In an unspecified Latin American country, one of those magic-realism places where weird things happen so often that they're normal, Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco) creates a horror-themed quinceañera for his little sister. It is so impressive that his Uncle Tico (Fred Armisen), the world's greatest car parker (he can even park two cars at the same time), suggests that he make a career out of creating horror-themed events.
Andrés is the heir to a chocolate empire, immensely wealthy and powerful (what if they started making sugar-free chocolate? every dentist in the country would be unemployed).
His parents and his bulging swimsuit-clad trophy boyfriend (telenovela star José Pablo Minor, top photo) disapprove of his interest in horror, but he agrees to participate.
By the way, it's not a subtext: they are a canonical gay couple.
Next they conscript their friend Úrsula (Cassandra Ciangherotti), a Goth dentist's assistant; and her delightfully obtuse sister Tati (Ana Fabrega), who has a variety of odd jobs, like running a hand-cranked fan or breaking in people's shoes. (Welcome to the new economy)
They expect to plan horror-themed parties, but for their first gig, Father Francesco (Luis Grieco), the priest at the local orphanage, complains that his new, hot, hip associate Padre Antonio (Cristobal Tapia Montt), is stealing all the glory...of running an orphanage? He wants to conduct an exorcism to get back into the spotlight. So Los Espookys create an exorcism for him.
Next up: a millionaire's dying wish is to give his fortune to whoever can spend the night in a haunted house. Los Espokys are hired to create the house, and ensure that the millionaire's son does not win.
They have found their niche, creating fake paranormal events: a sea monster for a seaside town to use as a tourist attraction; an alien autopsy for a UFO researcher to show her bosses; a magic mirror for "the American ambassador"; a fake dream for an insomniac.
Along the way they have the usual daily hassles of magic-realism life.
Next up: a millionaire's dying wish is to give his fortune to whoever can spend the night in a haunted house. Los Espokys are hired to create the house, and ensure that the millionaire's son does not win.
They have found their niche, creating fake paranormal events: a sea monster for a seaside town to use as a tourist attraction; an alien autopsy for a UFO researcher to show her bosses; a magic mirror for "the American ambassador"; a fake dream for an insomniac.
1. Andrés is pressured by his family to marry his trophy boyfriend (so his cookie empire can be combined with their chocolate empire).
2. Renaldo is pressured by his mother to get a girlfriend or boyfriend, even though he has explained that he only wants friends. He's openly asexual!
3. Ursula, who is a lesbian, has any number of hookups.
4. Tati keeps expecting the guys she meets on dating apps to look like their photo. So the quirky, odd comic-relief is heterosexual.
Only 6 episodes, but fortunately Season 2 is already in the works.
My grade: A+
2. Renaldo is pressured by his mother to get a girlfriend or boyfriend, even though he has explained that he only wants friends. He's openly asexual!
3. Ursula, who is a lesbian, has any number of hookups.
4. Tati keeps expecting the guys she meets on dating apps to look like their photo. So the quirky, odd comic-relief is heterosexual.
Only 6 episodes, but fortunately Season 2 is already in the works.
My grade: A+
I have revised this post to include the fact that 3 of the 4 main characters are LGBT. Andres is gay, Renaldo is "not interested in women", probably asexual, and Ursula is a lesbian.
ReplyDeleteHey, as long as they have the same telenovela-style storylines as the straight characters, it works for me.
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