Miguel Millán and Ernesto Cardona are two police officers from Spain and Brazil, respectively, whose paths cross when they set out to capture Santo, an invisible drug lord, in the Netflix crime series ‘Santo,’ which was created by Carlos López. Miguel Millán and Ernesto Cardona are the protagonists of the series. When Santo arrives in Madrid to establish a new drug empire with the assistance of occult practises, Cardona ends up in the Spanish capital with Bárbara, Santo’s mistress, in order to find him and exact his vengeance on him for the death of his partner Vera. Cardona is seeking to exact his vengeance on Santo for killing Vera. The enthralling Spanish series comes to a finale with some mind-blowing revelations and developments surrounding Santo’s identity and plans for the future. If you are interested in taking a more in-depth look at the same topic, feel free to listen to what we have to say about it. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Santo Season 1 Recap
The first deaths that occur in ‘Santo’ are those of a local drug dealer named Cristóbal and his son Mario. For the sake of Cristóbal’s wife Maria, with whom he is having an affair, Police Officer Miguel Millán, who also works for the local drug mafia that includes Cristóbal, sets out to find the murders along with his colleague Susi. Millán does this for the sake of Cristóbal’s family. Through their inquiry, Millán and Susi come across three Norwegians who are also involved in an attempt to kill Millán. Millán and Susi make the discovery that the Norwegians are men under the direction of Santo, a Brazilian drug lord who does not have a known face and for whom no other information regarding his identity is available. Ernesto Cardona, a law enforcement officer from the city of Salvador in the Brazilian state of Bahia, becomes an undercover member of Santo’s drug trafficking ring.
Cardona’s cover is eventually compromised, which puts the success of his operation in jeopardy. Nevertheless, he is given a second opportunity to locate Santo through Bárbara, who is Santo’s mistress and who seeks the assistance of the police in order to flee from the unnamed drug lord. Cardona and Bárbara run away to Spain for protection, but Santo follows them there and kidnaps them. Millán ended up rescuing Cardona from a warehouse where the drug lord used to sacrifice human beings for the sake of bettering himself and ensuring his safety while Millán was investigating Santo. They are eventually successful in locating Barbara, but Cardona and Barbara make the decision to flee from the authorities and take refuge in a secret location rather than cooperating with the authorities.
Cardona has a hard time moving on after the loss of Vera, who was the one who first told him about Exu, a spirit associated with African-derived customs. As a follower of Exu, he is granted the “thread of Exu,” which he must always keep on him for protection. Under the influence of Santo’s occult rituals, he also has disturbing ideas that involve him murdering a child as a victim for Santo’s ritual of human sacrifice. While this is going on, Millán’s superiors find out that he has connections to a local narcotics ring. Despite this, he is able to concoct a tale so that the investigation into Maria’s disappearance can continue. During the same time period, Santo’s men kidnap a group of children in order to perform additional sacrifices.
Paulo, who worked with Cardona in Brazil, travels all the way to Madrid to lend a hand. However, he is murdered in a confrontation with Santo’s men, and they take Barbara with them to the warehouse after the battle. Millán is kidnapped by the Norwegians, and Santo forces him to stay in the same warehouse with him because he wants Millán to kill a child as a sacrifice. Cardona comes to the rescue and puts a halt to the sacrifice. The kidnapped children are rescued by Susi, who has arrived at the warehouse, while Cardona and Millán continue their search for Santo.
The conclusion of Santo Season 1: Who is Santo?
Even though Santo is one of the most infamous drug lords in the world, he hasn’t been seen by anyone, not even his closest friends or acquaintances. The law enforcement agencies of a number of countries are unsuccessful in locating even a single photograph of the offender. Santo, on the other hand, has never left their company since Barbara is Santo. Barbara concocted the idea and image of a powerful, manly, and invisible drug lord so that she could divert the attention of her adversaries, competitors, and law enforcement officers. By fabricating such a figure, Barbara is able to better play the role of Santo’s fugitive and divert the attention of law enforcement officials like Millán and Cardona. She does this by hanging around with them and learning their every move.
Barbara is well aware that in a world dominated by powerful males, it is impossible for her to establish an international drug trafficking ring on her own. She must have anticipated the risk that someone would attempt to “dethrone” her from the empire she had built if she came forward as the true head of her drug network. As a consequence of this, the conception of a strong masculine image becomes an urgent necessity for woman. The terror of such a male force among Barbara’s own men ensures that they will not attempt to harm Santo’s mistress, which ensures that Barbara will continue to live among her own men. Since she is perceived as the individual who is most intimate with the fictitious Santo, the pretence that she is the mistress of Santo grants her the ability to exercise authority over and control over her men.
Through the fictitious character Santo, Barbara is also exploiting the natural anxiety that people have of the “invisible.” Even among Bárbara’s competitors and the political authorities of numerous nations, Santo continues to be a figure that is regarded as authoritative, enigmatic, and frightening. This is due to the fact that no one in the world can adequately estimate the power and authority of a fictitious creature. She is preying on the fact that it is human nature to be afraid of things that cannot be explained and cannot be seen. The inclusion of occult practises and other paranormal activity contributes significantly to the expansion of the myth of Santo and demonstrates the effectiveness of Bárbara’s invention.
Will Santo/Bárbara Kill Lucía?
Despite the fact that Millán and Cardona are aware that Bárbara is actually Santo, they are unable to apprehend her, which allows her to get away. Millán, who is attacked by the guys working for the drug lord, is taken to the hospital as a result. Bárbara sends him a video of Luca being held at gunpoint by her while he is in the hospital, where he is currently being treated. Even if Bárbara holds the power to decide Luca’s future, it is possible that she is not in a rush to put an end to her life. The fact that Barbara chose to deliver the footage to the law enforcement official rather than immediately kill Millán’s daughter hints that the drug lord has some unfinished business involving Millán. There is a strong possibility that Barbara is using Lucia as bait in order to take advantage of the police officer.
Millán could prove to be an invaluable asset to Bárbara’s squad, particularly given the precarious position in which she currently finds herself, as she is in the process of establishing her very own drug kingdom in Spain. Before Millán and Cardona, no authority have ever been successful in unravelling the truth behind Santo, which implies that Bárbara is losing her strength. If she can keep Millán on her side at this time, she will be in a better position to continue her drug trafficking in Spain. It is therefore anticipated that Barbara will use Lucia as a means of blackmailing the police officer.
Given that Millán has placed his life in danger in order to subdue Santo, his superiors may give him permission to proceed with his investigation and ultimately subdue Santo. If this is the case, then Millán may have no choice but to serve Barbara as the price he must pay to keep his daughter safe. As someone who has previously helped local drug lords in exchange for money, the police officer may not have any moral conflicts over the possibility of helping Bárbara if he is also benefiting from the same situation.
Why Does Cardona Save Santo/Bárbara?
Following Bárbara’s confession that she is Santo, Millán has made it his mission to eliminate her so that he may keep his word to Maria and fulfil his obligation. Bárbara is able to evade capture thanks to Cardona’s interference, which buys her some time. Cardona begins to develop a close personal connection with Barbara after he “saves” her from Santo. The times spent hunkering down together and battling a common foe helped strengthen that relationship even further. Even when Cardona understands that Barbara is actually Santo, he may still have affections for her. Cardona travels to Spain with the intention of exacting revenge on the one who was responsible for the death of his partner Vera.
Cardona’s fury has subsided by the time he figures out that Santo is really Barbara, thus he is no longer angry. There is no other justification for Cardona to spare the life of the person who was responsible for the deaths of Vera, her nephew, and a piece of himself by labelling that person a “kid killer.” It’s possible that Cardona will decide to put an end to Barbara’s life on his own, rather than entrusting Millán with the task. But the Brazilian does not display any anger against her after he has stopped Millán, which suggests that Cardona’s sentiments for Bárbara must have influenced his behaviour because he does not kill her.
