Aahana Swrup
Season 4 of ‘Acapulco’ gets off to a charmingly haywire start. Máximo Gallardo, the wealthy businessman, puts his money where his mouth is and finally begins working on renovating the Las Colinas Resort to its former glory. Inevitably, the process takes him on a trip or two down memory lane, in which younger Maximo’s exploits after becoming the Head of Operations are revealed. As it turns out, the pool-boy-turned-bossman’s fall from grace came with many complications. Alejandro Vera’s new appointment as the co-owner of the Hotel brings many new, unwanted changes into the lives of the resort staff members. Even though young Maximo tries his best to dig his colleagues out of the quicksand of their boss’ corner-cutting innovations, his cheery positive deposition may not always yield the best results. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Maximo Finds Himself in a Limey Pickle
In the modern timeline, Maximo and Julia join forces to fix up Las Colinas and bring the resort back to life. Naturally, this opens up the stage for nostalgia. Thus, when the Mogul’s grandson, Hugo, isn’t around to entertain his grandfather’s storytelling inclinations, the latter turns his sights on another impressionable youth: Memo’s son. Maximo’s tale picks up three weeks after he was appointed as the Head of Operations at the resort, taking over Don Pablo’s coveted job. The young, bright-eyed HOO receives his leadership’s first challenge, which includes a disagreement with the lime supplier, Don Chavez. Initially, his attempts to assert his authority in a meeting with the supplier.
Nonetheless, Maximo’s plan goes wrong when his cocky demeanor only compels Chavez to cancel their partnership entirely. Worse yet, in an effort to find leverage on the other man, his second-in-command, Dulce, arrives at a misguided conclusion and kidnaps the supplier’s beloved dog: Kelly. Once he learns about the same, the HOO tries to right the wrong by returning the dog to her owner. However, Kelly runs away and ends up in the dubious care of parents-to-be, Nemo and Lorena. Still, Maximo fortunately manages to get the dog back in a couple of days. His lucky streak continues as Chavez assumes the younger man has found the dog to return to him. Consequently, the incident acts as a bridge of friendship, allowing the duo to continue doing fruitful business together.
A Game of Telephone Reveals Maximo’s Secret
Maximo’s climb through the professional ladder came with an unfortunate cost. He had unwittingly armed Vera with the tools to push Diane and Don Pablo out of their management roles at Las Colinas. Initially, he plans on giving up his own job to make up for the misstep. However, that becomes difficult to do once he is offered the position of Head of Operations. As such, the origins behind the young man’s promotion remain something to be held close as a secret. Fortunately, only a select few people outside of Vera and Meximo are aware of the incident. These people include Julia, the latter’s girlfriend, and Memo, his best friend. Neither are likely to speak of the faux pas for their loved one’s security.
However, even though Julia stands by Maximo after the event, it continues to take a toll on their relationship. She has faith in her partner’s good intentions. Yet, she can’t help but feel betrayed by his decision to keep the promotion, knowing it came at the detriment of Diane and Don Pablo’s jobs. Since she can’t find a way to approach the subject with her boyfriend, she ends up venting to her friend, Lorena. While the latter is sympathetic to the couple’s plight, Paco, who eavesdrops on the conversation, has less than positive opinions about the discovery. Soon enough, the gossip mill does its job, and the rest of the staff learns about Maximo’s duplicity. Worst of all, as the gossip had spread, at the party the boss’ mother held in his celebration, the severity of his lies had become more and more exaggerated. Thus, it seems the new head will have much to do before he can worm his way back into his subordinates’ good graces.
Las Colinas Throws Vera a Birthday Bash
If Maximo hopes to smooth things over with the staff on their next day at the resort, his plans get brutally destroyed. As it turns out, Vera has a new set of guidelines he wants to implement at the Hotel to ensure the wheels of the cog run as efficiently as possible. This means no fraternization among the staff members, especially around customers, no flirtatious behaviour, no complimentary amenities, and more. Essentially, his guidelines threaten to rob the Hotel of everything that makes it special and unique. It hinders the staff’s abilities to do their jobs and makes the customers feel at home in the establishment. Since Maximo is unaware of these changes until they’re implemented, the situation remains a big problem for him.
Despite being the Head of Operations, Maximo finds himself in a unique, vulnerable, and disadvantaged position. The incident compels one to wonder if that’s precisely why the young man was promoted so that Vera could potentially pull things over his head. Either way, Maximo refuses to roll with such punches and tries to confront his boss. Yet, when his complaints are ignored, he comes up with a high-risk, high-reward idea. The meeting reveals that Vera has been in a sour mood all morning because it’s his birthday, an event that has never garnered celebration from his family. Consequently, to warm him up to the staff’s needs, the HOO decides to band everyone together to throw him a birthday party.
Diane Arrives Right as Everyone Else Leaves
Off-the-bat, everyone is skeptical about Maximo’s plans of winning Vera over. They can’t imagine how a celebration would compel the owner to see the injustice his new guidelines have added to his staff’s lives. Yet, the HOO, and his trusted supporters, Julia and Memo, manage to convince the others to play along with the schemes. However, once the owner learns about their plans, his demands grow. He casually floats the idea of a bigger party, with up to 300 guests and a theme. As such, the staff has to stay overnight to prepare, including decorations and costumes, as per the Roman Empire theme. Unsurprisingly, their efforts end up being for naught.
Once the party is in full swing, Vera refuses to acknowledge his staff’s hard work and simply plays the part of a spoiled birthday brat. Things come to a head when Maximo tries to broach the subject of the guidelines, but the other man staunchly refuses to change his cost-effective ways. In fact, he even goes as far as to establish the abolishment of overtime, ensuring none of the staff members would get paid for their involvement in the party planning. Ultimately, this becomes the last straw that compels even Maximo to move against Vera. He decides to walk out of the event in a sign of protest. Every other member of the staff joins his march, putting a strike into effect. Simultaneously, a new complication arrives for the new owner in the form of Diane. The former owner has decided to take matters into her own hands by moving into the resort and plotting against her rival.
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