RIP Oleksandra Balakin (Elizaveta Neretin). Lioness fans knew the fate of the Ukrainian FISU operative/ long-term mole in the Russian SVR was sealed the second that Byron Westfield (Michael Kelly) and Kaitlyn Meade (Nicole Kidman) began to think Ukraine was responsible for Joe McNamara’s (Zoe Saldaña) abduction. Even though Balakin was innocently minding her own business under a new identity in Oklahoma City, she was never truly safe to start a new life. After entering Witness Protection, Balakin was a loser in the spy game.

In a chilling sequence in the Season 3 finale. Delta Force operators Grady (Ian Bohen) and Cody J (Matt Gerald) surprise Balakin at her home when she’s fresh out of the shower. They force her to get dressed. They even make sure she puts on comfortable running shoes. When asked about that detail, Neretin explained her thoughts on that choice: “The slip-on shoes can get lost. If she’s wearing shoes that tie, that’s one less potential loose end,” said Neretin. Even though she tries to escape, she is no match for the two men. Her dead body is later discovered by a civilian and his dog off a public trail.

Neretin revealed that series creator Taylor Sheridan himself told her about Balakin’s tragic end. “Taylor gave me a call before he sent out Episode 8,” said Neretin. “He was like, ‘I gotta do it for the story.’ I was like, ‘That’s okay, I had a feeling.’” While audiences may have held out hope that Balakin could have lived out the rest of her days in Witness Protection, Neretin was much more pragmatic. “Oleksandra knew going into this line of work that this could be a possibility,” said Neretin. “After she started to work with them in Episode 3, she knew that they would eventually see her as a liability.”

Neretin hopped on a call with DECIDER to discuss her character’s murder, share what she’ll take away from this experience, and more.

DECIDER: When is Taylor Sheridan gonna let one of your characters make it out of his series alive?

ELIZAVETA NERETIN: Who knows? [Laughs] This time, my character lasted a whole season, so yay! Last time, I was just in the pilot. We’re moving in the right direction.

I was so sad to learn of Olesksandra’s fate. When did you find out she was going to be murdered?

Taylor gave me a call before he sent out Episode 8. He was like, “I gotta do it for the story.” I was like, “That’s okay, I had a feeling.” They were just so brutal with her. I wasn’t too surprised.

Was her story always destined to end this way?

I mean, miracles do happen [laughs]. Though, her end makes sense to me. Oleksandra knew going into this line of work that this could be a possibility. It was a risk she was willing to take. After she started to work with them in Episode 3, she knew that they would eventually see her as a liability.

The first time Cody J and Grady came to her home, Oleksandra was scared, but she knew they weren’t there to kill her because Kyle was present.

But there was no Kyle the second time.

Do you think Kyle’s absence is what tipped her off that they were coming to kill her?

100%. Kyle’s the brain, and they are the muscle, right? Why else would the muscle be coming to her? It makes no other sense.

I thought that was such a chilling detail when Cody J instructs her to put on her running shoes instead of the slip-ons.

Yeah, me too. In my mind, the reason for that is that slip-on shoes can get lost. If she’s wearing shoes that tie, that’s one less potential loose end when they would be dragging her body. That’s how I chose to play the scene.

What do you think of the decision not to show Oleksandra’s murder on-screen? Was that scene filmed?

Oh, interesting. We didn’t film her actual murder, but I wonder if that’s more of a question for Taylor. He writes some pretty gruesome things. With Mayor of Kingstown, I filmed many more scenes than what ended up in the pilot. However, that wasn’t the case this time.

Good writing means you don’t write the things that are obvious. The viewers already knew she was going to die. So, what would be the purpose of showing her being murdered? Every scene has to have a purpose. Again, I don’t want to speak for Taylor, but perhaps that’s why the audience only saw her dead body. That’s all they needed to see.

Joe is genuinely distressed when she learns of Oleksandra’s fate. Do you think there was a world where they could have worked together?

I think so. When we were filming Episode 3, I had an interesting moment with Zoe. Even though Joe is very judgmental towards Oleksandra, Zoe was clear that she wanted the two women to have a shared level of respect between them. I agreed with that. I think in their respective governments, they are equals in a lot of ways.

I think Oleksandra’s murder will stay with Joe.

I do too. She blamed Oleksandra for the abduction, but realized her mistake too late. I think anytime Joe loses a woman in her life, she is affected. The series pilot begins with her having to kill one of her Lionesses while she was on a mission. Decisions like that are always in the back of her mind.

What did you take away from playing Oleksandra on Lioness?

I gained a newfound respect for stunt actors. I’m just starting in my career, so I really had no idea what that physical work entails. I also learned what I’m capable of and what I need to leave to the professionals [laughs]. Seeing how these stunt men and women work and the dedication they have for their jobs made me want to reevaluate the kind of work I want to do later on.

Taylor Sheridan just keeps on creating shows. Is there any other show in his universe that you’d like to jump into next?

I like his prequel series to Yellowstone. I love period stuff. It would be so cool to be around horses and wear corsets. We studied Chekhov at Juilliard for two months. We trained and performed in corsets. It was like a whole different universe. It almost seems magical to me. That’s what I would like to do next within Taylor’s world.