Season 1 |
Season 2 |
Season 3 |
Episode Guide
Episode 1 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 7 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 8 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 9 -| Review Score – 3/5
Episode 10 -| Review Score – 3.5/5
Who Killed Sara is a soapy, melodramatic whodunit. Split across 10 episodes, this Mexican-flavoured series is a real spicy treat – even if you do need to suspend your disbelief at times. Despite the head-scratching logic and a lack of police interference, this whodunit is a really enjoyable guilty pleasure.
The story is pretty basic in truth and sets up a simple tale of revenge and retribution. Recently released from prison, Alex Guzmán is a man on a mission. After being wrongly imprisoned for the death of his sister Sara, he sets out to exact revenge against the Lazcanos. This hierarchical Mexican family is fronted by Patriarch Cesar, a cunning man who convinced Alex to take the blame for Sara’s death.
It’s a momentous time for the family though, with a new casino being opened. Rodolfo (and Sara’s ex boyfriend) is due to take the reigns as CEO while Chema plays up the out-of-favour son with boyfriend Lorenzo. Quiet wife Mariana holds more than a few secrets while Elisa is the wildcard of the group, with wavering loyalty between her family and seeking justice.
This party is soon crashed by Alex though, who shows up on the monitors and promises revenge for what happened. Thus sets up our whodunit, as one-man army Alex starts investigating further.
Through flashbacks we see more of what happened to Sara, who died as a result of a nasty parasailing accident. Only, upon closer inspection this is no mere accident. The harnesses were cut and sabotaged , and as we soon come to learn across the season each of the family members have a solid reason for killing Sara.
This sets up an intriguing whodunit across the season, as Alex exacts his revenge, going after each of the different family members. Only, a wildcard comes in the form of a mysterious messenger known as Diana the Huntress. She throws several curveballs his way via untraceable texts before the final episode reveals who this individual is. Tellingly, we’re not told who killed Sara though, setting things up for a second season.
With an equal emphasis on the flashbacks against the present-day drama, Who Killed Sara does have a tendency to repeat the same sequences a lot. During the middle patch of episodes in particular, this Mexican series shows repeated flashbacks from the day Sara died. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does slow the episodes down as you find yourself itching to carry on with the investigation.
The other issue here though comes from the logic – or lack thereof. The police never show up in the series despite some pretty shocking revelations, while some of the plot twists feel like they’ve been thrown in for the sake of extra drama.
Chema and Lorenzo, for example, have their own subplot about becoming parents but the drama that emanates from this feels really forced.
Speaking of forced, the romance in this show is definitely clear to see and in true telenovela fashion there’s lots of cheating, passionate sex and a big family secret. This is nothing new in Mexican TV of course, but these tropes do tend to crop up a fair amount and at times it distracts from the mystery.
Thankfully these moments are easy to look past with such an enthralling pace. This is ultimately why the show works as well as it does. While there’s nothing particularly outstanding here, the mystery and desire to find out the truth will see you frantically pressing the next episode to see how this story plays out.
This is a guilty pleasure in every sense of the word. Who Killed Sara is a dark, vibrant and intoxicating mix of Mexican tropes, wrapped up in a tantalizing murder mystery. Although the ending does leave the door wide open, the preview for season 2 is enough to keep you gripped until the very end.
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Verdict - 7/10
7/10
My wife and I binged the entire series in one day. Riveting and there are more twists and turns than on a rollercoaster. I do not follow well any story that switches frequently between the past and the present and this series does that incessantly with various pieces being only seconds long. By the time I recognize the characters in their older or younger years it switches again. A struggle for me but worth the effort.
Sex scenes are better fone than in most American movies. The passion seems stronger.
While the writer accurately notes the absence of police, they were in plentiful supply when one character was run down.
Some of the writing was a bit cheesy.
Done from my phone. Please pardon typos