Red Block
Episode 2 of The Longest Night begins right where we left off, with Ruso, Lennon and his group trying to break into the prison. While they do, Hugo calls for all the officers over in Red Block to organize traffic and move the guards to their cells. They need to maintain order but that’s easier said than done when all the inmates are running riot in the workshop. As for Hugo, he organizes his troops into grabbing hold of some riot gear so they can at least try and defend themselves. The thing is, the inmates are just as dangerous, with some actually locked away for murder. One of those includes Manuela, who snapped at a party and stabbed a guy with a broken bottle in the chest numerous times. Anyway, alongside getting the riot gear, Bastos and Hugo deduce that they need to head down and get the generator going ahead. There’s not much they can do without the electrics. It hasn’t been used in years, hence why it hasn’t switched on automatically. This whole mission is wracked with tension though, with hostilities between the inmates a very real problem to deal with too – especially when it comes to Nuria. Alongside several other inmates, she attempts t listen in to Hugo’s meeting as they discuss what’s happening in the prison. As for Ruso, he begins interrogating the guards over how to break into Green Block, where Simon is being kept. They’re not getting in through the front door and Raquel, one of the women, attempts to play hero and suggests they go in through the yard. Raquel is eventually tied up and kept separate to the others. Ruso and the group outside eventually decide to go ahead with Raquel’s suggestion; they’re going to go through the yard. The thing is, there’s also the subject of Hugo’s kids to contend with, given they’re both hiding out in Hugo’s office, trying to steer clear of the antagonists. After leaving a note for their father, they attempt to get out of there. Meanwhile, a group head down to the basement, lead by Spike and Hugo, attempting to get the power back on again. However, a whole wave of drama ensues in the process. Hugo takes the fight back to Ruso and the others, drawing them away from the block thanks to a Molotov cocktail that sets half of Ruso’s men on fire. As for the rest, they drive a car outside, set light to the petrol and let the whole thing blow sky high. While a shootout leads to Ruso, Lennon and the others retreating, drama ensues inside the prison as the inmates get angsty and demand to know what’s going on. Although the other guards manage to keep them under control for now, it’s certainly touch and go for a while. Hugo leads the charge for them to go after the generator. Unfortunately, Cardenal, one of the inmates, manages to find Hugo’s kids first. He seems to be using them as a bargaining chip to better their situation in the Red Block. Speaking of situations, Willy and Hugo work to get the generator back up and running. Nuria holds one of the doctors hostage while Ruso and the gang learn that there are fire trucks en-route to their location. So naturally, they do their best to try and stop them. The whole situation is eventually quelled when the electricity comes back on. However, that doesn’t stop the inmates in Red Block from busting out of their cells and deciding to head downstairs where there’s a “big party.” Among those is Cherokee, the man whom Bastos was beating last episode. As the episode closes out, several dramatic incidents occur. Down in the Red Blocks, Hugo’s kids are separated, with Guille taken captive by Cardenal. At the same time, Ruso and his group – all dressed up as prison guards – head out to confront the fire truck.
The Episode Review
With a couple of flashbacks showing Manuela’s history, The Longest Night almost comes close to characterizing this group but instead, we revert back to a breathless, pulsating chapter full of action and tension. The trouble is, we don’t actually have a whole lot of context for everything going on. The plot is moving along at such a breathless pace that nothing is given the chance to breath. This really needed more time to actually dive into the different inmates, see how the prison operates on a day to day basis, as well as Hugo’s life, before plunging everything into chaos. Still, if you’re in the mood for a non-stop thrill ride, The Longest Night certainly ticks those boxes but this is – so fat at least – a bit of a flawed venture.
