Spoilers for The Accident (Accidente) ahead. Every once in a while, an under-the-radar thriller series rises to the top of Netflix through sheer word of mouth, and it seems that's the case for The Accident. Originally titled Accidente, the Spanish-language family drama follows a tight-knit community in Santa Cruz, Mexico, as a child's birthday party becomes the site of an unthinkable tragedy in which three children are killed and one goes missing. In the aftermath, the grieving parents give in to accusations and violence as they try to determine who was at fault.
In a surprising spin on the genre, the thriller does not keep the culpable party a secret. Viewers learn by the end of the premiere that Emiliano, the father of slain birthday boy Rodrigo, had been distracted by a business call and failed to properly anchor a bouncy castle before a gust of wind sent it airborne with six children inside. However, Emiliano keeps his guilt a secret, leaving the family's housekeeper, Moncho, to be arrested and later killed. Emiliano becomes the prime suspect for Moncho's death, but once his secret is revealed, the father has to try to protect his remaining family from fellow grieving dad Charro's wrath.
By the end of the 10-episode series, many of the show's biggest questions are wrapped up, but there's still a massive cliffhanger that has left fans wondering about the series' chances for a season 2. Below, we break down the ending of The Accident.
Rodrigo and his friends pose for pictures just before the tragic incident, in The Accident.
Who had Moncho killed?
After Emiliano is revealed to be the cause of the titular accident, Moncho's death becomes the main mystery of the series. Despite planning a hit himself, the mysterious Charro isn't the person who ordered the death of the imprisoned housekeeper. But neither did Emiliano, though Moncho's bitter wife Yolanda suspects her former employer throughout the series. The search for the murderer does fall by the wayside as Charro makes it his life mission to ruin or kill the Lobo family, but eventually viewers do find out who killed Moncho.
The hit it turns out was coordinated by Charro's wife Lupita; she was just as ruthless as her husband (and abuser) all along, especially after Barroso (a.k.a. Eulogio Pinto) arrived back in Santa Cruz demanding money for his silence. Since she was meeting Barroso at her son Gabito's grave, Lupita poisoned one of the apples she took as an offering (likely with the same type of poison used on Moncho). Barroso took one to eat as a power move, and after he died, Lupita dumped all the evidence of her involvement in the river. Or, almost all the evidence. . .
Don't underestimate Lupita, in The Accident.
What happens to the amusement park deal?
Episode 10 begins with the Lobos reeling from Carla's article that blamed Emiliano for both the children's death and for bribing Moncho to take the fall (in exchange for sending his family to the U.S.) With the article out, the theme park investors demand that Emiliano's taken off the project and replaced with Charro, who has many city officials in his pocket. Javier's forced to fire Emiliano from his own law firm.
However, it seems that the business arrangement wasn't meant to be. As the project moves forward without Emiliano, construction workers stumble upon archaeological remains while digging up the field where the park was set to be located. With this development, Javier accepts that the project was "doomed" from the start and tells the American investors, who finally pull the plug. So, Charro gets the deal and loses it just like that.
Moncho, Yolanda, and their kids watch the aftermath of the bouncy house, in The Accident.
Does Charro get his revenge?
Though the business side doesn't work out for Charro, the villain still hasn't finished his quest for vengeance. Once Emiliano is out of the theme park deal, Charro quickly bribes prosecutor Ulises to get Emiliano's bail rescinded. During the trial, Ulises is able to bring forth both the bouncy house incident and Moncho's wrongful imprisonment and murder, arguing that Emiliano should be held responsible for it all. However, Javier is able to defend Emiliano and point out that all this started from an accident. The deaths of all the children wasn't intentionally caused by Emiliano; if anything the most "treacherous intent" that day was from the gust of wind. In the end, the judge sentences Emiliano to two years without bail, for involuntary manslaughter.
Charro is furious that Emiliano is getting off relatively lightly, but he still gets a mini revenge-win. Remember the whole David-sleeping-with-Lupita thing? His and Carla's marriage is pretty much over with all the awful things they've done in the wake of the accident, and viewers see one last horrible fight between them before Charro summons David to the theme park's construction site. Charro claims that the investors are coming to negotiate restarting the project, but the whole ruse was just to get David alone. Charro shoots David for getting involved with Lupita and then has his worked bury David's body at the site.
The charming Charro, in The Accident.
Does Charro kill Emiliano?
In a genuinely good twist, The Accident doesn't end with Charro getting away with everything scot-free. Instead, Daniela shows up at his house to arrest him for Moncho's death, as Lupita looks on. The cops found evidence in Barroso's car that pointed to Charro—Lupita had planted the evidence finally get Charro away from her and their son Alex. (To be fair, what she planted was all illegal stuff he had done, plus some extra evidence to frame him for Moncho's death.) With the end of the season, it seems that Lupita and Alex are finally free of Charro. (Also, Alex and Lucia keep dating, and Lucía comes clean about the drugs and goes to NA meetings. Finally some good news in this show!)
In the final moments of the show, Daniela visits Emiliano in jail and offers her husband grace, saying that she finally understands that everyone makes mistakes, and that her grief for her son Rodrigo was driving her to put the blame on someone. The couple reconciles just in time for Charro to arrive at the prison, telling Emiliano that he paid a lot of bribes to get sent to the same jail. The Accident ends as Emiliano walks off directly into the camera, leaving viewers wondering whether Charro will try to kill Emiliano in a possible season 2.
