Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘1922’ focuses on a string of murders where a serial killer burns his victims alive and then leaves a Curro in their hand. His first murder leads to a terrible fire that claims the lives of several innocent people, including Amparo’s husband. Despite what the authorities say, she is convinced that her husband’s death wasn’t an accident, and she vows to find the person responsible for it. For this, she gets help from an ex-cop and her husband’s friend, Richi. Together, they discover that the Curro Killer has a shocking connection to the Seville Expo of 1992. What makes things even more interesting is the real reason behind the killings is someone entirely unexpected.
Who is Behind the Killings?
Initially, we are led to believe that the killings in ‘1922’ are being done by one man. The Curro Killer is held responsible for it, and once his backstory comes out, the whole thing feels justified. Years ago, when he was still Victor, the Curro Killer’s mother, who was a sex worker, was called at a party a few months before the ’92 expo. Attending the party were the organizers of the expo: Esteban Palacios, Roberto Valcárcel, José Zamorano, and Domingo Granjero, along with Fernando Victoria. Things went wrong when Esteban ended up killing Victor’s murder, and with that started the coverup. A man named Jose Luis Martinez, who worked security for the expo, was told to cover up the whole thing, but he wanted a lot of money for that.
The group decided to get the money from the government by faking notes from a made-up blackmailer who sinks the Noa Victoria boat replica on the day of its launch. The same blackmailer is used to cover up the fire that takes place at the expo’s newly created building. What neither the government nor the public knows is that the fire was a way to destroy the evidence of what happened the night of the murder. His mother’s death was kept a secret from Victor, too. The night the building was burnt, Victor visited it and found his mother’s body. He got her dead body out but was terribly burnt in the process.
The trauma of his mother’s death and his own burning led him to be institutionalized. However, he found a way to escape and hid inside the now dilapidated building. His mother’s friend, Rosa, would bring food for him, and that’s how Victor survived. Meanwhile, Fernando Victoria was forced to take the fall for the incident with the boat and the fire. This completely destroyed his political career, so he built a tech company. But it didn’t do so well, and he was on the verge of bankruptcy when he found Victor. By this time, Victoria had approached all of his friends to help him and his company, but when no one responded to his pleas, despite his making a huge sacrifice by taking the fall for a thing he didn’t even do, he came up with a sinister plan.
Victoria finds Victor and makes the boy believe that he cares about him. He told Victor half-truths about what really happened that night, completely erasing his own involvement. By sending Victor after the four people, Victoria tries to extort money from them. Victor, of course, has no idea about Victoria’s real intentions, and he is singularly focused on avenging his mother. So, each time Victor plans to murder someone, Victoria tries to make them pay him in return for saving them from the killer. No one takes Victoria seriously, and they all die. Even when Esteban pays him the ransom, Victor still kills him.
Do Victoria and Victor Die?
While Victor had been devastated by his mother’s death, revenge never really crossed his mind. He already had too many problems to deal with, starting with the burn injuries that had permanently deformed him. But then, Victoria feeds him the thought of revenge, and that is the only thing keeping Victor alive. He thinks he has found a friend in Victoria who will help him get justice for his mother. But then, he finds a tape in which he sees Victoria as one of the people who stood there and watched his mother die. Of course, Victoria hadn’t told Victor about it; neither was he aware that Victor had found the tape and knew the whole truth. In fact, the moment he gets the money from Esteban, he doesn’t care what happens to Victor. He gets on a train to get out of Seville and away from all the drama and danger.
When Victor discovers that Victoria lied to him, he decides to seek revenge. Meanwhile, Amparo and Richi also discover the whole truth and track down the man who had tried to fool him just as he fooled Victor. In the end, they all end up on the train that Victoria boarded to escape his troubles once and for all. A dangerous showdown takes place on the train as Victor doesn’t seem to care one bit about the collateral. In his signature style, he burns Victoria while the man pleads for mercy. Amparo, Richi, and Carmen try to arrest Victor, but the man is not in the mood to be captured. When he tries to run away, Amparo shoots at him. The bullet hits the gas tank on Victor’s back, and the train’s entire coach explodes.
Amparo’s journey started with the desire to find her husband’s killer and make him pay for his crimes. In the end, she gets exactly that by shooting Victor. Considering that he was at the center of the blast, the possibility of his survival seemed nil. However, when the authorities don’t find his body on the scene, they track him down to his lair, and shockingly, they discover that Victor had managed to go all the way back. The reason behind this could be attributed to Victor bathing himself in a chemical that allows him to have some protection from the fire that he uses to kill his victims. Even though the gas tank exploded on his back, the chemical layer on his body shielded him from some damage. This gave him enough time to go back to the building he called home for such a long time. Still, his wounds were severe enough to claim his life for good this time, so before anyone can find and arrest him, Victor dies, ending his sad tale, having avenged his mother.
Do Amparo and Richi End Up Together?
While the serial killer and the overall mystery make ‘1922’ a compelling watch, the chemistry between Amparo and Richi is another thing that makes it a worthwhile binge. They are brought together by a shared tragedy, but over the course of the investigation, they grow close to each other. Richi helps Amparo find the truth about her husband’s death and grieves him without completely losing herself. Amparo helps Richi with his alcoholism, though eventually, he has to find professional help to get him through it. By the time the case is closed, Amparo and Richi have come a long way. Months later, when they meet again, Richi reveals that he has been sober since then and has been seeing a therapist. This shows that he is dedicated to staying sober and getting better every day.
Meanwhile, Amparo has taken her son’s advice and gone back to law school. When her son suggested it before, she was too deep in her sorrow to see the meaning behind his words. However, solving the case of Alvaro’s death shows her that she has a flair for chasing after mysteries and solving them for good. This reignites her passion, and she decides to go to law school again. By this time, it is also clear that there is something between her and Richi. However, there is already too much on both of their plates for them to add another thing in the form of a relationship. When Richi asks Amparo if she’d like to get dinner with him, she politely refuses his offer. This is the first time in a long time since she has been single and has had enough space to explore who she is and what she wants with her life, which doesn’t revolve around her husband and son anymore. She has also joined law school and needs to focus on it rather than jumping into another relationship when she is barely done grieving Alvaro.
Richi gets her point and doesn’t take her refusal personally. Deep down, he, too, knows that he needs to work on himself before he can embark on another relationship. If he is not doing well, things might end up exactly as they did with his ex-wife, who decided to leave him when she saw that he was too proud to address his problems and fix them. Now, he needs to focus on himself, just as Amparo needs to focus on himself. Still, their not getting together doesn’t mean that they cannot be friends, either. Amparo assures Richi that this is not the last time they will see each other. While this shows that there might be a possibility of them getting romantically entangled in the future, the promise has more to do with the fact that their bond has been forged in fire and will not be broken so easily. They will remain in each other’s life forever.
Read More: Where is Netflix’s 1992 Filmed?
