Christopher von Uckermann
Ramiro Ventura
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Diablero: With Christopher Von Uckermann, Gisselle Kuri, Fátima Molina, Horacio Garcia Rojas. A fallen priest, a legendary demon hunter and a modern day superhero join forces to battle evil.
- (2.8K)
- 2 min
- TV-MA
- 66
- Let your demons out...
- Diablero: Season 1 Photos
- Verdict
By Kristen Lopez
Updated: Dec 27, 2018 4:03 pm
Posted: Dec 27, 2018 4:00 pm
This is a spoiler-free review for the first season of Diablero, which is currently available to stream on Netflix.
Movies about demons are a dime a dozen, but in researching where the progenitor of demonic televisions shows started, the seed seems to be rooted in the CW’s long-running series Supernatural. Since that time, demons, Satan, and the interplay between Earth and the spirit plane has been grist for so many television shows it boggles the mind. The fad is working its way into foreign-language shows now, and Netflix’s latest series, the Spanish-speaking Diablero, draws heavily from its US imitators. That’s not to say it’s a copycat -- despite a hokey story that hits every familiar beat in the Necronomicon these shows utilize, the characters' tenacity makes the show’s eight episodes a breeze, despite the dark content.
Angels and demons were once able to influence human decisions, but when the angels left, the demons flourished, unabated. In Mexico City, Elvis Infante (Horacio Garcia Rojas) is a “diablero,” or demon hunter, attempting to help humanity restore balance. When a little girl goes missing, Elvis must team up with a conflicted priest named Father Ventura (Christopher Von Uckermann) to figure out where the girl is and how the demons play into her kidnapping.
There are moments where Diablero is nothing more than a Mexico-set take on Constantine. Elvis Infante is a hard-drinking, lovable jerk who has seemingly burned everyone in his life except his sister, Keta (Fatima Molina). He’s out for an easy score and believes helping Father Ventura find the girl will result in a large payday. The pilot, with Elvis narrating, threatens to turn the lead into a man who believes his own hype, but thankfully, the conceit is abruptly dropped. The audience ends up supporting the character thanks to Rojas’ performance. Where other characters, and the show itself, don’t know whether to strike a humorous or serious tone, Rojas captures both. When the group must go to Elvis’ ex-bestie, Isaac (Humberto Busto), Rojas is able to kick in the charm to find a way to get Isaac on Elvis's side, or at least not shoot him on-sight.
With Elvis leading the pack, the ensemble works around him, pulling off the individual threads that sustain the series for its eight-episode first season and hopefully beyond. The female characters are the most interesting and underutilized, though there appears to be wiggle room for future development in subsequent seasons. Molina’s Keta is mourning the loss of a child, but there’s far more to it that ends up tying into the main narrative. As we see in a later episode, Keta is a better diablero than her brother, learning at an earlier age to have “faith” and open herself up to what’s happening.
But, per tradition, diablera’s aren’t allowed. So when the plot turns towards Keta being drawn into demon-hunting, it’s up to Elvis to assert himself and prevent Keta from enmeshing herself into events further. It’s irritating to have to watch Molina, who is riveting, relegated to one of the show’s haphazard love stories involving Isaac. Towards the end of the first season, the series takes a sharp veer into silliness with Keta at the forefront. The whole thing ends up feeling more like a Saturday-morning sci-fi series than a serious show about monster hunting.
At the same time, Father Ventura is a character ripped straight from a telenovela. The conflicted priest reiterates time and again that he “had a life” before the priesthood, which has now come to bite him in a highly uncomfortable place. He’s there to introduce the powerful role the Church will have in subsequent seasons, and this is where the series attempts to separate itself from a standard “demon-of-the-week” narrative. Conspiracy theories about the church are pretty prevalent in shows of this genre, and while there’s nothing particularly new here, watching Ventura examine his own past history and how religion plays into it is unique.
Diablero has some serious bumps, but if you enjoy any of the countless demon-based television shows out there, this one will similarly appease you. There’s plenty of story established for future seasons, and let’s hope the showrunners smooth out some of the rough patches by settling on a tone and letting the female characters be more than romantic ...
Watch Diablero — Season 1 with a subscription on Netflix. A young priest enlists the help of a demon hunter and a paranormal expert to search for a kidnapped girl in the underworld of Mexico City.
- (44)
- Christopher Von Uckermann
- José Manuel Cravioto
- December 21, 2018
S1.E3 ∙ The Hidden Children. Keta has history with Isaac - and she's sure it's tied to the case. Mariana gets to know her protector, a woman who claims she can keep her safe.
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Watch Diablero with a subscription on Netflix. A young priest enlists the help of a demon hunter and a paranormal expert to search for a kidnapped girl in the underworld of Mexico City.
- José Manuel Cravioto
- TV-MA
- Christopher Von Uckermann
Diablero 2018 | Maturity Rating: 18+ | 2 Seasons | Horror When a young girl goes missing in a big city, a desperate priest joins a demon hunter and his motley crew on an otherworldly mission to find her.
Watch Diablero | Netflix Official Site. When a young girl goes missing in a big city, a desperate priest joins a demon hunter and his motley crew on an otherworldly mission to find her. Watch trailers & learn more.
