Two decades after their debut together in “Y Tu Mamá También” and more than a decade since “Casa de Mi Padre,” lifelong friends Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal (who both serve as executive producers) have reunited on screen again for Hulu’s first Spanish-language series, “La Máquina.” A stirring and engaging drama, despite its manic, campy scenes, the limited series follows acclaimed boxer Esteban “La Máquina” Osuna (Bernal), desperately trying to define his legacy. When Esteban hits a major stumble in the boxing ring, his best friend and manager, the bewildering and Botox-loving Andy (an unrecognizable Luna), decides to take matters into his own hands. However, his solution to extending the boxer’s career unearths long-held secrets between the friends.
“La Máquina” opens in Las Vegas. Just minutes before Esteban’s fight against a younger boxer, Protasio (Mercito Gesta), the audience finds Andy preoccupied with the glitz, glamour and women of Vegas. Meanwhile, Andy’s brother-in-law and assistant, Saúl (Andrés Delgado), desperately searches the casino’s kitchen for Esteban’s lucky drink, a Fresquita-brand tamarind juice. Saúl’s search proves futile. Thankfully, Esteban’s ex-wife and co-parent, Irasema (a brilliant Eiza González), saves the day. With his lucky drink in hand, Esteban seems prepared to face his adversary. However, almost as quickly as the match begins, the 38-year-old awakens in the back of an ambulance, a neck brace cradling his head.
The story resumes in Mexico City two months after Esteban’s humiliating defeat. Dressed in a 1970s Hugh Hefner-like wardrobe and boasting a face bloated by fillers, Andy is in fixer mode. With the last remnants of his friend and client’s career on the verge of disintegration, he blackmails his way into a rematch between Esteban and Protasio. Regrettably, Esteban 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 rematch goes as planned, and Esteban perseveres over Protasio, delivering a knockout. Even amid the hard work Esteban and his trainer Sixto (Jorge Perugorría) put in, the audience quickly realizes this victory hasn’t been hard won. During the post-match celebration, Andy receives a message from Otras Personas, a nefarious criminal organization that has fixed the fight. He is warned that Esteban must lose 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 review, each episode is engulfed with information, characters and storylines. Though the core story — a fractured friendship between two men driven by their demons and vanities remains intact, other elements, including stylistic choices and one-off figures, create a cumbersome tone.
In Episode 3, “With the Fishes,” Esteban uncovers Andy’s previous and present dealings with Otras Personas and tries to weasel his way out of the upcoming match. Unfortunately, it’s not always clear if the boxer is having a delusion or making plans during lucid moments. This haziness clouds the duration of the series, jumbling the narrative overall.
While some characters, like a random love interest for Esteban and Andy’s Oedipal relationship with his domineering mother Josefina (Lucía Méndez), are interesting, they don’t add to the plot. Andy and Josefina’s scenes, including a chat about Andy’s sex 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 darker temper.
As the series progresses, viewers learn that the terrifying Otras Personas have been pulling the strings in Esteban’s life for longer than he ever realized. Moreover, when Irasema decides to return to her journalism roots to unpack corruption in the boxing world, she is led down an unsettling path that leads to explosive revelations about the government, economy and Esteban’s childhood.
Despite a cumbersome narrative and a sometimes confusing tone, “La Máquina” has many high points. All these years later, Luna and Berna’s on-screen chemistry remains electric, the inner workings of the boxing world are intriguing, and this story of friendship, legacy, lies and ambition makes for enjoyable television.
All six episodes of “La Máquina” premiere on Hulu on Oct. 9.
