Acapulco Season 2 Episode 5 Review: We Don’t Need Another Hero

Acapulco Season 2 Episode 5, “We Don’t Need Another Hero,” finally addresses the elephant in the room. Present Day Maximo is a completely unreliable narrator. 

It became very evident on Acapulco Season 2 Episode 4, one of the first installments in this series that focused heavily on a different character’s story. Especially when said character is one that we’ve encountered in the future.

It’s one thing for Maximo to recall his past memories for his nephew. But it’s completely different for him to try and detail his sister’s psyche. It’s less annoying with low-stakes interactions, but the fight between Sara and her mother would have been elevated with her perspective.

This makes it exciting to see Present-Day Sara reappear via FaceTime to tell her side of the story on Acapulco Season 2 Episode 5. And while she doesn’t rehash the same information that had already been shared, we get her take on the immediate aftermath.

It’s not often that Maximo’s home life and work life intertwine. Having Sara spend the night at Las Colinas after being kicked out by her mother is a nice way for usually separate characters to cross paths. And it happens right away — Julia finds Sara sleeping in an alcove behind a cleaning cart.

Seeing Sara enjoy the resort amenities was a nice tone shift for her from Acapulco Season 2 Episode 4. Her character tends to get the most conflict-ridden storylines, so a little joy was a welcome change.

Acapulco Season 2 also keeps introducing fun ways to enmesh the two timelines together. On Episode 5, the 80’s characters break the fourth wall and address us directly (via Hugo!), wondering what the sound of a ringtone is/where it’s coming from. 

It’s one of the best evolutions Acapulco has made from Season 1 to Season 2, and I’m glad to see it’s been a running theme.

The one thing this episode doesn’t have is any allusion to the mysterious person that Present Day Maximo wants to avoid. We’re officially halfway through the season, and I wish there would be a little more headway on that front. Just in case we end on a cliffhanger and the show doesn’t get renewed.

The story that does move ahead on this episode is the “traveling bracelet” adventure. It’s a good thing that Sara spends the day at Las Colinas because it’s her that dives to the pool bottom to investigate the shiny object at the bottom.

This has got to be the end of the road for this bracelet. Now that Sara has it, and especially now that Julia is letting her crash at her apartment, it’s inevitable that it will end up on Julia’s wrist after all. And I’d bet sooner rather than later at the rate that bracelet is changing hands.

Acapulco Season 2 Episode 5 really sets the ball in motion for Maximo’s story. The gossip reporter he tipped off earlier in the season pulls up in a creepy van (I thought he was going to be kidnapped) with information Maximo is “NOT going to want to miss.” Very interesting.

Stray Thoughts

• I love that we’re getting more layers to Present Day Maximo’s wealth and that he immediately gave back to his community when he got rich.
• “For one-night, maximum. Actually, it’s Maximo,” is an A+ joke.
• Seeing Maximo hype up Memo, especially when Memo is usually “that guy” us a sweet change.
• Don Pablo teaching Chad how to salsa dance is not sonething that was on my Season 2 bingo card.
• Shout out to Esteban for not throwing away any of Sara’s things in the renovation.
• I wonder if Hector will continue to be nice to Maximo and Memo after their night clubbing. 

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

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Acapulco airs Fridays on Apple TV+.

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