Hail Mary
What led to Simon becoming a murderer?
Episode 6 of The Longest Night starts with us up on the rooftop, with Simon taunting Hugo and telling him to make the phone call. With no phones working inside the prison, he needs to think quick otherwise Laura is going to die. Back in 2015, we see Simon go about his day; a repetitive cycle of eating hard boiled eggs, waking up at 7.10am and settling into an uneventful life. After burning his hand in boiling water one day, something inside Simon snaps. He stabs his partner numerous times, letting her bleed out in his hands. As he looks up at the sky, he lets out a satisfied sigh, as he seemingly finds his purpose. Fast forward 7 years and Simon is eating a much larger breakfast. He’s also grown a lot more elaborate in his schemes, holding a kid up at gunpoint. Receiving a package with a phone inside, he prepares for the next step of his operation, which becomes apparent later on down the line.
What’s the plan?
Back inside the prison for now, Lennon and the rest of the gang learn that Hugo is being blackmailed into submission, hence why he’s so fiercely fought back against them. At the same time, Ruso is still kept captive, with Elisa pleading with him to see sense. Interestingly, Hugo heads down and meets up with Diego and Willy, who confirm that Sara has put blockers on their phones. However, if they can get to a high point – namely hat in Green Block – they make be able to make calls. Specifically, Hugo may be able to ring and keep his daughter alive.
What is the code-word for Hugo’s call?
That’s easier said than done though when in Red Block, Lennon and Ruso’s men open fire while keeping Raquel and several other workers captive. With them outside, ready to break into the Red Block, Cherokee organizes traffic, deciding they should plot their escape and make it out through his escape hatch. The thing is, Sara is acting independently, having earlier colluded with Javi, and could thwart their whole plan. Meanwhile, Hugo catches up with Bastos where he confirms that Willy didn’t sell him out – it was Hugo. Hugo is the one who reported him for his behaviour in the prison. Off the back of this, Bastos agrees to work with Ruso, demanding his report be destroyed in exchange for busting the officer out. Elsewhere, Simon tasks Hugo with phoning his daughter and saying the words “Valentina is waiting.” When Hugo leaves the security room, Simon is left handcuffed to the shelf. So naturally, Bastos and Ruso appear and notice him alone. Ruso grabs a walkie and speaks to Lennon, confirming they’ve struck a deal and that no shots are to be fired.
Does Hugo make his call in time?
When they break into the Red Block, Hugo drives a car right through the corridors, thwarting Lennon and Ruso’s threat. He takes out a fair few of the guards as Ruso tasks the other officers to try and track him down. At the same time, Cherokee finds Bastos but he’s quickly thwarted by several of Lennon’s men. With the time dangerously approaching 1am, Laura’s captor, Rosa, prepares to fire against the innocent girl she has tied up in her room. As for Hugo though, he manages to get up to the rooftop, gets some signal and makes the call, just in time. However, Laura goes into shock and begins having a fit. It appears to be something with her heart; a pay-off to those flashbacks we’ve seen for Laura falling into the swimming pool and being saved by her parents.
How does Rosa fit into this?
We then cut back 6 hours earlier and see that Rosa was actually part of this whole elaborate scheme, with her daughter Valentina kept captive and forcing them into capturing Laura. Anyway, up on the roof Hugo is approached by Lennon, who beats the guy down. Lennon is angry that they never negotiated together earlier in the season, although Hugo is quick to point out the guy killed three inmates in cold blood so it wasn’t much of a negotiation to begin with. As they talk, police sirens suddenly wail outside. It turns out Hugo actually phoned the police.
How does The Longest Night season 1 end?
In a hail mary move, Hugo tries to strike a deal with Lennon to get out of this. Either they work together or he’s going to be arrested for breaking into the prison. With little other choice, Lennon decides to work with Hugo. With the whole prison locked down, Simon takes advantage and kills one of the guards. In doing so, our serial killer is left all alone with Elisa and the kids. Meanwhile, Raquel goes into labour while Hugo learns that there’s someone on the inside working with Simon. Finally we see a photo of Hugo alongside Rosa and her husband and a fourth guy, someone who has been operating in the shadows this whole time. And with that, we end things on an agonizing cliffhanger!
The Episode Review
The Longest Night could have been a really good Spanish series. The ingredients are here for a bombastic and pulsating action thriller but instead, everything has come together to form a rather messy series. The characterization has been lacking all the way across the board, with Hugo in particular a blank slate. He’s the typical white male protagonist you’d see in videogames and that’s not a particular endearing trait – especially when the end of this season seems to hint that he’s a crucial part of this whole operation. The drama inside and outside the prison actually has some promise and it’s particularly disappointing to see this show take so many shortcuts to get to the end. This needed a good 10 episodes or so to get to know everyone, understand all their connections, and allow this expansive cast more to play with. Take Lennon/Ruso’s group for example. We know a little about Sara, we know Richi by name and we barely even see Ruso and Lennon until right at the end of the show. This is one of those series that could go either way with people, and given there’s a lot of action and gunfights, this could be enough to win fans over. The problem is, is there really anything here that’s all that memorable? Across the board, this show is full of forgettable characters. A month down the line are we actually going to remember any of these guys? Compared to something like Prison Break, which includes so many memorable players, this one really does pale by comparison, which is a shame. Either way though, we’ve got a big ol’ cliffhanger ready for a possible second season to ensue.
