind of person he truly was. Fanis was actively involved in the illegal drug trade with the Italian mafia, and his right-hand man, Charalambos, used to assist him in the secretive operations. Fanis wanted to shape the town’s finances and trade to suit his nefarious trade, without caring about the community or people who could have ended up in a miserable state due to such change. Compared to the reality of his professional life, Fanis proved to be even more of a despicable human being in his personal life. He shamelessly cheated on his wife Sofia and even made silly excuses to justify his actions when Sofia confronted him. Sofia was a victim of Fanis’ psychological abuse, as she had to cover up for her husband on a number of occasions and had to get involved in his nefarious schemes by going against her own will. It can be said that out of love for her children, Sofia was unable to leave Fanis, and even though she started a relationship with town doctor Michalis, she had to carry the loveless burden of her failed marriage. Fanis didn’t care that his wife had fallen in love with someone else; for him, upholding the public image of a perfect family was much more important. 

Fanis was a pathetic father, as seen in the way he tried to threaten Orestis to give up his relationship with Klelia, as he feared the townsfolk would react adversely if they found out that the mayor’s daughter was having a relationship with a much older outsider. He wanted Klelia to have a relationship with Thanos instead, whom he considered a perfect son-in-law, though he eventually turned out to be a manipulative abuser who scarred Klelia for life. A homophobic Fanis had no hesitation to show his utter disappointment with his son Antonis when he came out as gay, and on multiple occasions, he tried to demean Antonis for his sexual orientation. When Antonis accidentally killed Charalambos to save his lover, Spyros, Fanis helped his son to get rid of Charalambos’ body, not because he tried to protect his son, but due to his desperation to protect the image he wanted to project about himself. Everything in Fanis’ life boiled down to his reputation, his personal benefit, and no one else mattered. 

Once it was revealed that Fanis was cheating on Sofia with Italian mafia boss Giovanni’s wife, Joana, it was pretty apparent who was behind his murder. The surprising reveal was Sofia’s direct involvement in his death, as she ended up making a secretive deal with Giovanni on her own to take Fanis out of the picture. Once Sofia had realized that Fanis was trying to cover up Charalambos’ murder investigation solely to protect himself and didn’t care a dime about Antonis, and the fact that he will forever keep exploiting her for his selfish means, there was no turning back for Sofia. She couldn’t get out of the cycle Fanis had trapped her in; the second-best option for her was to eliminate him, which she was able to do by setting Fanis up with Giovanni’s help.

Fanis’ death liberated his family, who were pressured to live a life of lies for so long. Klelia chose her passion for music and left Paxos to join a prestigious music academy in Budapest, whereas Antonis decided to take accountability for his actions, and along with his lover, Spyros, surrendered himself to the authorities, thereby breaking the cycle of deceit and lies his father had gone through all his life. It remains unknown as to whether Sofia can live the life she desires with her lover, Michalis, as she remains entangled in the life of crime her husband had dragged her into. Sofia takes up Fanis’ role and continues doing business with Giovanni, and it seems she will not be able to escape from this cycle after all. But at least there is no one around to use her as a puppet any longer; she can exercise greater command in her life, something which might bring some relief to her after all.