*Spoilers for episode 2.*
Oh, man! We’re at the midpoint of the story now, and it’s another banger. I really like seeing different elements of the story coming together. The tension is ratcheting up—how will our heroes, absolute messes that they are, get out of this?
At the end of the last episode, Andy came clean to Esteban about what’s happening. And it’s not just learning that he’s being extorted to lose his final match. It’s learning that this is the price for old matches of his that Andy fixed in the past. Esteban’s whole world has been yanked off-kilter, and he’s looking for any way out that doesn’t involve tarnishing his legacy. Furthermore, the visual and auditory hallucinations he’s experienced recently are getting worse. Win or lose, there’s a question of whether he’ll be able to fight at all.
For a relatively short miniseries, this show is packing in a lot of story. We see different techniques helping that along, like the judicious use of well-shot montages. Here, Esteban’s wild bender after his argument with Andy is depicted in a series of quick flashes, equal parts self-destructive and humorous. It’s clear how badly Esteban is taking this bombshell, but we also get a moment where he drunkenly crashes a wedding, punches somebody, and then gets asked for a selfie when they realize who he is. The miniseries also makes the most of its screentime in the way the different plots and themes weave into one another. For instance, Irasema’s investigation from episode 2 connects to Esteban’s predicament here in more ways than one. She recognized how many more matches end in knockouts compared to 20 years ago, and she suspected some sort of behind-the-scenes foul play to manufacture spectacle. Her digging led her to a former champion who was left with severe cognitive impairment after his time in the ring. And now here’s her ex-husband, dealing with frightening neurological symptoms at the same time that he’s being threatened to throw a fight. Some of these ties perhaps make things less realistic, but they make for a compelling story. And really, for a show about a shadowy organization that rigs boxing matches, “omg, it’s all connected!” is an appropriate vibe.
One thing I enjoy is how Esteban is treated by others. Everyone calls him “champ,” from his team at the gym to his doctor to the cops when he’s arrested mid-bender. It emphasizes that, for his entire adult life, this career has been his identity. It’s how everyone knows him, and it’s understandable why it’d be scary to face the prospect of losing all that. And within his close circle, it’s interesting to see how the people around him baby him a little. He’s the cash cow that’s been making everybody money for 20 years, but Andy thinks his pre-fight superstitions are silly and Sixto won’t tell him he’s doing well in training because then “he’ll get lazy.” In this episode, Andy and Irasema are arguing about his bender, and Esteban remarks, “I hate it when you talk like I’m not here.” I wonder how much of that particular element comes from Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna’s experience being “the talent,” how much of it comes part and parcel with being a celebrity.
Andy and Esteban’s fight at the end of episode 2 is painful, cutting so deeply in large part because of how much they care for each other. At the start of this episode, they’re both still reeling from it. Andy, who’s had these threats hanging over his head longer, is more immediately focused on their dilemma, doing his frantic best to run damage control. He’s simultaneously contrite/groveling and evasive/making excuses, which is kind of an impressive combination to pull off. But Luna sells it. I can see how Andy feels sick that his dumb decisions from ages ago are now endangering everyone he loves, even as he tries to wriggle away from direct accusations. For Esteban’s part, he’s hurt and despondent. Part of him wants to give into all that’s gone wrong while another part feels like he has nothing to lose.
I want to highlight a few great moments from Luna in these argument scenes. When Andy comes to collect Esteban at the police station, Esteban accuses, “They’re give you a cut. Am I right?” Andy sounds so genuinely affronted as he responds, “Don’t you know me, asshole?”, in a way that really doesn’t feel like an act or a dodge. He can admit that it’s completely his fault that everyone is in this mess, and his flexible morals have been on display from his first moments onscreen, but he’s still hurt that Esteban would think so little of him. And later, when Irasema and Andy are arguing, she tosses out the line, “My ex is Mexico’s favorite junkie,” and Andy instantly snaps back, “Don’t call him that!” That’s where you can feel the history between them again, that sense of, Leave him alone! He’s a fuckup, but he’s my fuckup.
Amid all the drama and tension, Luna also gives us some humor as Andy’s mom nags him about his low sperm count (she’s angling for a grandkid.) At one point, he responds to her distressingly specific advice with a numb-sounding, “Mom, stop going into my bathroom, please.” At another, he blends up a shake she recommended using raw liver(!!), and I laughed out loud at the way Luna physically recoils as Andy takes the lid off the blender and gets a whiff of the shake.
I wanna add another aspect of Luna’s acting that’s coming to the fore when his facial expressions are limited: his vocal performance is really great in this. Now, I’m on record as totally loving Luna as a voice actor, but in La Máquina, he’s doing things with his voice that we don’t often hear from him in live-action. I love listening to him go from a nervy false bravado when he’s trying to make a deal to a pouty whine with his mom or Carlota when he’s overwhelmed.
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