The Major Questions We Still Have After Season 1 of Netflix's 'Who Killed Sara?'
You have questions, we sort of have answers.
Netflix’s new mystery thriller Who Killed Sara? may have arrived last month, but that hasn’t stopped droves of fans from entering the toxic, telenovela-esque world of Alex Guzmán (portrayed skillfully by Manolo Cardona), a man who was unrightfully framed for the murder of his sister during his youth and subsequently sentenced to 30 years behind bars.
Fortunately for Alex—and unfortunately for his adversaries, the depraved Lazcano family—he is freed from prison after serving a little over half of his sentence, and his primary goals are to find out who is responsible for his sister Sara’s (Ximena Lamadrid) death and to bring down the Lazcano family for framing him in the first place.
Over the course of 10 episodes, Who Killed Sara? baits viewers as it takes them on a wild ride full of twists and turns, giving them a load of seemingly useful information before revealing the show’s innumerable sleights of hand. That feeling of constantly being jerked around is one of Who Killed Sara?’s most unattractive qualities, but luckily, the thriller’s mystery is so captivating that you probably won’t mind too much.
In addition to its dramatic soap opera-meets-whodunnit-style narrative, Who Killed Sara? enjoys a cast full of actors and actresses who do an amazing job in bringing the show to life. Mystery thrillers like Netflix’s new hit show thrive when every character is a viable suspect, and every single cast member hits the mark. Outside of Alex, there are few characters who are not actively being a menace, hiding something extremely important, or feigning ignorance to the entire situation, so like Alex, viewers find themselves steadily getting to know the Lazcano family while simultaneously trying to maintain their distance.
As Alex told Rodolpho (Alejandro Nones) in the fourth episode, “There’s a monster in every family.” Who Killed Sara? does an endless amount of work for you to be able to believe that everyone who is a part of and involved with the Lazcano family—save for Elisa (Carolina Miranda), of course—is one. Even José María (Eugenio Siller) and Lorenzo’s (Luis Roberto Guzmán) surrogate Clara (Fátima Molina) seems to harbor a darkness that has yet to even come into play.
By the season finale, it’s clear that there are multiple monsters in the Lazcano family, and although that mystery is easily solved, several viewers were probably shocked and confused—and possibly even annoyed—at the sheer number of conundrums left unresolved by the time the teaser for the next season, which (mercifully) drops in May, pops up.
If you’ve finished Who Killed Sara? but don’t quite understand what just transpired, you’ve come to the right place. Most of your questions we’ll have an answer for, but with others, we’re just as lost as you are. Head below to see the biggest twists of Who Killed Sara? (sort of) explained. From this point on, we’re in spoiler territory, so if you want to have your mind blown by Netflix’s compelling new mystery thriller rather than a critic’s writing, come back when you’ve binged all 10 episodes. For everyone else who’s ready, let’s get it.
Who is Diana the Huntress?
Apart from figuring out who was responsible for killing Sara, one of the biggest head-scratchers throughout the first season of Who Killed Sara? was the mysterious off-screen character Diana the Huntress. Operating under the moniker of the Roman goddess of wild animals and the hunt, the secretive character anonymously informs Alex that they know who killed Sara, confirming that it was in fact not Rodolpho, as many of the show’s characters—Rodolpho included—initially thought. Diana the Huntress is repeatedly teased over the course of the season before it is eventually revealed to be Sara’s childhood friend Marifer (Ela Velden). It’s unclear how Marifer has been able to solve Sara’s murder, and considering her close proximity to Sara’s family, it’s even more confounding that she has been helping Alex from the shadows. Thus, although the identity of Diana the Huntress has been confirmed to viewers, there is still much to learn about Sara’s suspicious friend.
What’s up with Elroy?
Elroy (Héctor Jiménez) is one of the most tragic characters in this wild mystery thriller. He is originally portrayed as a hard-working associate of the Lazcano family who has progressed from being their assistant as a child to being an integral part of the family’s casino as an adult. However, as drama builds from Alex’s pursuit of revenge and Lazcano family members start to turn on each other, Elroy slowly unravels. Once his horrifying attempt to commit suicide, fed up with all of the Lazcanos' secrets, commands everyone’s attention in the middle of the season, it’s revealed that Elroy murdered both of his parents as a child—although it looks like his mother’s death may have somewhat of an accident—and Mariana Lazcano (Claudia Ramírez) has been using his dark past to manipulate Elroy throughout his adolescence and adulthood. As the season ramps up, it becomes evident that Elroy is a crucial key to solving Sara’s murder, and then out of the blue, Elroy’s death is shown off-screen while the camera focuses on Mariana looming over his hospital bed. With the two associates being inextricably linked together (more on that in a little bit), it’ll be worthwhile to see why Mariana decided to off Elroy in “Two Graves.”
Why is a human skeleton buried in Alex’s backyard?
In the final moments of the season finale, Alex uncovers Sara’s secret diary, which ultimately leads him to dig up a human skull from his backyard. The shocking discovery adds a major cliffhanger to an already perplexing mystery, and at this point, there’s honestly no way of knowing what poor soul ended up buried there. However, the skeleton, as well as additional insight into Sara’s backstory, is sure to be explored further in Who Killed Sara?’s forthcoming second season.
Most importantly, who killed Sara?
Netflix’s popular new mystery wants us to take the bait that was given to us in the season finale, in which Mariana is “revealed” to be the mastermind who orchestrated Sara’s parasailing death. However, Elroy, the person she tasked with doing the deed, is never shown on camera fully committing the crime, leaving room to doubt that Mariana’s violent and devious plan was even successfully carried out. With the unexpected scene in which Alex unearths the skull from his backyard, the question is even raised as to whether Sara perished following the parasailing incident or even perished at all.
With all of that said, Who Killed Sara? Season 1—spoiler alert—doesn’t really answer the question posed in its title, but fans of the plot twist-filled show can only hope that the mystery will finally be solved once its second season hits Netflix on May 19.