Created by Manolo Caro, “Snakes and Ladders”(Original title: Serpientes y Escaleras) takes a simple but zany premise and runs with it like nobody has done before. Vividly catchy and eclectically wild, the Mexican comedy on Netflix has a predisposition to go haywire. It leans on that wild side without completely going off the rails. That, and some terrific lead performances (especially Cecilia Suarez), make the eight-episode series a breezy affair. At the heart of the show lies Cecilia Suarez’s Dora and her dream to become the headmistress of the local school. That dream, punctuated with occasional weird turns of luck, takes her through a journey of world diplomacy, drugs, and an undying quest for power.
Let us recap the events and what the future holds for the series.
Snakes and Ladders (Serpientes y Escaleras, Season 1) Netflix Recap:
The story starts with an extremely cute schoolyard fight between two eight-year-olds. Ice cream is thrown, and apparently, nuts are trampled on. The parents of the children are called, and a feud is born. The boy’s parents, Vicente (Martiño Rivas) and Tamara (Marimar Vega), demand a sanction on the girl. The girl’s father, Olmo Muriel (Juan Pablo Medina), understandably gets agitated. A bit of background on the parents is required here. Vicente is the Spanish consul in Mexico, and Olmo is a famous chocolate mogul. In addition, Tamara used to date Olmo before. Vicente’s anger at Olmo can only be matched by his frustration at leaving Spain to live in Mexico.
In this context, as the school prefect and the person witnessing the fight, Dora (Cecilia Suarez) is tasked with making a decision on the matter. Dora’s dream is to replace the current headmistress, Josefina. Josefina’s term is nearing its end, and an election for the new headmistress is due. At its core, “Snakes and Ladders” is the story of Dora’s unrelenting pursuit of the headmistress position. Now, Olmo sees the opportunity to pull Dora into his fold, so that Dora makes a decision favoring his daughter. As a single father, Olmo holds significant control over the mothers of the children. He promises to lend his support to Dora’s campaign.
While attending Olmo’s birthday party, Dora witnesses Olmo and his friends taking drugs. To make matters worse, one of the friends, Bernie, dies of an overdose. Olmo asks for Dora’s discretion. Meanwhile, Vicente enlists the help of the Governor to get what Tamara wants. With the Governor’s interference, Olmo’s daughter is moved to another class. The consul couple has also marked Dora as their enemy. So, Dora sees no other option but to join Olmo’s side in this feud.
Meanwhile, there is a sub-plot where we see Dora’s son, Tono (Benny Emmanuel), befriending Olmo’s eldest daughter, Juana (Loreto Peralta). Juana and her boyfriend, Nico (German Bracco), the youthful leader of a right-wing party, have a weird way to spice their romance up: the adrenaline kick of committing a robbery. Soon, Tono gets involved in the same. Tono is gay, and it does not take much time for him to realize that Nico is closeted gay. With Tono by his side, Nico starts to embrace his sexuality. Eventually, Juana finds out about the torrid affair between Nico and Tono. When Nico ends his relationship with Juana, she tries to implicate Tono as the robber. However, Olmo and Dora interfere, and Juana confesses, getting Tono out of jail.
Snakes and Ladders (Serpientes y Escaleras, Season 1) Netflix Ending Explained:
Who Becomes the Next Headmistress?
As Dora and Olmo try to navigate their way to defeating Vicente and Tamara, a new problem arises. Dora’s ex-husband, Antonio, who used to exploit his relationship with Tono to fleece Dora financially, learns about Tono’s sexual orientation. As a rabid homophobe, he creates a great ruckus and barges into Dora’s house. The altercation leads to him falling down the stairs and dying. Olmo, along with his lieutenant Lopez, whom Olmo calls ‘Lopitos,’ much to the dismay of the man, helps Dora masquerade the potential manslaughter as a drunken drowning case.
Meanwhile, current headmistress Josefina hatches a scheme with Tamara. With Dora’s election opponent retiring, Josefina decides to scrap the election, citing a lack of candidates. This way, she gets to remain the headmistress. Olmo mitigates the problem with an offer of a director’s role in his chocolate company to Josefina. Olmo and Dora decide to propose the name of Martha Sanchez as Dora’s opposing candidate. The Tarot specialist Martha is Dora’s best friend in school. With no ambition for a higher position, Martha is the perfect patsy for Dora’s scheme. However, as fate will have it, Martha wins the election, thus shattering Dora’s dream.
Why Did Dora Betray Olmo?
As the story progresses, Olmo becomes more and more hooked on his vices — cocaine and a complete indifference towards his workers. With workers’ strikes and Juana’s robbing records, Olmo’s company starts to bleed. It becomes quite apparent that Olmo is a fading power. A sinking ship for Dora. Eventually, when the Governor gives a lucrative option to Dora, she succumbs to the temptation and sacrifices her friendship with the chocolate mogul.
At Vicente and Tamara’s party, Dora tricks Olmo into showing a video of him taking drugs. The footage also shows Bernie, who has been officially missing till then. An enraged Olmo realizes Dora has betrayed him. Dora, visibly feeling sorry for him, asks him to flee and leave the country before the police arrive. The final montage of all the characters shows Olmo doing exactly that, taking a helicopter with his daughters to leave Mexico.
What Happens to Dora?
It is revealed that the Governor offered Dora the position of Director of Education in his cabinet, in exchange for getting rid of Olmo. Olmo’s connection with the Governor was starting to become a political burden for him, hence he needed Dora to drive Olmo away. We see Dora taking charge in her new job, a position much more powerful than a school headmistress’ position. Tono and Nico seem to be together and part of Dora’s staff. So, all works out well for Dora and her family.
What Happens to Vicente and Tamara?
When Olmo and Dora were planning revenge against Vicente and Tamara, Dora got the school’s P.E. teacher, Roque, involved. Roque moonlights as a male stripper. The idea was to honeytrap Tamara using Roque. Dora hoped this would lead Vicente to doubt Tamara. She thought this would break that marriage. The cunning plan worked for a bit. However, it soon takes an unexpected turn. Vicente seems to have a kink for threesomes. Eventually, Tamara and Vicente would ask Roque to join them in bed. Funnily enough, Roque does not have to do a lot as it becomes quite clear that Tamara and Vicente get on from the presence of an audience only.
As a result, in a baffling way, Vicente and Tamara repair their marriage with their newfound sexual liberation. They become even closer. Tamara, eventually, agrees to leave Mexico. Something Vicente has been wanting to do ever since coming from Spain. The closing montage shows them having sex in the airplane bathroom as they journey towards Spain with their son.
Could There Be a Snakes and Ladders (Serpientes y Escaleras, Season 2)?
Before leaving for Spain, Vicente and Tamara offered Roque to join them in Spain. Roque would have to fulfill their sexual needs in exchange for money. The offer saddens Roque. But he considers it anyway. When Martha, who has harbored feelings for Roque, finds that, she proposes to Roque. One can infer that Roque does not leave now.
“Snakes and Ladders” has the appearance of a mini-series. It does not seem likely that there would be a second season. However, despite providing a sense of closure for all of the characters, there is scope for an extension. Without a doubt, Dora will find herself in more ethical dilemmas as she has fully immersed herself in the world of politics. Could we see Olmo coming back for payback? There are avenues to make a fairly engaging second season. Let us see if Netflix considers that or not.
