Who Killed Sara?

Mission Always-Possible

During the 18 years that Álex spent behind bars (falsely imprisoned for involvement in his sister’s death), another person in prison with an ax to grind against the Lazcanos gave him a few tech tips, plus a stash of cash to fund his revenge plot. But were those fenced-yard chats enough to turn Álex into a Mexican amalgam of James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Ethan Hunt? Between Season 1 and 2, he was remotely installing software, data-breaching, bomb-making, remote fire-spewing, and loudspeaker-hacking. Apparently pleading innocent is the only thing Álex can’t do.

That Yellow Bikini

If Sara is the star of this series, her yellow bikini gets second billing. It’s trendy (Kim Kardashian recently wore her own crocheted bikini in a KKW photo shoot), a bit dangerous (I know there are other, riskier strings to be cut — did someone say “parachute”? — but you can’t ignore the omnipresent threat of unraveling stitches), and the color is clearly symbolic. Of what, you ask? I’m not a color therapist! But in a flashback Sara is often seen in yellow, she drinks a cocktail with a lemon garnish, and yellow flowers are placed by her grave.

Leg Bracelet or Torture Device?

What exactly is that torture device around Mariana’s (Claudia Ramírez) leg, and how is it connected to Tom Hanks? Glad you asked. It’s called a “cilice,” and it’s a garter-like metal chain with spikes that penetrate the skin. Wearing a cilice is a form of self-flagellation that has been used by people like Mother Teresa and St. Francis of Assisi. So, is Mariana a saint? Hell no — did you see what she did to poor Elroy (Héctor Jiménez)? But perhaps we’ll discover some connection to Opus Dei (the real-life sect also depicted in The Da Vinci Code that Tom Hanks’s Robert Langdon investigated), because their members have been known to wear cilices as penance.

Where on Earth Is That Lake?

Yes, those metropolitan scenes are clearly shot in Mexico City, with its incredible skyline and profusion of luxury houses. But what about the stunning lakeside region where the covetable Lazcano vacation home is located? (And sure, also where Sara met her untimely demise.) I did some atlas work for you: Those scenes were filmed at Lake Avándaro in the town of Valle de Bravo, about 100 miles west of Mexico City. Valle de Bravo was also known as the Woodstock of Mexico in the 1970s, with two to three hundred thousand hippies gathering from all over the country for a rock festival in ’71. Incidentally, you know Mariana hated every last patchouli-scented one of them.

Just How Dangerous Is Parasailing?

Maybe before you watched Season 1, you were toying with the idea of a beach vacation, daydreaming about trying parasailing for the first time. Maybe after you watched Season 1 and saw that terrifying shot of Sara plummeting to her death (over and over and over), you thought better of it. But you should know that unless someone is trying to kill you, parasailing is actually quite safe. The United States Coast Guard did a study of the pastime dating from 1992 to 2001 and found that in that near-decade a total of three people died, which roughly translates to pretty good odds for survival. (When the Mexican Coast Guard does their parasailing study, I’ll bring those results right to you.)

The Chihuahua Connection

Manolo Cardona has range: He’s played everyone from Eduardo Sandoval, the Colombian politician turned D.E.A. cooperator in Narcos, to Jesús (do I really need to explain?), in the Mexican alternate-historical fiction series María Magdalena. But don’t sleep on his role as Sam Cortez, either. Yep, Cardona played the landscaper husband of Piper Perabo’s Rachel in the underappreciated (or possibly over appreciated?)Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Mysteriously enough, Sam morphs into an entirely different-looking human being for Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2andBeverly Hills Chihuahua 3,and is played by someone named Marcus Coloma. Is there something nefarious behind an identically initialed role-recasting? Only George Lopez knows.

The Wrong Crowd

Rodolfo (Alejandro Nones) got a secret vasectomy. Elisa (Carolina Miranda) likes bold-patterned backpacks way too much. Álex is hell-bent on taking down one of the most powerful families in Mexico. And don’t even get me started on César (Ginés García Millán) and Mariana’s dysfunctional marriage. All of which is to say, what is poor, sweet Lorenzo (Luis Roberto Guzmán) doing mixed up with these nutjobs? He’s just a nice guy with a good job at a law firm; he wants a baby and to be able to throw the occasional dinner party without homophobic relatives in attendance. He should be on Suits, if that show were still around and if the people on it actually wore suits. Perhaps his one fatal flaw is his desire to move with Chema (Eugenio Siller) and their baby to Atlanta, of all places. No disrespect to the Peach State, but I feel like Lorenzo could make better choices all around.

Can You Beat the Heat?

I’m all for a sauna in the home, unless of course someone you live with tries to lock you in there to murder you. As we know, Rodolfo escaped from his personal (dry) hell in time to down a ton of water while simultaneously being super obnoxious to Elroy. But scientifically speaking, would he actually have lasted as long as he did in there? In a 230-degree sauna (and we saw that temperature control go to the max), an adult would last just three to four minutes before needing a break. Maybe it’s time to switch to a steam room.

Cabin Conundrum

The Lazcano family owns at least one casino, an amusement park, and multiple homes, and they’ve got an entire staff to boss around and/or take from an orphanage to groom, abuse, and enlist in murder. Also, they may run a human trafficking ring. In other words, that’s a lot of pesos. And unlike Chema, Elisa hasn’t angered the paterfamilias enough to risk being cut off. So when we see her on a plane headed for graduate school in Madrid, all we can reasonably do is mourn the absence of free cocktails and warm cookies. So what if she’s leaving Álex behind? That’s right, add to the long list of tragedies on this show that Elisa flies coach.