The Lair
Who killed Mario?
Episode 6 of Santo starts with Paulo (Cardona’s colleague) secretly receiving a message. Meanwhile, the kidnapped kids are being taken to a house, probably Santo’s lair. Will the police save them in time? Agent Millán is trying to convince Susi to look for Santo around the San Miguel neighborhood. He is certain they are getting close to Santo and wants to take him down. At the home-front, his daughter has been discharged from the hospital. He gets a call from Maria (the lady he was having an affair with), they meet up and she tells him she won’t talk. She is hoping that she will find the man who killed her son Mario in return for her silence. Agent Millán lets her know that he already found out who killed Mario but refuses to tell her more. Cardona was the one who killed Mario while he was under the influence during one of the ritualistic torture sessions Santo put him through.
Is Paulo a spy?
Meanwhile, it seems Cardona contacted Paulo to bring him fake documents and cash. Paulo goes to Madrid with the papers and the money to help Cardona leave Spain. Cardona asks for his help and tells him that he feels he is really close to Santo. He takes her to their hideout with Barbara. Barbara is not ecstatic to see him and tells Cardona that Paulo was the one who betrayed him. It looks like Paulo is a spy for Santo and has been feeding him information about undercover cops sent to infiltrate his cult. Paulo admits that he betrayed Cardona and told Santo about him being an undercover cop. He says he is sorry about how things turned out as he never expected Santo to reiterate by killing Vera (Cardona’s lover). Cardona wants to kill him but he is stopped by Barbara. He confronts Barbara about the lies and secrets she has been keeping from him. She in turn accuses him of the same, as he didn’t tell her his true name, or the truth about Vera. Barbara asks him what he wants from her. Does he want to save her or himself? She tells him there is no way out of hell. She believes that no one can save her from Santo; she has resigned to her fate. After their talk, Barbara leaves their hideout, but Cardona and Paulo follow her. She is heading to San Miguel and is picked up by Santo’s men in a black van.
What happens to Chinche?
Maria and Chinche argue about who is the boss. Maria is angry that Chinche betrayed Agent Millán but Chinche assures her that he will protect her. As they talk at the gas station, Chinche gets out to fill up the gas tank. A black van similar to the one Barbara got into pulls up and two men open fire, killing Chinche on the spot. They take his body, burn it, and leave it at a warehouse. Susi goes through the footage collected from the warehouse and tries to get a trace of the van they were using. The scene cuts to Barbara arriving at an unknown location. The kids that were kidnapped are taken out of the van. She heads in and has a talk with Agent Millán who is also tied up in the house. She gives him a drink that seems laced with heavy drugs and tells him they are finally with “our Pai.” The drink gives Agent Millán heavy hallucinations and weakens his state of mind.
What happens with the kidnapped kids?
In the meantime, Paulo and Cardona arrive at the compound where the kids and Agent Millán are being held. Cardona starts having flashbacks of being there before. Paulo is spotted and killed by Santo’s men while Cardona surrenders. Barbara is getting ready to perform a ritual, she is dressed in white clothing and keeps saying a mantra. Susi and her new partner soon arrive at the compound and are carefully making their way into the building. Cardona’s memories are coming back and he remembers Barbara as being the leader during the rituals. She is currently taking charge of the ritual and the truth is beginning to dawn on him. Santo’s men give Agent Millán a machete and order him to kill one of the kidnapped boys. This is when Cardona steps in and takes one of Santo’s men by surprise and takes his gun from him. A gunfight ensues and Cardona rushes to protect the boy. How does Santo season 1 end? In the final takedown, Agent Millán follows Barbara and confronts her. He demands to know where Santo is and Barbara replies, “I have always been with you.” Cardona walks in at that moment and hears Barbara’s confession to being Santo. Agent Millán tries to shoot Barbara but Cardona stops him. This gives a chance for Barbara to make an escape and Agent Millán gets shot. In the next scene,Agent Millán wakes up in the hospital and the first thing he asks is where Cardona is. Susi says she doesn’t know, Cardona went into hiding. She hands him his phone and he receives a video message from his daughter. In the video, his daughter is begging for her life as someone in the background strangles her boyfriend. The person recording the video is Barbara.
The Episode Review
For an ending, this episode failed to build the tension and the stakes. It felt rushed and lacked the je ne sais quoi to leave the viewers shocked. It was predictable and a tad boring as the characters failed to see what was right before their eyes. I am not shocked that Cardona chose to save Barbara again. I am offended he still chose her even after remembering what she does to children. This is one of the most toxic relationships I have seen on TV! All in all, the episode was severely disappointing.
