This article, ”Who is Svetlana Petrova,” contains spoilers regarding Netflix’s In From the Cold season 1.
Who is Svetlana Petrova in In From the Cold season 1?
Svetlana Petrova is a Russian citizen and the mother of Anya Petrova, aka Jenny Franklin. A determined yet ruthless woman, she has no problem manipulating her daughter to reach a higher goal and her “birthright”. Svetlana appears to be resourceful and powerful, with many individuals, such as Cameo, working towards her cause. Known by some to go under the alias “Gideon”, Svetlana will take control of an individual’s mind without remorse for the consequences.
What does Svetlana Petrova do? (spoilers)
In several flashbacks during In From the Cold, Svetlana is shown to pressure Jenny/Anya into getting closer towards Dr. Arthur Orlov and his daughter Faina Orlov. When Jenny/Anya is unable to kidnap Faina, Svetlana scolds her for not sticking to the plan.
In order to test Jenny/Anya, she tasks a comrade with killing her. When Jenny/Anya doesn’t react to the trial as she would have hoped, she spits in her mouth to highlight her lack of disrespect. As the season progresses, Svetlana forces Jenny/Anya into killing Dr. Orlov (and Faina). Despite her claims, she then refuses to help her escape as guards surround Jenny/Anya. Instead, she instructs Jenny/Anya to take part in the Yaroslav Program. (Which it seems was Svetlana’s plan all along).
Going by the alias “Gideon”, Svetlana ambushes Damian. And after she controls his mind, she forces Jenny to kill him. As she owns the ice rink, Svetlana is able to get close to Becca. This provides her with the opportunity to use mind control on Becca. When Jenny attempts to protect Becca, morphing into one of Svetlana’s guards, Svetlana shoots Jenny and leaves her to die at the ice rink.
Svetlana’s attempts to kill the Prime Minister and The Senator are proven to be distractions. Instead, it’s discovered that Svetlana is using the opportunity to hijack The Senator’s mind. Her reason for doing so is to make a “correction”. She plans to make The Senator the President, which is when she will ensure The Senator will launch a missile into Russia and, therefore, cause World War 3.
As Svetlana is about to leave Madrid, Jenny ambushes her on the helipad. Svetlana reveals her plan and rattles Jenny with what she discovered after she took control of Becca’s mind. In return, Jenny shoots her in the head.
Did Svetlana underestimate her daughter? Or did she purposely push Jenny into murdering her as part of a bigger plan?
