Abhiroop Das
Created by Jason George, Netflix’s ‘That Night,’ also known as ‘Esa Noche,’ spans not just a single, eponymous night but the days before and after it, capturing every bit of the chaos within. Adapted from a book of the same name by Gillian McAllister, the psychological crime thriller explores a single traumatic incident from the perspective of everyone who was impacted by it, all in its pursuit of parsing together a cluster of narratives that can be called the truth. By the end of the first season, Elena, the youngest of three sisters, is declared guilty of the murder of Wil, her ex-partner and the father of her child, Ane. From there, the story jumps forward two decades, with a now-adult Ane fighting for her mother’s pardon. Although Netflix has not released any updates about a second season as of writing, in the best-case scenario, fans can expect a sequel to be released around 2028.
That Night Season 2 Can Tackle Elena’s Mystery Health Condition
While ‘That Night’ ends with Elena getting pardoned and being released from prison, her dynamic with Ane, now an adult, has not even begun to unfold. As such, in case the show is greenlit for a second chapter, that is the most likely direction for the story to take. In the same vein, Elena’s bond with her elder sisters is also deeply fractured as of now, with decades of unspoken words and unresolved emotions floating in between the three of them. The fact that they are finally together can bring a second opportunity to recover their bond, and perhaps even evolve it to fit modern times. That, coupled with the enduring mystery of where Ane is headed, is enough to fuel a sequel season all by itself.
Importantly, one detail that gets lost in the final moments of the season is that Elena is possibly dying. While Paula doesn’t have a very clear idea herself, she talks about Elena having trouble breathing and walking. As per her, the symptoms are indicative of TB or something just as bad, and given her medical background, this guess cannot be taken lightly. This gets even trickier when it’s taken into account that Ane is not in the Dominican Republic, and there is a chance that the mother-daughter duo will never even properly meet. However, it is unlikely that the creators will leave a plot beat as important as this on an anti-climax, and a grand but complex reunion between Ane and Elena is almost certainly in the cards.
That Night Season 2 is Likely to Retain Most of its Cast
With the story of ‘That Night’ putting all of its emphasis on the characters and their respective perspectives, chances are that a potential second season will continue that trend and potentially introduce new people into the mix. While actors Claudia Salas, Paula Usero, and Clara Galle are most likely to reprise their roles as Paula Arbizu, Christina “Cris” Arbizu, and Elena Arbizu, respectively, things do get complicated with the fact that they might have to play a much older version of themselves. The intense make-up works perfectly in the season 1 finale, but how that is carried over to an entire potential season 2 can make for many interesting creative developments. Notably, the character of Javier Arbizu, the sisters’ father, dies off-screen, which means that actor Pedro Casablanc has a very slim chance of reprising the role. That said, the story’s time-jumping style leaves enough room for his possible return.
Given that Cris cuts off all ties with Zahi in the middle of the season, the chances of actor Raidher Díaz returning to the screen as the character are low. The same holds true for actors Gabriel Polanco, Luis del Valle, and Pablo Zito, whose respective characters, Tito, Bartolo, and Ricardo, are no longer a part of the larger storyline. One big unknown when it comes to the cast list is the question of Nüll García returning to the role of Louisa. While she has formally ended things with Paula, and all glimpses into the future indicate that she is no longer a part of the family, Louisa is still one of the show’s most important pillars and a fan-favorite. That said, a potential sequel is bound to have Ane as its main spotlight, which means that there is a strong chance of Alícia Falcó stepping into the role once again.
That Night Season 2 Might Solve the Murder Mystery For Good
One thematic concept introduced in the final episode of the season is the idea that Ane has many mothers. While Elena is her biological parent, she was raised largely by Cris, with Paula also playing a formative role in her childhood. This blurs the line between blood and found families, paving the way for a more complex dissection of these relationships if the show gets a second season. For Elena, letting go of Ane during her childhood still registers as a good thing, and while that is a toxic mindset in and of itself, Paula and Christina will have to put in a lot of work to course-correct their youngest sister’s trajectory. It is possible that the next time we see Ane in this hypothetical sequel, both she and her birth mother will be entirely different figures.
One mystery left ambiguous by the end of season 1 is that of Wil’s murder. While we know that Elena was largely driven by self-preservation, the many stories she has released to the world don’t quite add up. At the end, we get a brief glimpse into Ane’s perspective, and it is a particularly gruesome one. Elena might have baited Wil to stand in front of the car, and then trampled over his body with her car numerous times to ensure that he was dead. This means that Elena still has some major questions left to answer, not necessarily to the system, but to her own daughter. This might just be the key to restoring their relationship, and potentially bringing the story to a state of genuine closure.
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