Now that the second season has dropped, I think it’s time to get familiar with the interesting characters of the Greek drama series Maestro in Blue. Well, I don’t know if ‘interesting’ is the right word to describe these characters in the series, maybe ‘shady’ would fit better. Paxos, the small town where they live, is quite beautiful, but their lives are far from it. Anyway, enough of my blabbering; let’s see what you think of the characters after getting to know them through this cast and character guide of Maestro in Blue, streaming on Netflix.
Orestis
Orestis, played by Christopher Papakaliatis, is the “maestro” of the series, around whom the story revolves. Orestis is our main protagonist. He came to the island of Paxos from Athens to organize a music festival since he was a music teacher. Little did Orestis know that he would fall in love, let alone with a 19-year-old with a 30-year age difference. He also didn’t know he would witness the murder of the villainous character, Charalambos. After all, Orestis came here to bring people together through music and make an impact with his teaching. But he made quite an impact, becoming the talk of the town with his charming looks and dating the mayor’s daughter. Later, it was revealed that Orestis was married to a woman named Alexandra, and they were expecting a baby, which obviously became a head-turner for all since everyone thought he was single and very much available. As we get to know him, we see that he’s a very helpful man. In a town where being gay was stigmatized, he tried to address this social issue and even stood beside Maria when she needed support, as she was being abused by her husband, Charalambos. He was, in fact, a good man. In season 2, we see him move out of Paxos to Athens with his then-wife, trying to cut all ties with the town to focus on being a father to his daughter.
Klelia
Klelia, played by Klelia Andriolatou, is a 19-year-old girl who fell in love with Orestis. Honestly, in a series where all the characters are quite flawed, I think her character shows innocence. Maybe the only mistake she made, at least from society’s perspective, was falling in love with an older, married man, even though she wasn’t aware of the married part. But even after knowing that, she never stopped loving him and wanted to have a future with him where they would be together. However, when Orestis left Paxos after the murder of Charalambos without telling her, we saw her struggling to face reality. But in season 2, we see Klelia with a new look with her short hair, trying to move on with her life by focusing on her career and leaving the past behind. Klelia is living in a rented apartment with her boyfriend, Thanos, in Athens as she tries to start fresh.
Fanis
I don’t know how to describe Fanis’ character—selfish, cruel, manipulative, liar—but I’d say he’s all of those. He’s the mayor of the town of Paxos, played by Fanis Mouratidis, and to maintain his power and a sense of community, he’s willing to do anything and everything. He even dumped Charalambos’s body in the water after his son, Antonis, mistakenly killed him in self-defense. Even though it seemed like he was doing it to protect his son, in reality, he was more concerned about avoiding trouble before the upcoming music festival and election. He claimed he did everything for the sake of his children, but we know how homophobic he was. He feared that his son Antonis being gay would bring shame upon him, and he worried that Klelia’s relationship with Orestis would tarnish his reputation as well. He was afraid of how people perceived him, and that’s why he would do anything to avoid being judged and to maintain the image of being an ideal mayor who cares about the community. But the truth is far from it. He has even failed to be the perfect husband and father. Not only that, he’s even involved in a money-laundering business. So, you can imagine what kind of double-faced man he is.
Antonis
Antonis, played by Orestis Chalkias, is the son of Fanis. He has always had to hide the fact that he is gay because he knew his father wouldn’t approve of it. Even his boyfriend, Spyros, couldn’t acknowledge him, so he was already quite depressed, hiding all his emotions and writing them down on his phone. But later, we see he had to kill Charalambos, Spyros’ father, in self-defense, as Charalambos caught them in the act of being intimate and wanted to end Spyros’s life. To save Spyros, he shot Charalambos from behind. Obviously, it took a toll on him, and he wanted to find support from his boyfriend, but he became more distant from him than before. Even in season 2, we see that moving to Athens did not help him, as the past still haunts him, and he has not moved on, neither from the killing nor from his relationship.
Sofia
Sofia, played by Marisha Triantafyllidou, is the wife of Mayor Fanis. She’s not a perfect mother, daughter, or wife. Even though she wants to be there for her children, they try to hide their secrets from her. She’s never been able to open up to her own mother, Haris. Sofia tried to be the ideal trophy wife of the mayor, always smiling and presentable, but she failed at that too because she fell in love with the town doctor, Michalis. She was deeply involved in her husband’s money-laundering business and tried to hide this truth from the world, but she had enough. I’m happy to see her moving on in season 2 and trying to make a life with the doctor. Let’s see where it takes her.
Charalambos
Charalambos, played by Giannis Tsortekis, is the villain of the story. I despised him from the beginning, not just because he was involved with Fanis’ money laundering business but also because he was deeply homophobic and abusive. His wife and son were his prey. He used to beat them both. He had so much pent-up anger and frustration, which he expressed by abusing his wife, Maria, and punishing his son for being gay. There’s a saying that you shouldn’t wish death upon even your worst enemy, but I think the fact that he was murdered by Antonis was actually a blessing. However, solving his murder mystery becomes quite essential as the series progresses.
Maria
Maria, played by Maria Kavoyianni, is the only character I think is flawless in the series. The fact that she used to be physically abused by her husband breaks my heart. She has always been protective of her son, Spyros. She even helped Orestis with the music festival from the beginning. Later in season 2, we see Maria finding out about Charalambos’ illicit money and investing it in a women’s and children’s shelter for abuse victims. It’s a heroic move that she made that proved what kind of noble woman she is.
Spyros
Spyros’ character, played by Yorgos Benos, breaks my heart, and his story shows the struggle of being gay in a homophobic society and the difficulty of hiding your true identity. To do so, he had to hide his feelings for Antonis and maintain relationships with women in town to appear “man enough” because he feared his homophobic father’s judgment and physical abuse. He even tried to have a permanent girlfriend, Lianna, to prove he wasn’t gay, which is heartbreaking. Also, his financial situation wasn’t great, which led him to join forces with Fanis in the money laundering business in season 2, taking up his late father’s position.
Demosthenes
Demosthenes Kouvas is the new character we meet in season 2, a detective who gets involved in solving the murder mystery of Charalambos. Even though he’s retired, he still gets into the investigation to uncover the truth. He hides his identity in the town by getting involved with Klelia’s grandmother, Haris, to get close to the culprits. He even seeks help from Michalis to take down Fanis.
