Summary
Season 2 of Acapulco supersedes the first with strong storytelling and a great performance from Enrique Arrizon.
This review of the Apple TV Plus series Acapulco season 2 does not contain spoilers.
At the end of season 1 of Acapulco, we saw many things happen, from Maximo (played by Eugenio Derbez) snapping at his boss to his love interest getting engaged and missing out on a promotion. Season 2 picks up right where we left off, with present-day Maximo sharing the story of how he overcame what happened in 1984 to conquer 1985.
One of the things that slightly held back season 1 was the uneven story of what they were laying out. I didn’t mind the time jumps, but they never got everything fully fleshed out until the last two episodes. However, they learned their lesson from that in Season 2. Because of this, I was much more invested from the first episode until the last one.
The big journey we go on throughout the season follows present-day Maximo’s return to Acapulco for the first time in a long time. He is trying to find some closure with the passing of Don Pablo. In between his return back, he brought Hugo along to show him around the big country while also sharing his rags-to-riches story and how it all started.
Now, the series does the shifting back and forth that Season 1 did, but I felt the writers did an excellent job of not overdoing it this season. I loved the growth we saw in 80s Maximo and how Don Pablo took him under his wing to show him the ropes. Again, you have this character who is out to please others while simultaneously trying to live his own life. During this learning process for Maximo, he gets his friend a new job, finds him a new love interest, and starts to get closer and closer to Diane.
Speaking of Diane and 80s Maximo, I thought their relationship was well-written because it showed some great chemistry between them. As we know, Maximo is trying to not only impress Don Pablo but learn the ropes. Because of the vocal point being on these two, Enrique Arrizon delivers some of the best work in the series to date. I became more invested in the story because of what Arrizon brought to the table within this character. Something about his charm, likability, and playfulness comes across as someone you want to root for throughout the season. I was a huge fan of Arrizon and hope this only propels him to new heights.
I think my only bone to pick with the series was one of the issues I had with Season 1, and it felt like eight episodes would’ve been much better for this style of a show. The series meanders a little too much in specific episodes that if you cut the season two episodes, it is much more fruitful with the story.
Overall, Season 2 of Acapulco delivers in ways that Season 1 didn’t. The ensemble cast continues to deliver with great turns by Eugenio Derbez and Enrique Arrizon. In addition, the technical aspects, from the production design to the music, were perfect. Honestly, I hope we get a Season 3 because I am 100% invested in Maximo’s world.
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