'Suburra: Blood on Rome' Season 3 Preview: Why did Spadino kill boyfriend Teo instead of his blackmailing cousin?
The finale of 'Suburra: Blood on Rome' was a treat to witness but also heartbreaking in equal proportions. On one hand, there was Lele Marchilli's out of the blue, shockingly gut wrenching suicide in front of his closest allies — Aureliano Adami and Alberto Anacleti aka Spadino. On the other hand, was Spadino's own judgment, where he took us all by surprise by taking out his biggest weakness — boyfriend Teo.
The scene came as an absolute shocker, especially since it was Spadino's cousin Alex blackmailing him and holding Teo hostage, threatening to out his closeted sexuality and their relationship to his rigidly conservative family. Yet at the last moment Spadino took a decision which didn't make sense now, but in hindsight looks like a well thought out sacrifice for his upcoming arc in Season 3.
The reasons behind Spadino killing his beloved Teo could be anything from his soon to be arriving child with Angelica to his initial fondness for Adami. The second season finale saw Spadino assure Angelica that together they are stronger; feeling the leadership and power dynamics shift to them as sort of the royals of the Anacleti clan, they also name their unborn child Caesar — a fitting name at that too.
But this was before Alex had called Spadino to tell him about having beaten up Teo and forced him to spew out the truth about their relationship, so what propels him?
When Spadino kills Teo, he is eliminating a number of risks through the sacrifice. First of all, it's a clear indication of shutting out that part of his life — something that posed a constant threat to his rise to power. With Angelica and him emerging in charge, Spadino wants to get rid of anything that could incriminate his position in the family. Unhealthy as that might be, Spadino is taking no risks at the top.
Secondly, this could also do with the fact that right after Lele's suicide, a very emotional and overwhelmed Adami tells Spadino that he loves him. Spadino's feelings for Adami have been no secret and quite long withstanding. while it would be foolish for him to kill his lover hoping for a chance with the man who loved him just platonically, maybe Teo was just a distraction from making his bond with Adami even stronger?
Going forward, he could focus on keeping their connection tight, and probably loving him from afar knowing Adami loves him back too, even if it's not the way that Spadino wants. There's also the grim prospect of having leverage over Alex. The man is more useful to him alive than dead and by showing what he's willing to sacrifice for his hustle, Spadino might have just intimidated Alex to a great degree, thereby ushering him under his thumb once again.
This could prove to be more than beneficial for him when Season 3 rolls in. 'Suburra: Blood on Rome' premieres on October 30 on Netflix.