Tamal Kundu
The first season of ‘The Longest Night’ entirely takes place on the night of Christmas Eve. By the time episode 6 concludes, it’s just past 1 a.m. Like serial killer Simón Lago (Luis Callejo), also known as The Alligator, promised prison director Hugo Roca (Alberto Ammann), it indeed has been a long night. Simón is one of the main characters of the show. The story begins with his arrest. Hugo has to keep him safe from a group of armed individuals attacking Baruca Hill Psychiatric Correctional Facility. If he fails, his daughter will be killed.
Oftentimes, serial killers in films and TV shows are based on real-life murderers. If you are wondering whether that is the case with Simón in ‘The Longest Night,’ we got you covered. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Who Is Simón Lago?
As Dr. Elisa Montero (Bárbara Goenaga), Hugo’s girlfriend and colleague at Baruca, tells him, Simón is not only a vicious killer but also dangerously intelligent, which sets him apart from any other inmate/patient at Baruca. Not long after his arrival, Simón unnerves Hugo by letting him know that he knows his name. When Hugo receives the video message about Laura’s kidnapping, he rushes to confront Simón. That’s when the armed group arrives and separates Baruca from the rest of the world by jamming phone signals and turning off the electricity.
Simon apparently began killing in 2015 after growing bored with his life. In 2021, someone reached out to him, presumably the person helping him from outside the facility in 2022. He receives the nickname The Alligator because of the brutal way he murdered and mutilated his victims. He would then put the pieces in trash bags and bury them. At the start of the series, it is revealed that the authorities have found 20 bodies in total.
After he arrives at Baruca, Simón gradually takes the control of the facility away from Hugo. It isn’t forceful in any way. But because Simón’s people have kidnaped Laura, Hugo begins putting the lives of his staff and his inmates/patients on the line to keep the serial killer away from the clutches of the attackers. One of the officers, Macarena Montes, recognizes that Hugo has been compromised and tries to hand Simón over to the attackers before any more deaths, but a desperate Hugo pushes her off the rooftop, killing her.
Is Simón Lago Based on a Real Serial Killer?
No, Simón Lago isn’t based on a real serial killer. However, Spain does have its share of historical serial killers, including Manuel Delgado Villegas or El Arropiero and Alfredo Galán. Although ‘The Longest Night’ is filled to the brim with gripping action and suspense, it’s ultimately a show that seeks to focus on mental health. In a June 2022 interview, Callejo stated that the world of the human mind, both healthy and insane, is very attractive. According to him, we have finally begun to accept mental health issues as physical illnesses.
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