The Royals Star Breaks Down 'Hardcore' Finale: Did Cyrus Blow His Brains Out?

A new villain revealed himself in the final moments of The Royals‘ third season finale — only he’s not new. In fact, the little bugger has been hiding in plain sight all season.

Over the course of Sunday’s eye-opening hour, it became increasingly clear that Prince King Robert is to blame for everyone’s misery: He burned Jasper’s love letter, which basically catapulted Eleanor into Sebastian’s arms; he made Willow his top pick for queen after calling Kathryn a “whore”; and he fired Spencer as Lord Chamberlain, eliminating Helena’s only source of (ahem) comfort after Jack’s plane crash. (In other news, no one on this show should ever get on another plane.)

“My mouth was slightly agape the entire time I was reading the script,” Jake Maskall (aka King Cyrus) tells TVLine. “It totally wrapped the whole season up, but it also left so many stones to be unturned in Season 4. It was really hardcore, and I was genuinely scared for Cyrus. There were times when I didn’t want to turn the page.”

Fortunately, Cyrus didn’t get to follow through with that promise to blow his brains out during Robert’s coronation; just as Cyrus was about to pull the trigger, Liam burst into the room, asking for his uncle’s help.

“It’s a working partnership,” Maskall says of Liam and Cyrus’ potential alliance against Robert, adding that he hopes the series “continues to explore Cyrus’ humanity” in Season 4.

But back to Cyrus’ gun-to-head situation for a minute: Maskall admits that even he wasn’t sure how things would end up for his character in the finale.

“We filmed two endings — one with Cyrus the floor, and one not on the floor — and I honestly didn’t know which one they were going to use,” he says with a laugh.

Your thoughts on The Royals‘ season ender? Grade the finale below, then drop a comment with your full review.