A Gentleman In Moscow Ending Explained

The ending of A Gentleman in Moscow brings with it the conclusion of Alexander Rostov’s story, with his 35-year stretch of imprisonment inside Moscow’s Metropol Hotel coming to a halt. After returning home from Paris in 1918 to save his grandmother from the violence of Russia’s Bolshevik revolution, Count Rostov is sentenced to life imprisonment for his status as a member of the nation’s ruling class. However, instead of being locked in a prison cell, Ewan McGregor’s character is confined to the walls of a luxury hotel in the nation’s capital.

Alexander is spared execution, unlike so many of his other social peers. The reason for the leniency is Alexander being incorrectly credited with a poem titled “Where is our Purpose Now?” The literary work, actually written in 1913 by Alexander’s old friend, Mishka, was partially credited as inciting the Revolution. The count manages to carve out some level of existence for himself at the Metropol, with the novelty of his situation quickly wearing off. Along the way, Alexander Rostov finds the family he’d never had before, giving a man who’d lost everything something else to lose.

What Happens To Alexander Rostov After He Leaves The Metropol Hotel Explained

The Post-escape Fate Of McGregor’s Character Is Unknown

At the end of A Gentleman in Moscow episode 8, “Adieu,” Alexander dons his hat and strolls through the doors of the Metropol Hotel. After all the phones in the building ring at once as Richard Vanderwhile’s signal that Sofia is safe, Alexander can depart while knowing his surrogate daughter is in trusted hands. While Alexander is shown successfully leaving the building, the other side of the door isn’t shown, so it’s impossible to confirm what happens to the Count after this scene. Even the show’s narrator, an older Sofia, confirms that she never knew what her father did next.

“I discovered that Papa had escaped the hotel, but what happened after remains a mystery. I like to imagine [Alexander and Anna] finally free, living out the rest of their lives together. They gave me the greatest gift of life. I’ll keep them in my heart. Always. ”

The sequence that’s shown of Alexander’s reunion with Anna in “Adieu” is shot in the same 4:3 aspect ratio as A Gentleman in Moscow‘s flashbacks sequences, which were often from Count Rostov’s point of view. However, as Sofia confirms that she never saw her parents again, this particular scene can’t be a memory. Instead, what’s being shown is Sofia’s imaginings, dreaming of the two people who risked so much to save her enjoying a well-deserved, peaceful life.

The black apples shown during this scene are another sign that it’s nothing more than Sofia’s fantasy. Earlier in the same episode, Alexander tells the Metropol staff of an old legend from when he was growing up. The story tells of a tree hidden deep in the woods, bearing “Apples as black as coal.” If a person found and ate the apples, they would have the chance to live their life anew. Alexander immediately adds that he wouldn’t eat the apples if he were to find them today, as despite his tumultuous life, it’s a journey he doesn’t regret.

How & Why Sofia Flees Russia At The End Of A Gentleman In Moscow

Sofia’s One-way Trip To America Took Careful Planning

Despite being a staunch patriot, Alexander is still of the opinion that Sofia would have a better life in America than she would if she were to stay in Russia. Thankfully, Alexander’s spying on the country’s top brass in A Gentleman in Moscow episode 7, “An Assembly,” also presents an opportunity for McGregor’s character to send his daughter to safety. The scheme is carried out in collaboration with Alexander’s American ally, Richard Vanderwhile, who plans the operation for them.

With the recordings from the meeting in her possession, Sofia heads to Paris as part of a musical tour. After performing, she cuts her hair short and changes her clothes to blend in with the crowd and leaves without being spotted. The powers that be grow wise to her scheme, as they move her performance slot from before the interval to the penultimate position in the running order. Thankfully, Sofia still has just enough time and barely manages to avoid being detected. After arriving at the American embassy in Paris, Vanderwhile arranges for Sofia to be flown to the USA.

Where Alexander Rostov Stands With Osip Glebnikov At The End Of A Gentleman In Moscow

Alexander & Osip Exchange Declarations Of Friendship

Alexander’s relationship with Osip Glebnikov is intentionally unclear throughout A Gentleman in Moscow. Although Osip is essentially responsible for making sure Alexander doesn’t break the terms of his sentence by leaving the Metropol, Alexander’s jailer chooses to spend more time with his prisoner than is necessary for him to perform his duties. They engage in etiquette lessons, debates about literature, and even start to watch movies together. However, it mostly seems as though Osip is forcing the interactions to take place. Despite the ambiguity of their arrangement, Osip admits in the finale that he values their relationship.

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While warning McGregor’s character of the danger Sofia is in – and by extension, Alexander himself – Osip says, “I like you, Alexander. I think of you as a friend.” The count replies in his signature guarded style: “As do I you, in a manner of speaking.” Osip may not have been the most valued figure to Alexander in his day-to-day life, but their friendship offered both men a different perspective.

In addition, Osip also assisted Alexander return to the Metropol undetected following Sofia’s trip to the hospital – an act that could have had both characters severely punished, if not killed.

Did Alexander Leave Manager Leplevsky To Die?

Alexander Finally Takes The Revenge He’s Been Trying To Avoid

Leplevsky is the biggest villain throughout the story of A Gentleman in Moscow, with Alexander’s life at the Metropol Hotel becoming more difficult as his nemesis rises through the ranks. With Alexander’s planned departure from the hotel imminent, it initially seems as though he’s willing to let bygones be bygones and spare Leplevsky any acts of revenge. Unfortunately for the hotel manager, his last-minute discovery of Alexander’s plan to escape results in McGregor needing to take action.

After arming himself with the dueling pistols from the manager’s office, Alexander chains up Leplevsky in the bowels of the Metropol Hotel. At the same time, he incinerates the files the manager had been collating about the hotel’s staff – Alexander and Sofia included. Leplevsky begs to be set free as Alexander departs, with the exchange between the two adversaries suggesting it would be a while before anyone finds the trapped hotel boss. So, while Alexander doesn’t directly murder Manager Leplevsky, he could still be responsible for his death.

How Alexander’s Imprisonment In The Metropol Hotel Was The Beginning Of His Life (Not The End)

Alexander Rostov’s Personal Life Somehow Flourished At The Metropol

When Alexander was sentenced to life imprisonment, he was in his early thirties. His only surviving family member was his grandmother, whom he had helped escape the country four years previously. In addition, he was estranged from Mishka – his oldest friend. Alexander had never married, nor fathered any children. Despite his life of wealth and privilege that had preceded his incarceration, he was deeply alone. Somewhat surprisingly, Alexander’s decades trapped in the Metropol led to some of the most important relationships in his life.

Despite the early trauma of seeing Prince Nikolai being dragged out of the hotel to be shot in the street in A Gentleman in Moscow episode 1, Alexander went on to hit a rich vein of social bonds. His friendship with Nina was vital during the early stages of his sentence, and although the pair struggled to stay on the same political wavelengths at times, their special relationship weathered the storm. Alexander also eventually managed to build bridges with Mishka.

If Alexander was a father figure to Nina, then he was essentially a grandfather in his role as generational caretaker when Sofia was left in the count’s care. Alexander raised Sofia as his own, while making sure she never forgot her birth mother. Eventually, Alexander’s on-and-off romantic dynamic with Anna Urbanova solidified into a solid foundation of love and trust, with the pair essentially becoming joint parents to Sofia. As a result, Alexander hit several milestones during his imprisonment that he either neglected or failed to achieve while he was a free man.

The Real Meaning Of A Gentleman In Moscow’s Ending

Alexander’s Unconfirmed Destiny Compounds The Story Of Love And Loss

A Gentleman in Moscow, like so many other stories, is about love. However, the show’s theme of love is also tied into the concept of loss, and how the two interact with one another. The love that Alexander Rostov has for Anna and Sofia results in him putting their safety first, ensuring they are away from the Metropol Hotel and safely on their respective ways to their new homes at the time of him making his escape attempt.

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Alexander is fully aware of the risks to himself, Anna, and Sofia that their plan presents. Still, the love he has for his found family makes him willing to put himself in harm’s way if it means there’s a chance of a better tomorrow for the daughter he cherishes and the woman he loves. Osip acts in a similar vein by helping Alexander. Despite losing his wife and daughter, Osip chooses not to let his grief turn him bitter and instead makes sure Alexander doesn’t suffer the same heartbreak.

Sofia’s fantasy of her parents living out their days together is about as perfect an ending as the show can expect, with the unconfirmed nature of the scenario contributing to the dark beauty of the story’s conclusion. The trio would never have had the life they’d wanted in the building that brought the three of them together. Knowing this, they give their best effort to free themselves of the restrictions imposed upon them by Alexander’s prison sentence. A Gentleman in Moscow‘s final episode perfectly encapsulates the tale’s message of sacrifice in the name of love.

How A Gentleman In Moscow’s Ending Was Received

The Final Episode Was Praised By Fans But Some Critized The Sentimentality Of The Ending

A Gentleman in Moscow’s ending was one that could lead to somewhat of a mixed response among audiences. It was a bittersweet conclusion that saw a lot of triumphs and happy moments, but perhaps not the perfect conclusion for these characters that a lot of viewers had been hoping for throughout the 8 episodes. However, many fans on Reddit expressed satisfaction with the ending which they felt was in keeping with the feeling of the show. The ending also inspired theories about what the final moment with Alexander and Anna on a farm meant with Redditor jcapser suggesting:

With Sofia’s narration over the ending scene I think it could be a depiction of her imagination of how they ended up.

The overall response among fans was positive with the final episode earning the highest rating for the series on IMDb. However, there were some fans who felt the ending let down the rest of the series. User Limeginger left a review in which they praised the series’ earlier episodes but felt that the show eventually became overcome with sentimentality, leading to a disappointing ending:

“It’s that it began with great dignity, subtlety, and import and turned into a mediocre soap opera.”

Indeed, some critics also felt that the series’ sentimental aspects were too strong by the end of the story, hampering aspects of the finale. In a look at the final episode, The Daily Beast admitted that there were some emotionally affecting moments, such as Alexander and Sofia saying goodbye. However, they also described the finale as “saccharine” and felt that the final scene only works to “end the show on such a lackluster note.”

A Gentleman in Moscow

Based on the novel by Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow is a historical dramatic-thriller created by Ben Vanstone for Paramount+ and Showtime. Following the advent of the Russian Revolution, Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov is forced to spend several decades locked away in a hotel room and watch as the country around him transforms.

Release Date

March 29, 2024

Seasons

1