Summary
Strong storytelling and great acting by the ensemble have the return of Acapulco firing on all cylinders.
We recap the Apple TV+ series Acapulco season 2, episode 1, “Break My Stride,” which contains spoilers.
Season 1 of Acapulco was a fun ride but left much to desire. However, I was excited to hear they had announced that there was a season 2 because I felt like they could right some wrongs from the previous season. Let’s dive into the first episode of season two.
Recap – what happened in Acapulco season 2, episode 1?
Season 2 kicked off with Maximo (Eugenio Derbez) and Hugo (Raphael Alejandro) heading onto a private jet. Maximo talks about how he has the best trip planned for the duo when they land in Acapulco because he can show them all the nicest places in the town. He opens the book of itineraries, and Joe has included a place that Maximo refuses to go. Hugo questions what the place is, but Maximo changes the subject so they can move on.
In changing the topic, Maximo says it’s time for the “mostly” true story about his rags to riches. So we go back to 1985, where a younger Maximo struggles to move past everything that happened at the end of 1984. Next, we see Hugo and Memo discussing that the pool boy got a promotion, which means he is next in line for the job. Naturally, Memo is excited because they will be able to work together finally.
We move inside to their boss announcing the plans for the day. Julia pipes in with some excitement, putting Maximo in a little problem as he thinks she recently got engaged, breaking his little heart. As Maximo is ready to leave the meeting, he uses a different exit to avoid Julia. Then we see Chad approach Julia, and this is when we discover that there might not have been a “yes” answer from Julia on the marriage proposal. Chad is trying to discuss what happened between the two, but she bails on the conversation.
Now Maximo is on the hunt for Hector to talk about the job that is about to open up. We move into Hector’s office, a very, VERY tiny little office that Hector is quite proud of. Maximo congratulates him on the new job and has a seat to talk to him. He asks him to put aside their old differences and give him his old job. Hector ponders the idea and hints to Maximo that he needs a rolly chair. Of course, Maximo sees this as a chance to impress Hector to get his old job and bites.
Down in the laundry room to start working, but Memo is confronted by his boss, the aunt of the girl he is seeing, and she informs him that everyone is out sick today and that it will only be him working. Also, she says that the washer isn’t working (they are working with out-of-order labels on them) and that she can’t fire him for personal reasons (she checked), but if he doesn’t do his job, she can. And with no job, he will not have the girl because her niece wants a man with a job.
In the office, we see Diane talking about how she finally landed the money to save the resort. Don Pablo is excited to hear the news and attempts to share a story with Diane, but she doesn’t want to listen to it. Next, as Maximo pulls chairs out of an office, Don Pablo stops him to ask him what he is doing. First, he tells him getting a chair or two, and then Don Pablo says they need to talk about the night before today. Finally, as Maximo leaves, he realizes he is trying to avoid that confrontation because of how he spoke to Don Pablo.
Maximo is walking away from the offices and talking about avoiding Don Pablo, and he sees Julia in the reception area. He attempts to avoid her, but she stops him and tries to figure out what is going on with him. Maximo is acting awkward while Julia breaks down the proposal, was weird, and Maximo tries to tell her everything is fine and runs.
We see Maximo pushing the chairs, and he runs into Isabel, who isn’t staying at the resort and is stealing pens from the place. He is joking and calls out for security, but she explains herself, and the duo has a bit of a moment together. Back to Hector’s office, where he is trying out the chair, Maximo got for him. Maximo asks if Memo has the job, but Hector says he can’t give him the job without interviewing him first.
Well, back at reception, we see Isabel again, but she embraces Julia with a big hug. After some chatter, Isabel asks about the engagement and says they have had some highs and lows as of late, and she isn’t sure if she wants to marry him. Julia’s advice is to make a choice and go for it.
Sara is FREAKING OUT and finds Roberta because she thinks her mom is onto their relationship and that Roberta is “fake” dating Maximo so they can spend time together. They are both freaking out about how this could be bad for them. Finally, Maximo informs Memo that he has secured an interview with Hector for the job opening. Memo is obviously elated as he is down in the laundry room struggling. Then, Memo explains that he has to finish the laundry and is almost done until Lupe comes down with a basket FULL of things for him to wash.
The ending
Maximo follows suit and releases his turtle, and while everyone is looking on in excitement, Maximo realizes that maybe he is that baby turtle. As he breaks down the comparisons, Hugo interrupts the story to ask him if he is really comparing himself to turtles. Maximo says, “why not? They are adorable and just roll with it.” The turtle made him realize he needed to stop avoiding things and confront everything in his way.
So we see Maximo go on a wild goose chase. But, first, he confronts Hector to find out what it will take for Memo to get the job. Hector responds with half of his tips, and Maximo agrees. Next, Maximo confronts Julia to tell her he is happy for her and Chad. Then, present day, Maximo and Hugo land in Acapulco together. Finally, as we see Maximo lie and say it was Memo’s talent that got him the job, Maximo realizes it is time to face Don Pablo.
As he expects Don Pablo to give him the business of talking to him the way he did, Don Pablo embraces him because it made him closer to his family. He lets him know that by the summer’s end, he will have to be much closer to Diane. He hands him a set of keys and tells him to start laying the groundwork of being her right-hand man.
What did you think of Acapulco season 2, episode 1? Comment below.
