Acapulco Season 2 Episode 4 Review: Love is a Battlefield

Love is in the air for Valentine’s Day at Las Colinas on Acapulco Season 2 Episode 4, “Love is a Battlefield.” Before we get to the relationships in 1985, we start with Maximo and Hugo still at Isabel’s family restaurant in the present day.

Because of the series’ flashback storytelling structure, Hugo’s character is a proxy for us, the audience watching. This gives Acapulco a sense of self-awareness that isn’t usually possible.

When Present Day Maximo is vague with his stories and intentionally mysterious, Hugo is able to call him out on it just like we would.

It happens immediately on Acapulco Season 2 Episode 4 — Maximo is setting up his Valentine’s Day story by telling Hugo that not all relationships survive the holiday. Hugo, just as exasperated by Maximo’s roundabout storytelling calls him out on making everything seem like a “mystery.”

Even though it can be frustrating at times, and it often seems like they’re drawing out the intrigue just for the sake of it, Maximo is charming enough to let it slide.

Case in point? Valentine’s Day, 1985. If Acapulco Season 2 Episode 3, “Glory Days,” was all about setting up the Maximo/Isabel pairing, Acapulco Season 2 Episode 4 is for the die-hard Maximo/Julia fans. 

Maximo’s bid to become Diane’s left-hand man and Don Pablo’s covert operation to retire quicker are what get us to the meat of this episode. There are many ways to put characters into the “forced proximity” trope, but Acapulco gives us a clever excuse.

It’s only in a luxury hotel that it would make sense for a pair to get stuck “romanticizing” a presidential suite ahead of the holiday of Love. And of course, Maximo gets stuck doing the work with Julia.

Their relationship seems to be in an amicable place so far this season, so it’s an interesting choice to rehash their romantic feelings so soon into Acapulco Season 2. It’s mostly on Julia’s part that there is still awkwardness between them.

If she’s going to marry Chad and be so staunch in her wedding decisions with Diane, she needs to lean into it. The back and forth is confusing within the show and to the external audience.

I don’t think it’s fair to Maximo to bring it back to the forefront of his mind. Julia needs to make up her mind — Chad or Maximo.

They get some semblance of closure after they give each other the space to be vulnerable about their feelings in the suite, so here’s hoping their relationship takes a breather for a little while.

I’m still excited for Maximo and Isabel! Even if she believes Valentine’s is an American corporate holiday and he’s like a Golden Retriever, obsessed with their nine-day anniversary, they make a really cute couple. They make sense in the same way that April and Andy from Parks and Recreation do.

The other main relationship tested in Acapulco Season 2 Episode 4 is between Sara and her mother. It’s been on the edge for a while, so it’s not surprising that it finally comes to a head in the episode about love, especially when Sara’s love life is the main factor.

In all of the 80’s flashback scenes, there’s a slight optimism to Nora’s eventual discovery of her daughter’s sexuality. It’s hinted more than once that she’s aware of Sara’s romantic feelings toward other women, but she never acts on the suspicion.

In the present day, however, and I’ve mentioned this more than once after watching this season, Nora is rarely brought up in the orbit of present Maximo’s life.

I’ve been worried that Sara’s sexuality has been the elephant in the room for present-day Maximo while telling his life story to Hugo. Specifically, worried that it’s his mother whom he’s reluctant to see on his trip back to Mexico.

They have such a strong relationship in the ’80s that it would be devastating to see them irreparably divided.

While Acapulco Season 2 Episode 4 has split their family apart, it has reassured us at the same time. Present Maximo rarely mentions Hugo’s Abuela in their scenes together, but that changes in their conversations this episode.

It’s impactful in the present-day timeline that Maximo doesn’t rehash the horrible things Sara and Nora said to each other for Hugo to internalize. This is Maximo’s story, and while he’s obviously still very close with his sister, there are some parts of her story that aren’t his to tell.

As a consequence of bringing old Maximo to Mexico to visit his old haunts, Acapulco Season 2 is giving us some really lovely scenes blending the timelines together. Putting him in these locations while he’s reminiscing on his past allows Eugenio Derbez and Enrique Arrizon to share the screen in fleeting moments.

Present Maximo will begin a story for Hugo, then ’80s Maximo will walk by and carry on the story in the past. It’s a clever way to integrate the two timelines and gives the memories a bit more of a punch, letting the nostalgia seep off the screen in a way that wasn’t possible in Acapulco Season 1.

Stray Thoughts

• I love that Lupe cracked her hard exterior to let Memo and Lorena have a nice Valentine’s Day.
• I love how the bracelet continues to pop up throughout the season.
• Hector and Diane were doomed from the start so I’m not surprised they broke up.
• Hector’s Hector-fied Teddy Bear and Chad’s Daddy jokes are highlights of the episode. I’d love more of these unlikely pairings to share the screen!
• Maximo giving Isabel stolen chocolates from guest room pillows is weirdly romantic.
• Hugo seems to think old Maximo is avoiding Isabel, but I think that’s another red herring.
• Julia and Maximo joking about Paris Fashion Week and him visiting her on his private jet — is this foreshadowing? We know he has a private jet!
• Esteban being horrible at planning surprises is very on-brand. The poor guy is so clueless.

What did you think of this episode of Acapulco? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Critic Rating:

User Rating:

Acapulco airs Fridays on Apple TV+.

 Follow us on Twitter and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!

11 Latinx-Led TV Shows We Love