Lovesick Season 1 Ending Explained: Does Emilia End Up With Daniel or Zavalza?

Helmed by Catalina Aguilar Mastretta, Netflix’s ‘Lovesick,’ or ‘Mal de amores,’ depicts a love triangle unfolding at the height of the Mexican Revolution of the 1910s. Based on Catalina Aguilar Mastretta’s eponymous novel, the series follows Emilia Sauri as she fights to become a doctor and navigates a complex love triangle. On one end is Daniel, her best friend since childhood, and arguably the person she loves the most, except that he prioritizes the revolution at every turn. On the other end is Zavalza, a prodigious doctor who swoops into her life every time she is at her lowest. Even as she struggles to make the choice, the very social fabric around her begins to change violently, casting doubt on everyone’s lives in this Mexican historical romance series. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Lovesick Season 1 Plot Recap

‘Lovesick’ begins in Puebla in 1910, roughly one month before the uprising that will go on to be known as the Mexican Revolution. Emilia, a medical prodigy who works at her father’s apothecary, yearns to become a professional doctor and make a difference in the lives of others. However, in the turbulent political atmosphere, people aren’t advised to take too many risks. That does not stop her childhood friend Daniel from engaging in revolutionary activities, however, especially since he is supported by the local revolutionary party. Emilia, who has been deeply in love with him ever since childhood, doesn’t like how readily he leaves her side to join a cause, and this time it is no different. As the uprising gets violently suppressed, however, Daniel gets separated from Emilia and has to run away.

As the town settles back, if only temporarily, big things begin to happen in Emilia’s life. Her friend, Sol, marries a powerful politician and becomes disconnected from daily life. Meanwhile, Daniel’s father and the man who taught Emilia medicine, Dr. Cuenca, introduces her to a new friend of his, Antonio Zavalza, a young doctor who has come back to his childhood home after his training abroad. While his understanding of clinical medicine is different from how Emilia treats her patients, the two soon begin to bond. Meanwhile, the revolutionary tides begin to turn in Daniel’s favor, prompting his return after months. This time, neither he nor Emilia wastes any time in confessing their love, but soon after Daniel leaves once again, an anguished Emilia ventures out of Puebla to study medicine.

As the months go by, Emilia only occasionally hears back from her town, and almost never from Daniel. Her worst fears are realized when she reads a letter from Daniel’s friend, announcing his disappearance. While he is presumed to be dead, Emilia refuses to give up and instead heads to the heart of the battlefront to look for her lover. In the small village of Chihuahua, she finds Daniel, weaker and recovering from a near-fatal injury, but alive. In the following months, he heals fully and begins helping her run a small facility before deciding to return to the city. On the way, however, Daniel’s priorities get in the way yet again, and this time Emilia is the one who decides to end ties and return to Puebla, where she begins a relationship with Zavalza.

Lovesick Season 1 Ending: Does Emilia End Up With Daniel or Zavalza?

‘Lovesick’ season 1 ends with Emilia choosing Zavalza over Daniel, at least in her youth. While the final sequence of episode 7, a timeskip to the 1960s, reveals that Emilia ultimately started a family with an unnamed man, it’s uncertain whether this is an entirely new character, or simply Daniel or Zavalza who have aged beyond recognition. The only cue we have here is that Emilia’s granddaughter refers to this man as her grandpa, but officially, the character has no name in the end-credits scene. The ambiguity of this scene is actually the point, though, as the larger message is that Emilia’s love story isn’t necessarily defined by who she ends up with, but who she keeps in her heart after all these years.

Though Emilia and Zavalza may have gotten together at the end, every thread points towards Daniel being the true love of her life. This is effectively confirmed the last time the two of them meet on screen, as he wakes up to find a note from Emilia, declaring that he will always be in her heart. Based on what we know thus far, this was likely their last time together, but nothing changes the fact that this is the relationship that ultimately defines why the show is called ‘Lovesick.’ Despite being pulled apart countless times, both by fate and by their own actions, Daniel and Emilia cannot help but be hopelessly in love with each other, even though their minds know their relationship is unsustainable in the long run.

If anything, the term “lovesick” applies to Zavalza just as much as it does to Emilia, though on an entirely different front. All the times Emilia yearns for a reunion with Daniel happen to be the times when Zavalza is actually with her. While we never get to see his side of the narrative in full, by the end, there seems to be a mutual understanding between him and Emilia. It is not as if he doesn’t realize the subtler tensions in their relationship or that Emilia is still in love with her childhood best friend. However, it is precisely in this gray compromise that the more mature themes of the show truly shine. It is possible for Emilia to have feelings for both Daniel and Zavalza at once, and ultimately, her relationships with them culminate in entirely different but fitting conclusions.

Does Milagros Live or Die?

Milagros, Emilia’s revolutionary aunt, recovers from her disease and returns to Mexico stronger than ever. Though she initially convinces herself that this disease will mark the natural endpoint of her life, that thought is ultimately thwarted by the collective efforts of the entire family, but mostly Emilia. While she has spent years serving as a doctor in the most rural corners of the country, with very limited resources, Milgaros’ diagnosis marks a turning point in this story. For once, Emilia and her family have enough resources to head to America for advanced treatment, with the connections built over the years finally coming to use. Milagros eventually gives in and undergoes a complicated surgery that brings her back to her full health in no time.

Milagros’ initial decision to simply let the disease run its course can be understood within the larger context of the revolution. With the new era emerging, it is very likely that she decides that her time is up and that the other generations should take the lead. This is evident in how she tries to keep her diagnosis hidden from Emilia, all the while singing a song of death in a playful manner to Sol’s children, as if trying to absorb its negativity away. By the end, however, Milagros realizes that the real answer lies in synthesizing the old and the new. Right after her recovery, she brings up the same song to Emilia, this time resolving to fight against the bells of death.

Is the Revolution a Success? Does Daniel Return From America?

The revolution that constantly sets the backdrop of ‘Lovesick’ is ultimately a partial success, with the revolutionary army reshaping Mexico’s political landscape and defeating Diaz and the others. However, the show also weighs these changes against the thousands of lives that were lost in battle, and no one seems to embody that dichotomy better than Daniel. After spending the initial days of the revolution actively taking part in the armed struggle, Daniel eventually shifts towards the world of journalism. The last time we see him is in America, when he is called by Salvador during Milagros’ treatment. Though we don’t know what direction his story takes beyond that point, it’s very likely that he returns to Mexico to continue on the path of revolution.

Interestingly, there is no confirmation of an older Daniel being physically present in the final sequence of the season. While it does connect to the larger mystery of who Emilia chooses at the end, it is also possible that Daniel passed away before the 1960s, possibly while participating in the revolution. Using the age of Sol’s kids as a reference point, the actual plot of ‘Lovesick’ doesn’t actually make it to the end of the decade, which is approximately when the real-life revolution ended. The show often foreshadows that it’s not Daniel’s risk-taking nature but his razor-sharp tongue that might eventually spell his doom, which makes his role as a journalist even more fraught.

What Does the Final Scene Mean? Why is Everyone Young Again?

Unlike the rest of the season, which is starkly realistic in its depiction of human lives and relationships, the final scene of ‘Lovesick’ season 1 takes a surprisingly metaphorical turn. As an older Emilia looks across her surroundings, the scene is seemingly transported back in time, with the people present turning into their younger selves, and people long dead coming back to life. All of this is shown from Emilia’s perspective, as the people return exactly to how she remembers them from the time of the revolution. The reason for that, though, is more than just her recalling that specific period of her life. Rather, it connects to what is arguably her core memory: running with Daniel as a child.

The fact that Emilia’s memories go back five decades can be interpreted as her very specific remembrance of Daniel and of how time seemingly stopped flowing once he left her life. In this hallucinatory sequence, she asks Daniel when he made it to the scene, which, contextually, refers to the present moment in the 1960s. Daniel, however, replies that he has always been there, a remark that echoes Emilia’s last words to him. While she may be remembering a time when her entire family was together, on a broader level, it is an ode to her own coming-of-age journey, one that is incomplete without Daniel, be it physically or in spirit.