REVIEW: ‘Los Espookys,’ Episode 6 – El Sueño Falso

The first season of HBO’s comedy series Los Espookys came to an end with episode six “El Sueño Falso” (The Fake Dream). Created by Fred Armisen with Julio Torres and Ana Fabrega, the primarily Spanish-language series has blended the supernatural with Scooby-Doo and set all through the eyes of a team of Latin American horror fans. I have been hooked on Los Espookys since the first episode. Not only because of my love of dark humor but also because as a Latina horror fan whose culture is steeped in spooky bedtime stories that drew me to the genre. I saw myself in Renaldo, the show’s lead.

Last episode, the team split up. While the group was as tight as could be at the beginning of the season, Andrés’ (Torres) impending doom – I mean marriage – Úrsula’s (Cassandra Ciangherotti) large debt to the satirical take on Herbalife – Hierbalite, or Tati’s (Fabrega) affinity for having her heart broken, and Renaldo (Bernardo Velasco) looking to chase his dream, each member of the Espookys crew had their own stuff to take care of. In “El Sueño Falso” everyone’s character arcs come to an end and are wrapped up neatly. And it all starts when Renaldo takes mirror Melanie’s help to get a visa and head to Los Angeles to both meet his idol and work for her.

Andrés finally gets to watch The King’s Speech to satiate his inner demon who gives him important path changing information. Úrsula and Tati find their way out of Hierbalite debt through a little maneuvering that ultimately saves themselves and Andrés, and Renaldo has his dreams crushed by his horror hero who insists that his name has a “Y.”

While “El Sueño Falso” does its job for the characters, when the credits rolled and the goth electro beat became the focus, I wanted more. At six episodes, the world of Los Espookys introduced so many different threads to follow outside of our main cast that its ending felt unfinished. What happened to Gregoria Santos? Why is Úrsula being sought to be “Gregoria Santos #9?” Is Tati really supernatural? Are Melanie and the mirror version of her just going to keep working at the Embassy with no questions asked? Where is the cartoon prince?

For six episodes Los Espookys has pulled me into the world but its ending of the season feels empty. “El Sueño Falso” also points out what the show lacked, more spooks, more schemes, and more time living in the strange world it mapped out. While the humor was still on point, the characters’ costumes definitive of their personalities, and the reveals satisfying, I just needed more.

That being said, this could all just be the beginning of a long series that needed to end openly for a season two be possible. Or, it could be a comedy show that forgets what it did in the previous episodes, that only focused on the ending. Either way, we won’t know until season two debuts, while unannounced as of this writing, the addition of a second season will solve the same issues another six episodes could have.

Los Espookys is near and dear to my heart. It’s weird. It’s strange. And it’s undeniably focused on the experiences of those from Latin cultures that view every bump in the night as a different folkloric monster. Not only that, in a sea of reboots, revivals, and sixth seasons, Los Espookys is unique, fresh, and a comedy that highlights the future. There just needs to be more of it.

“El Sueño Falso” would be a great midseason episode, but as a season finale, it falters from the weight of the set up drawn out in the five episodes before it. But as this season wraps, may we all remember Andrés’ sense of latex style and blue hair. Úrsula’s all black everything. Renaldo’s “I bought this at Hot Topic” style that was literally my closet when I discovered my love of goth, nue metal, and electro beats. And of course Tati, who is Tati, in all her space cadet ways. Los Espookys’ story was good, but the characters it brought were fantastic.

Latinx goths are here, we’re weird, and hopefully, we’ll get another season of Los Espookys. 

Los Espookys season one is streamable on HBO Go and HBO Now.