Acapulco season 2 episode 8 recap & review: Money Changes Everything

In episode 8 of Acapulco, Las Colinas gets ready to host its newest investor as Julia and Chad reevaluate their relationship. The episode is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Recap

Maximo recaps everything that happened at Chad and Julia’s dinner and how he had so many feelings going through him at the time. He then tells Hugo that it was Easter Week which is supposed to be extremely busy in Acapulco.

However, Las Colinas was only booked for one guest, Ricardo Vera who is the newest investor in the resort. Diane tells the entire staff that only a few of them have to interact with Ricardo, while the rest of them can do whatever they like.

She entrusts Maximo with serving Ricardo for the day and he’s very excited to meet such a huge role model in his life. Nora misses her daughter but still can’t accept her sexuality.

She’s interrupted when Roberta’s father, who is dressed like Jesus for the Good Friday play, knocks on her door and hands her Sara’s letters and calls Nora a bad mother and Sara a “sicko”.

Memo keeps talking about how much he hates Hector for being the mole and that he should get everything that he deserves. Maximo finally admits that he’s the real mole and Memo is very disappointed in him.

Ricardo Vera arrives and Diane, Maximo, Chad and Julia welcome him in. Julia sees Kelli still leaving the resort and she helps her along her way when Kelli mentions that it was Diane who invited her in the first place.

Julia confronts Diane about it and Diane reveals that she tried to derail their wedding several times out of love because she believes that Julia and Chad are holding each other back and aren’t right for each other.

Nora talks to Esteban about her feelings and he tells her that he raised a good girl and she’s not a sicko. The only takeaway she has from that conversation is that it is Roberta who is the problem so she goes to confront her father.

Maximo is trying to impress Ricardo but doesn’t know how to before realising that he needs to show him some local flavour and offers to take him for ceviche at a nearby corner stand. Ricardo is up for the idea but tells Maximo that his security wouldn’t allow it.

Maximo tells Ricardo that he’s sure he can sneak him out and does exactly so with some help from Lupe and Beto. Memo is making sure Hector is having a good time because he knows he’s going to be fired at the end of the day.

Julia tells Chad about Diane’s meddling and Chad sort of agrees with the fact that he’s not really sure who is and what he wants in life. They both have an honest conversation about their relationship and agree that it’s better to go their separate ways.

Nora confronts Roberta’s father while he’s walking the cross and calls him the bad parent but it doesn’t really affect him. Ricardo and Maximo enjoy the ceviche at a nearby stall and Ricardo is enjoying himself.

As they walk through the street, Maximo asks Ricardo if he had to be ruthless to get where he is and Ricardo says that you need to spend time making connections rather than aiming for the top or else you’ll just end up alone.

Back in the present, Memo lets his annoyance be known because he gave advice, Maximo didn’t listen but he later listened to Ricardo’s similar advice. He then tells Maximo that he needs to do the right thing and meet “her” because Memo has spoken to her and knows she’d be willing.

Maximo pulls Memo aside for a chat but doesn’t reveal who “her” is to Hugo. Going back to his story, he says that Nora met another woman dressed as the Virgin Mary and talked to her about having a tough time choosing her faith or her love for her daughter.

The woman tells Nora that faith is all about love and showing kindness and forgiveness when it is required.

Maximo goes to Diane and admits to being the mole. He apologises and accepts it when she fires him. As he leaves, he sets down the picture of Chad and his father that he had kept with him.

Chad walks in soon after to tell Diane that he and Julia broke up. He then tells her that he can never find out who he is until she stops controlling his life so he plans to move back to Los Angeles, and Diane is worried about the people closest to her leaving.

Maximo goes to Isabel’s restaurant and asks her if the job offer still stands before embracing her.

Review

• Despite being such a key episode, it feels very run-of-the-mill. A lot of major decisions are made such as Maximo getting fired and Julia and Chad breaking up but the episode feels forgettable.
• The entire episode is filled with drawn-out sequences and filler moments, such as Memo and Hector having fun with the rest of the staff which has some connection but doesn’t have too much bearing on the story. Even Chad and Julia’s conversation feels stretched out.
• Don Pablo is a huge miss ever since he left as he would often offer up good advice and usually provided with some of the best lines to deliver. There’s no one else that fills that role capably within the series.

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Also Read: Acapulco season 2 episode 7 recap & review: Always Something There to Remind Me