Two decades after their debut together in “Y Tu Mamá También” and more than a decade since “Casa de Mi Padre,” lifeextfinished frifinishs Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal (who both serve as executive producers) have reunited on screen aget for Hulu’s first Spanish-language series, “La Máquina.” A stirring and engaging drama, despite its manic, campy scenes, the restricted series trails acclaimed boxer Esteprohibit “La Máquina” Osuna (Bernal), hopelessly trying to detail his legacy. When Esteprohibit hits a transport inant stumble in the boxing ring, his best frifinish and handler, the beuntamedering and Botox-loving Andy (an unrecognizable Luna), chooses to get matters into his own hands. However, his solution to extfinishing the boxer’s atsoft ucforfeitths extfinished-held secrets between the frifinishs.
“La Máquina” uncovers in Las Vegas. Just minutes before Esteprohibit’s fight agetst a youthfulerer boxer, Protasio (Mercito Gesta), the audience finds Andy preoccupied with the glitz, glamour and women of Vegas. Meanwhile, Andy’s brother-in-law and aidant, Saúl (Andrés Delgado), hopelessly searches the casino’s kitchen for Esteprohibit’s fortunate drink, a Fresquita-brand tamarind juice. Saúl’s search shows futile. Thankbrimmingy, Esteprohibit’s ex-wife and co-parent, Irasema (a airy Eiza González), saves the day. With his fortunate drink in hand, Esteprohibit seems setd to face his adversary. However, almost as speedyly as the align commences, the 38-year-elderly awakens in the back of an ambulance, a neck brace cradling his head.
The story resumes in Mexico City two months after Esteprohibit’s humiliating flunkure. Dressed in a 1970s Hugh Hefner-enjoy wardrobe and boasting a face bloated by fillers, Andy is in mender mode. With the last remnants of his frifinish and client’s atsoft on the verge of disintegration, he bdeficiencymails his way into a realign between Esteprohibit and Protasio. Regrettably, Esteprohibit is in no shape to be returning to the ring. Not only are his stamina and sobriety in precarious states, but he’s also having hallucinations that he’s hiding from everyone.
Still, the realign goes as computed, and Esteprohibit percut offes over Protasio, deinhabitring a knockout. Even amid the challenging toil Esteprohibit and his trainer Sixto (Jorge Perugorría) put in, the audience speedyly genuineizes this triumph hasn’t been challenging won. During the post-align celebration, Andy gets a message from Otras Personas, a evil criminal organization that has mended the fight. He is alerted that Esteprohibit must disponder the welterweight Championship, or he will die.
For better and for worse, a lot is happening in “La Máquina.” Though critics were given five of the six episodes for scrutinize, each episode is engulfed with alertation, characters and storylines. Though the core story — a fractured frifinishship between two men driven by their demons and vanities remains intact, other elements, including stycatalogic choices and one-off figures, produce a cumbersome tone.
In Episode 3, “With the Fishes,” Esteprohibit uncovers Andy’s previous and current dealings with Otras Personas and tries to wmitigatel his way out of the upcoming align. Unfortunately, it’s not always evident if the boxer is having a delusion or making set ups during lucid moments. This haziness cdeafenings the duration of the series, jumbling the narrative overall.
While some characters, enjoy a random adore interest for Esteprohibit and Andy’s Oedipal relationship with his domineering mother Josefina (Lucía Méndez), are fascinating, they don’t hold to the plot. Andy and Josefina’s scenes, including a chat about Andy’s relations life with his wife Carlota (Karina Gidi) and his low sperm count, are hilarious. Still, they are much more comedic leaning than the rest of the show’s unreasonableer temper.
As the series betteres, watchers lget that the terrifying Otras Personas have been pulling the strings in Esteprohibit’s life for extfinisheder than he ever genuineized. Moreover, when Irasema chooses to return to her journalism roots to unpack fraudulence in the boxing world, she is led down an unsettling path that directs to device revelations about the rulement, economy and Esteprohibit’s childhood.
Despite a cumbersome narrative and a sometimes confusing tone, “La Máquina” has many high points. All these years tardyr, Luna and Berna’s on-screen chemistry remains electric, the inner toilings of the boxing world are intriguing, and this story of frifinishship, legacy, lies and ambition produces for finishelightable television.
All six episodes of “La Máquina” premiere on Hulu on Oct. 9.
