By the end of Who Killed Sara? season 2, Elisa Lazcano has survived three near-death experiences while many of the other characters died in the show’s second season. Series creator, José Ignacio Valenzuela’s thriller has proven to a favorite among Netflix viewers, as it has continued to top the charts since its season 2 release in May of 2021.
Throughout the series, Elisa continues to be the most trustworthy and innocent of all the characters. As the Netflix show follows Alex Guzman’s investigation into his sister’s death and double life, Elisa is the only one who seems to be genuinely on Alex’s side the entire time. But her loyalty comes at a cost, as she’s constantly put in the middle of confrontations between her family and Alex, with who she falls in love in season 1. As Who Killed Sara progresses, this conflict comes to a head, and Elisa’s life is put in danger.
Due to the discord surrounding her — between her father, César, his business partner, Sergio, and the man she loves, Alex — Elisa comes face to face with death three times by the end of Who Killed Sara? season 2. The first example of this comes in episode 2, “Blood On Their Hands,” when the explosion that Alex set up to trap César and Sergio at the amusement park sends Elisa flying across the pavement. She ends up in the hospital — but she survives. Had she been any closer to the blast she likely would have died and Alex would have been responsible for her death. When Alex’s confrontation with César Lazcano comes to a head in season 2, Elisa faces death for the first time. But it’s her father’s conflict with his former business partner, Sergio, that puts her life in danger for the second time in season 2.
After her kidnapping and subsequent torture by Sergio, Elisa was inches away from death before Cèsar and Alex tracked her down in Sergio’s lair. In this case, their shared love for Elisa is what eventually brings César and Alex’s battle to an end. Side-by-side, they save Elisa’s life together in the penultimate episode of Who Killed Sara? season 2. This is also the first somewhat selfless act César Lazcano commits, which proves he does truly care for his daughter, if not his sons.
Finally, in the Who Killed Sara? season 2 finale, Elisa’s life is put on the line one last time. Fed up with her family’s crimes and with her father allegedly having taken his own life, Elisa takes drastic measures to ensure her family cannot continue with their illegal activities and negligent behavior. In a symbolic gesture, she goes to her family’s casino — which Rodolfo is set to take over now that César is out of the picture — and burns the whole place down. It’s a cathartic act for her, but she becomes so obsessed with the desire to destroy her father’s legacy and rid them of their power that her behavior becomes reckless. She’s in a fugue-like state when she sets the fire. Until Alex arrives, it looks as though Elisa might not get out of the casino alive. This last near-death experience shows that Elisa is clearly holding a lot in as she often appears to be the only one holding it together throughout the series.
Elisa’s final act in Who Killed Sara? season 2 seems to suggest that she’s finally taken a stand against her family, but it’s unclear where that leaves her relationship with Alex. And the fact that she nearly dies three times in one season — once in an explosion set by Alex himself — causes the audience to question whether their relationship is really good for Elisa. With half of the cast turning up dead by the end of season 2, it seems important that Elisa faced death three times and survived. It’s possible the season 2 finale of Who Killed Sara? was hinting at Elisa’s fate in future seasons. Or maybe Elisa will turn out to be the only one left standing in the end.
