I felt that Netflix’s Fugue State 1986 dealt with its subplots and characters in a very obscure manner. Till the very end, I wasn’t able to understand the motivations of multiple characters, and I feel the screenplay was to blame for it. I believe if the narrative would have delved deep into the psyche and motivation of the characters, we would have gotten an opportunity to understand them better. That said, let’s get to know who these characters were and the role they played in the 1986 Pozzetto Massacre.
Spoiler Alert
Andreas Parra as Jeremias Salgado
Jeremias Salgado had served in the American military, and ever since he had come back to Colombia, he hadn’t been doing well mentally. The man was suffering from several mental health disorders, and it had taken a toll on his life. Jeremias, as shown in the series, was a part of a secret military program in which he profiled individuals and selected them for a mission. The mission, as far as I could ascertain, was to destabilize the political condition of Colombia in a manner that benefited the US. Salgado had an eccentric personality, and he didn’t like socializing in general. He kept to himself, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t observe anybody. The man had a keen eye for details, and he knew how to play his cards and influence people into buying his narrative. One could never decipher what transpired inside the man that led to such a violent outburst on 4th December 1986, but the writing was on the wall. He was a war veteran (at least he said so), and I believe he was not able to deal with the acute PTSD. The fact that his own mother was scared of him said a lot about his unpredictable behavior. Whether the man was a misogynist or harbored extreme hatred against women is debatable. I mean, most of his victims, especially when he shot people at his own apartment, were women, but there was no substantial proof to substantiate that theory.
Carolina Gomez as Indira Quinchia
Indira was a forensics expert who worked with the police back in the day but lost her job. So Indira had had an affair with a colleague, and moreover, she’d leaked important intel, due to which she was fired from her position. But then the Pozzetto Massacre happened, and Indira realized that though the “spree killer” (a term that was coined after that tragic incident) was killed, nobody really understood why he had killed so many people. Indira believed that there was a bigger conspiracy at play, and she was adamant about finding out what exactly was happening. The biggest problem Indira faced was that, officially, the case was shut, and she had to find some really strong evidence to make the people realize that they were missing the bigger picture. Indira risked her life, but she made sure that she didn’t stop until she found out the truth about what had happened.
Jose Restrepo as Camilo Leon
Leon was a literature student, and he too, just like Jeremias, suffered from mental health disorders. When Leon was quite young, a couple of people abducted his father and tortured him right in front of his eyes. He could never really recover from that incident. The impact was so severe that he developed a condition called dissociative amnesia after that, where he forgot the details of the events that happened in the past. Leon always wanted to take revenge on the people who had ruined the life of his father, but when he got the opportunity, he realized that it was not the right thing to do. Jeremias wanted to weaponize Leon, but the latter just didn’t feel that violence was the way forward. That was one of the biggest differences between Jeremias and Leon. Leon felt angry at times, but his conscience never allowed him to wreak havoc like his partner did.
Consuelo Luzardo as Carmenza
Carmenza was Salgado’s mother, and unfortunately she had to bear the wrath of her son. Carmenza was petrified of her own son, because she knew that he wouldn’t even bat an eye before hurting her. Salgado got angry whenever he heard his mother talking to somebody. He had literally caged her and made her life a living hell. He blamed her for the death of his father, even though she had no role to play in it. He physically abused her, and yet the old lady always tried to make things better. Not even the authorities were able to help her cause, and ultimately she ended up meeting her fateful end at the hands of her mentally ill son. He stabbed her because he overheard her talking to one of her friends, Nidia, and telling her that she was going to run away from the house and come to her before Salgado did something to her.
Elena and Margarita
Elena was Leon’s ex-girlfriend, but even after breaking up, they maintained a rather friendly relationship. Elena cared for Leon, and she noticed that he was not doing well. Elena was good friends with Margarita too, who started dating Leon just around the same time he met Salgado. Elena and Margarita both were quite understanding, and they cared for Leon, which was why they were worried about his mental health. Time and again, Marguerite told Leon that she was there if he needed any help, because she could see him losing a grasp over his reality. But in the end they both couldn’t keep Leon from falling into the pit that Salgado had dug for him.
Alvaro Bayona as Mario Polania
Mario was a law enforcement officer, and he worked quite closely with Indira. In fact, after Indira lost her job, he was the only one who believed in her and gave her an opportunity to investigate the case of the spree killer. Mario knew from the very beginning that they shouldn’t meddle with affairs that didn’t concern them. He knew that if they dug deep, they would find some information that would put their lives in jeopardy. He was well aware of what the US and the Colombian government were capable of doing, which was why he wanted to let sleeping dogs lie. But he was also an officer who wanted to know the truth. He wanted to see the bigger picture, and so he supported Indira wherever he could and played a crucial role in the Salgado case.
Juan Sebastian Calero as Guillermo Perea
Major Guillermo Perea worked with the US Army, and he was posted in Colombia for some unknown reason. I believe his presence in Colombia made it pretty clear that there was some secret intelligence mission being carried out in the country by the US government. Perea met Salgado on a regular basis, probably to check in on how he was doing. He likely knew what the intelligence agencies sought to achieve using guys like Salgado, and so he just wanted to keep things under control and make sure that Salgado didn’t make any mistakes. Moreover, he wanted to assess how Salgado was doing mentally, and if he was fit to carry out his secret mission.
Nicolas Cancino as Jorge and Cristal Aparicio as Teresa Ocampo
Jorge was an agent (probably working for the guerilla forces), and his partner had been abducted by Leon’s father. That was because Jorge went after Leon’s father and not only severed his fingers but also assaulted him so badly that the man ended up paralyzed. Leon got to know about Jorge; he found out where he lived, and deep down he wanted to take revenge on him. But Leon was too righteous to hurt anybody. He did talk to Teresa, Jorge’s daughter, but he never did anything to her. Salgado, on the other hand, wanted Leon to do something violent. When Leon didn’t act, Salgado took charge. Salgado wanted to bring out the beast inside Leon and let his intrusive thoughts overpower him, but in the end he wasn’t able to do that.
Valentina Acosta as Nidia and Laura Rodriguez as Christina
Nidia and Christina unfortunately knew Salgado, and they were in touch with Carmenza, Salgado’s mother, too. Nidia used to live in the same apartment building as Salgado, and I believe that’s where the two families got acquainted with each other. Salgado used to give tuition to Christina, and he apparently was quite fond of the girl. There came a moment in the series where it felt like Salgado had pedophilic tendencies, but that aspect was not explored in depth. But then one day he unleashed his wrath when he came to know that Nidia was helping his mother escape from the house. He chained both the women and then stabbed them multiple times. He left them to meet their fateful end in the most tragic manner, one that would send shivers down the spine.
