Bilingual Apple TV+ comedy sequence Acapulco returns this week for a second season of shiny colours and frothy hijinx narrated by Eugenio Derbez. The Mexican resort is an ’80s uproar, younger Maximo’s life is crumbling (although he gained’t admit it), and his household is at a crossroads. And everybody, as regular, wants a favor.

The second season to this point appears precisely like the primary, which is to be anticipated, so in case you just like the softest doable jokes, you’re in luck. The present is fleetingly charming and expertly designed — the artwork path stays Acapulco‘s best advantage — and little by little, it’s enjoyable right into a funnier groove.

Acapulco season 2 recap

Season 2, episodes 1-3: Maximo Gallardo (performed by Derbez) has extra to inform his nephew Hugo (Raphael Alejandro) as they enterprise out on their latest journey within the current, a return to the resort he labored at as a teen, together with his bodyguard Joe (Will Sasso) at their facet.

Maximo left his personal story on fairly the cliffhanger final season. His previous self had a battle together with his boss on the resort, Don Pablo (Damián Alcázar). The woman he loves, Julia (Camila Perez), was proposed to by gringo employees member Chad (Chord Overstreet), and so they’re each not sure whether or not she’ll say sure, even when she does say sure.

He’s attempting to get his buddy Memo (Fernando Carsa) a job on the pool earlier than Don Pablo fires him, however Hector (Rafael Cebrián), the pool boss, is a tricky nut to crack. In the meantime, Maximo’s sister Sara (Regina Reynoso) is secretly courting Roberta (Samantha Orozco). And so they’ve instructed their mom, Nora (Vanessa Bauche), that Roberta is courting Maximo to cowl up their lie. Nora doesn’t need her daughter to be homosexual.

Maximo owes cash to the medical doctors who mounted Nora’s cataracts, and he’s dropping cash to Hector. After which there’s Isabelle (Gabriella Milla), the supply woman who charms him out of calling safety when she reveals she’s stealing from the resort. He needs thus far her however he nonetheless has emotions for Julia he’s hiding.

Tying up lose ends, one by one

The mess that works out first is his Don Pablo state of affairs. Seems he’s not mad — he’s really happy with Maximo. His outburst on the New 12 months’s social gathering on the finish of final season made issues higher for the outdated man.

So, Don Pablo needs to assist Maximo advance on the resort. First step: Turn into indispensable to Diane (Jessica Collins), the actual head of the resort. She’s Chad’s mom, and he or she doesn’t approve of her son getting married to Julia. A part of serving to Diane means doing facet quests for her, like serving to two tennis professionals (Tanner Stine and Gjermund Gjesme) without delay with out the opposite realizing, a la the tip of Mrs. Doubtfire. 

Acapulco season two: Mix in some jokes

I did snicker a couple of occasions throughout episode two and fairly a bit throughout episode three, which is an enchancment over the primary season of Acapulco, wherein all 10 episodes transpired with out a single snicker. I confess {that a} present this desperate to please (’80s milieu, Mexican-language karaoke of English-language hits, comedy aerobics, Eugenio Derbez mugging in every single place — god that man is tiresome) is very simple to withstand, or strive to withstand, need to withstand.

However hey, what can I say? This season’s profitable me over. I ended actively grimacing and began smiling, and that’s a a lot nicer feeling. Changing into about one thing aside from Maximo’s quest to make cash and be an excellent capitalist helps. The showrunners humanized younger Maximo in a means they will’t do with outdated Maximo, and a part of that’s realizing cash isn’t every part.

Hey, it took a season, and admittedly, the present has to finish with him being wealthy (and being performed by Eugenio Derbez), so it’s not like there’s an actual glad ending right here, however no matter. Minute to minute, the present is working significantly better in season two.

… and blend issues up with some spicy appearing and directing

The subplot about Sara and Roberta is deeply affecting, from their courtship to their breakup. Regina Raynoso and Samantha Orozco are each actually good of their roles, promoting on the one hand a form of dour, repressed individuality, and on the opposite a frantic seek for house to be herself in personal. It’s good things — rather more affecting than I anticipated.

Director Jay Karas handles all that with sensitivity, which is sweet as a result of the present is so ebullient in any other case —  regularly to a fault. It’s good to know he can decelerate a bit. In a single nice, rigorously choreographed sequence within the first episode, Karas captures a dialog between Memo, Hector and Maximo that’s filled with extraordinarily particular movement and fast-paced chatter, and he loops again round to the focus of the opening of the shot.

It’s maybe not Goodfellas or something, however the effort is appreciated. And together with the attractive design of the resort (these colours!!!), the present displays an interesting minute-to-minute vibe. A tiny little bit of assist might flip Acapulco right into a basic as a substitute of a good-looking trifle.

The downsides (aside from Derbez) are that the Memo stuff nonetheless isn’t humorous, and neither are Hector, Chad or Diane. The present’s writing nonetheless falls again on a whole lot of hacky tropes and dog-eared joke building. Bbut when it’s good, it’s fairly good. I’m impressed with the progress this inventive employees is making, and I’m liking every episode a bit extra. Let’s see the place this season of Acapulco goes.

Watch Acapulco on Apple TV+

Season two of Acapulco premieres October 21 on Apple TV+, with new episodes dropping on the next Fridays.

Rated: TV-14

Watch on: Apple TV+

Scout Tafoya is a movie and TV critic, director and creator of the long-running video essay sequence The Unloved for RogerEbert.com. He has written for The Village Voice, Movie Remark, The Los Angeles Evaluation of Books and Nylon Journal. He’s the creator of Cinemaphagy: On the Psychedelic Classical Type of Tobe Hooper, the director of 25 characteristic movies, and the director and editor of greater than 300 video essays, which might be discovered at Patreon.com/honorszombie.