As much as Alexei Rozanov is peice of shit brother, I gotta say, I can see how he got that way.
Imagin having a dad who never said a kind word and wouldn't even praise you when you succeed. (And we know this because when iliya got the #1 draft spot, Gergori discribed iliya as "lazy" to other people.)
Imagin having a mom who killed herself when you were a teenager. If you already had some mental health issues, I can see how it easy it would be to spiral into substance abuse. And Sasha showed that substance are certainly available to be abused.
And then imagin the shame of having your baby brother succeed and get out when you failed....it proves that the goals your father set weren't impossible, you just wern't good enough.
And why would anyone local help you when your rich brother in America or your powerfull father surely sends give you money.
If I were in that situation I'd probably also hate myself and everyone else.
And to have to take care of your verbally abusive father with dementia for month as he declined would have been really hard. Not just emotional byt physical too. Yes, you are being paid for this, but it doubt it was a 40 hour a week gig. It was full time. That would wear down the patience of saint. Let alone an ordinary man. And Iliya, the golden child, isnt there. And will only provide monitary support. Its not a realy, its a ultramarathom to your fathers death. How many times did Alexie have to call his brother to tell him there father was dead? It was atleast three times.
And Alexie doesn't know what will happen after Gregori's death. If Gergori had a job before his father got sick, it's not waiting for him after six months.
He's burnt out and scared.
So we get to see Alexie on one of the worst days of his not very great life.
It doesn't excuse his behavior, but the show does such a good job laying out all the ways that the Gigori and Russia and hurt Iliya that I can't help noticing thier first victim even as his passes on the pain.
He's not a great brother, or a great man. But I imagine hearing that he could have his brothers apartment and his daughter would have a trust that he couldn't access was almost a relief. Because now when people asked Alexie about money and his brother, Alexie could finally tell them were the lines were drawn. And maybe alexie Romanov can be someone other than Rozanov family fuck up.....or maybe he can drink himself to death.
But atleast he gets to do it own his own terms
