For three entire seasons, Who Killed Sara has put its audience through a gauntlet of twists and turns that seemed to have no end. The Mexican mystery show quickly became a must-see not only in Latin America, but also around the world. The great set of characters, the intricate plotting, and the amazing revelations made for some truly amazing binge-watching. It is very clear that from the many Latin American productions that we can watch on Netflix, Who Killed Sara? was simply one of the best.
The series became very popular, but even that didn’t really save it from criticism. The overreliance on plot twists became a double-edged sword. The twists were a narrative tool that could be used to keep people on the loop and on their seats for hours at the time, but when the show had the need to throw a twist on each episode, the narrative then became untrustworthy, and the twists less effective because they were expected.
Season 3 finally comes after some delays thanks to the pandemic going on around the world. This is the final season, and as you well expected, this is the season that answers the question from the title. Is it a satisfying answer? It will all depend on your point of view. The fact of the matter is the answers are finally given, and the show can say goodbye proud that they managed to close its story. Unlike many other Netflix shows that simply couldn’t do that.
Season 3 brings the whole gang back and also brings some new characters to the fold. The progression of the character dynamic front keeps being as interesting as ever, with Alex, played by Manolo Cardoba really coming to the front and establishing himself as one of the best Latin American leading men working right now in the business. It is actually quite amazing to see how his character progresses from the beginning of the first season to this ending right here.
The rest of the cast also rises to the test, and all the actors are really doing the best they can. For example, Eugenio Siller, who plays the character of Chema, passes through some really horrific stuff in this season, and the actor pulls it off with grace and technique you really will end up feeling sorry for him. Does he deserve such punishment? Well, that is one of the questions that the series tries to ask its audience, and the answer is fuzzy at best.
On a technical level, the show is really well-made, there is simply no doubt about it. All the directors and cinematographers working on this season, and all the seasons for that matter, have done an amazing job. However, this being the conclusion of the story, it does feel like the visual design of the show and use of color have become a lot colder and darker than they used to be. Maybe it is just me, but I think creator José Ignacio Valenzuela really wanted to show just how these characters have descended to the abyss.
David Murillo Jr. ‘s score also does an amazing job at pulling the strings and making your heart race during the most intense moments of the show. There is really no way that Who Killed Sara? could be as nerve wracking as it is without the work of Murillo. Let’s hope that his talents can be of use to many other filmmakers after this final season of the show.
Valenzuela pulls no punches when it comes to the plot of this final season. He really goes all out when it comes to show just how horrible conversion therapy really can be, and just how awful human beings are in the face of something they don’t understand or don’t want to understand. The show goes to places, and it might even become a bit too graphic and intense for some people. There are a lot of triggers in this show, so if you are a person that feels easily bothered by torture of a psychological level, be careful.
This is the end, this is the final season of the show, and Valenzuela hasn’t really taken the time to polish his storytelling chops. It is evident that he is a very talented storyteller, very few people could create a story such as this and make it so real and visceral. However, there are still many elements present in this final season that weren’t exactly the best when it comes to narrative.
Yes, there are still many twists and turns present in this show, and it is actually kind of tiresome at this point. The twists are a signature of the show by this point, but it would have been great if the show could have taken a more sober direction. At least to me, the expectation of the twists was always present and right until the end it felt like these really hurt the narrative on some level. Either way, at the moment, you would not be able to believe what you are seeing.
There is also a lot of fat when it comes to this season. The way the main storyline folds is quite satisfying, in my opinion, but there are many other scenes in the season that feel like they could have been taken out, and it would not have made any difference. This feeling that the season could have been much shorter and direct, permeates each episode. Nevertheless, until its final moments, Who Killed Sara? remained entertaining, and intense in a way many other shows are not able to.
If you have come to this point then, wait no more, Who Killed Sara? is finally over, and the show will be able to stand as a single complete story inside Netflix’s immense content library. That alone is achievement enough for the show.
