Lazarus Season 1 Ending Explained

Be warned – this article reveals key plot points from season 1 of Lazarus. The first season of Harlan Coben’s Lazarus wraps up with some questions answered, but also introduces many new mysteries and a major cliffhanger that sets up season 2. From the start, viewers have been intrigued by this new crime thriller. The trailer hinted at the complex story of Joel, played by Sam Claflin, who begins experiencing ghostly visions after his father dies.

The first season of Lazarus starts with a death that happened many years after Joel’s sister, Sutton, was murdered. Soon, Joel starts seeing the ghosts of his father’s former patients, and he explores their troubled pasts to solve the mysteries behind both Sutton’s and his father, Jonathan’s, deaths. It’s a classic thriller, much like other TV shows by Harlan Coben.

Okay, so after a seriously twisty first season of Lazarus, things finally started clicking into place. We finally learned who killed Sutton, and the truth about Jonathan’s death came out – it all connected to those strange visions Joel was having. But just when I thought I had a handle on things, the show threw in a few more curveballs and hinted at a new killer, which definitely leaves me wanting more from season two. It’s a good kind of cliffhanger, honestly.

Lazarus Season 1‘s Ending Revealed Bill Nighy’s Jonathan Lazarus As A Serial Killer

The first season of Lazarus kicked off with the death of therapist Jonathan Lazarus, who then appeared to Joel as a ghost, claiming he’d been murdered. This led Joel to investigate the deaths of several of Lazarus’s former patients – Cassandra, Harry, and Imogen – as he started to uncover a connection between them all.

The investigation into Cassandra’s death began after it was discovered she had killed her boyfriend, Neil. This was followed by the case of Harry, a boy believed to have been murdered by a man named Frank, who later took his own life. Lastly, Imogen was secretly having an affair with Jonathan and was killed by Arlo Jones, one of Joel’s patients—a known serial killer and rapist.

Although Joel thought a single killer was responsible for all the murders, including Jonathan’s, the first season of Lazarus ended by revealing that Jonathan was actually the serial killer. Following the death of his daughter, Sutton, Jonathan became distant and told Joel he felt like a part of himself was gone.

It was after witnessing Neil’s murder by Cassandra – right in front of Jonathan – that things really spiraled. Jonathan then killed Cassandra, and later Harry, who he’d also decided was too far gone to be helped. He justified it as a mercy killing, believing he was protecting others from the harm they might cause, like Neil. Imogen’s situation was a little different; Jonathan claimed he was ‘saving’ her from a serious illness.

After rescuing these individuals, Jonathan falsely accused others he considered flawed or threatening. He blamed Neil, a known abuser whose body he’d hidden, for Cassandra’s situation. He accused Frank, a pedophile who had previously assaulted Harry, of Harry’s murder. And he falsely identified serial killer and rapist Arlo Jones as the person responsible for Imogen’s fate.

Jonathan achieved this by deceiving his friend, Detective Alison Brown, and giving her fabricated evidence. This is uncovered in the first season finale of Lazarus, either through tape recordings or the ghostly appearances of Joel, which originally enabled him to investigate the deaths of Cassandra, Harry, and Imogen.

Who Killed Jonathan Lazarus In Lazarus Season 1

The first season of Lazarus had a major surprise: Jonathan was actually the killer. This was particularly shocking because the season began as a mystery surrounding his death. The finale revealed that Jonathan did die by suicide, but it wasn’t as originally believed – Alison was the one who drove him to it.

Alison discovered Jonathan was lying and challenged him in his office. She handed him a gun, telling him he had to stop the violence he’d started. Jonathan then shot himself, and appeared to Joel to claim Alison had committed murder because she left him with no other option.

Was Joel Actually Seeing The Ghosts Of Jonathan’s Murder Victims?

Throughout the first season of Lazarus, a key question arises: Was Joel truly communicating with the ghosts of those who had been murdered? Through his interactions with characters like Cassandra, Harry, Imogen, Jonathan, Sutton, and even Margot – a separate murder victim – the show strongly suggests that Joel was indeed speaking to the spirits of these people.

Interestingly, in almost every conversation the victims had – except those with Jonathan – they spoke to Joel as if he were their father. The first season of Lazarus hints at why this happened. Joel’s sister, Jenna, discovers recordings in Jonathan’s office showing their father secretly taped all conversations that took place in the room.

The first parts of Lazarus featured Joel listening to recordings of conversations that Jonathan had previously had with several people: Cassandra, Harry, Imogen, Sutton, Margot, and even Joel himself. These recordings were almost identical to the scenes Joel was experiencing with the ghostly figures, and all took place in Jonathan’s office. This suggested the ghosts weren’t real, but rather were a product of Joel’s imagination, triggered by the tapes.

After Sutton died, Joel had a mental breakdown, and his friends feared he was spiraling again when Jonathan passed away. The first season of Lazarus doesn’t definitively say what’s happening, but it heavily suggests Joel’s mental health was declining. This led him to believe the voices he was hearing were actually the voices of ghosts.

Sutton’s Murder In Lazarus Season 1 Explained

As a big fan of the Lazarus series, I remember Sutton’s murder being a huge deal. It really shook up the Lazarus family and, at first, detective Joel was convinced it was connected to all the other cases he was working on. But as season one unfolded, it turned out Sutton’s murder was actually a standalone event – a tragic incident, but not part of a larger pattern with the same killer or reasons behind it.

Sutton was murdered by Sam Olsen, a former classmate of the Lazarus siblings. Investigators discovered Sam had an unsettling obsession with Sutton, and he repeatedly broke into the Lazarus home to photograph her bedroom, clothing, and personal items.

After seeing her boyfriend, Billy, drug and kiss her sister, Jenna, at a school dance, Sutton went home, deeply upset. There, Sam, who was obsessed with her and misinterpreted her anger, attacked her. He attempted to assault her, and when she screamed, he violently slammed her head against the bed frame.

The truth comes to light when Joel discovers a childhood toy dog – one Sam claimed Sutton had given him – actually belonged to Sutton and was in her room the night she died. This leads to Sam’s arrest, offering Joel and Jenna some relief after Sutton’s death. As hinted at earlier, this tragedy is what drove Jonathan to his breaking point, and it’s connected to the larger series of murders explored in Lazarus.

What Jonathan Lazarus’ Suicide Note Meant

Throughout the first season of Lazarus, a key puzzle revolved around a suicide note left by Jonathan. The note just said “it’s not over” and included a sketch that looked like a three-legged stool. Later, Joel discovers this was actually the second page of a longer message, and the stool was meant to represent a dolmen.

A dolmen is a tomb representing death, what comes after, and the connection between different realms. During a discussion with Joel, Jonathan explains the meaning of a certain note: he believes time repeats itself, and Joel is destined to suffer the same fate as Jonathan did.

I really thought Joel was finally escaping everything, that he was breaking the pattern. But then that huge cliffhanger at the end of Lazarus season one completely changed things! It made me realize Jonathan’s note wasn’t just a one-time thing – it hinted at even more trouble coming in season two.

Lazarus Season 1’s Cliffhanger Sets Up A Different Murderer For Season 2

The first season of Lazarus ends with a shocking reveal: Joel’s son, Aidan, is a killer. Unlike the other deaths in the show, the murder of Jonathan’s assistant, Margot, doesn’t seem connected to the main storyline. The finale shows that Margot was killed with a sickle.

Wow, the first season of Lazarus ended on such a cliffhanger! I was completely shocked when Joel went to Laura’s place and found Aidan standing there with a bloody sickle. Honestly, it’s still a mystery why Aidan killed Margot, and whether Laura even survived – the show doesn’t give us any answers! It definitely leaves you wanting more and sets up a lot of potential for a second season, if they decide to make one.

It’s a little unclear right now, but things are starting to point to history repeating itself. Seeing Aidan, Jonathan’s grandson, act violently feels like we’re seeing the same patterns from the Lazarus family that Joel desperately tried to stop. And considering Joel’s own struggles with mental health – something that can run in families – it really feels like season 2 of Lazarus is setting us up to see Aidan become a new kind of killer. It’s a scary thought, but I’m definitely intrigued to see where this goes.

2025-10-22 14:01