The moment you mention a genre like black comedy, you open yourself up to easy criticism. It wasn't satirical or comical enough. What was dark about it? It's what you expect to hear when talking about the subject. But leaving all that aside, the most important thing about television is its entertainment, and honestly, I was truly confused after watching the eight-episode Mexican series "Snakes and Ladders." As its title suggests, the series deals with ambition, backstabbing, corruption, betrayal, and anything else considered remotely immoral in human beings.
It's a series that defines the contradictions of human nature. The series follows an innocent woman named Dora, who finds herself in trouble when she embarks on a campaign to become the principal of the school where she works. Dora's ambition stems from her desire to do something different with her life. On this journey, she comes face to face with a chocolatier who runs a successful business. An unlikely pairing, indeed. On the other hand, there's Tamara and Vicente, a conservative couple who have just arrived from Spain to start a new life in Mexico. How does this motley crew end up at the same table, and why? Well, here are the good and the bad so you can decide whether to watch it or not.
Stars: Marimar Vega, Berenice Mastretta, Anthony Giulietti
I'll start with the good, which mainly concerns the show's cast. Cecilia Suárez is an incredible actress, and after having looked her up (I haven't watched enough Mexican TV to know who she is), I'm dying to see some of her work. Especially because Dora seems like a very different character from her as a person, something I had a hard time believing. Then there's Juan Pablo Medina, whom I last saw in El mundo de Lucca, with a completely different performance. Olmo was definitely a fun character to play, and it shows. Marimar Vega was in "Bienvenidos a la Familia," a comedy show, and I almost didn't recognize her with her short blonde haircut. While everyone else performed well, these actors were definitely the best part of the show.
Since I know nothing about the Mexican political landscape, I find it admirable that I was able to enjoy some of the commentary the series offers. But I suppose it's just the human nature of everything that happens. Every mistake feels like a new hole dug in a never-ending plot, and no one is truly likable, not even the children, who feel more two-dimensional than the adults, for obvious reasons. Don't be fooled by the title of this series. It's not for children; it's a series aimed only at adults. There's a lot of sex, profanity, and some violence. While "Snakes and Ladders" is meant to be a chaotic journey to power, it often gets lost in its multiple subplots. While I understand this adds complexity to the narrative, it actually depresses it, making it almost boring at times and downright ridiculous at others.
I know the goal is to be outrageous and remind us that we all carry monsters inside, or, on the other hand, some kind of angel, but over time, it starts to feel too much. However, if that's what you're into, you'll definitely love Snakes and Ladders. As I write this review, I keep wondering if I actually liked anything about the show or if I'm just trying to sound intellectual by mentioning the satirical humor, which is subtle, but… interesting? But honestly, I think the show itself ends up being a bit mediocre, especially because it gets lost in trying to do too many things at once.
I always mention this when reviewing shows in other languages, but especially when it comes to comedy, a lot gets lost in translation, and nothing is as impactful if it's not understood in the original language. This show isn't all that funny; there are no laugh-out-loud moments, and to be honest, I forgot in the first four episodes that it was a comedy. But the second half is definitely better and adds a twist to the plot, making it more exciting.
Since the show is about Dora, I wish her motivations had been better explained and that we could have seen her transform, because it seemed almost sudden to me, even though I knew it was going to happen. On the other hand, the Tamara and Vicente plot almost seems like it's just there for the sex, which could be true, but I wish it had been presented a little differently. The love triangle with the kids feels boring and too basic for a show as nuanced as this one, and that's what I mean by some subplots that weigh it down. While we know some of those things are important to the show's plot, I wish they didn't spend so much time on them. I think the whole thieves plot was completely unnecessary and forgettable.
Visually, the series is well done, but it does have random parts where the camera is very close to some characters' faces, as if focusing on just one feature, like the eye, but it's not like the character is extra emotional or anything. I found that quite odd, but maybe it was just a stylistic choice. At the end of the day, Snakes and Ladders is like a comedy of errors that almost feels like Matilda was made for adults before the director became the one who actually directed it. To be fair, there is indeed a plot here, and it eventually gets into the suspenseful side, but I still think it could have been shorter with a neater denouement, which would have made the ending feel more impactful. I would give Snakes and Ladders 2.5 out of 5 stars.
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