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Snakes and Ladders Spanish Netflix Series: Surprisingly Sharp
- Yadav B V
- 3 hours ago
- 4 min read
Serpientes y Escaleras, or Snakes and Ladders, is a Spanish Netflix Series that starts off as silly as possible but ends in quite a surprising way, almost winking at the audience as the end credits begin to roll.
You will laugh through most of the series episodes while also enjoying a light take on serious themes in life and work.
Disclaimer: This contains mature themes that are best suited for audiences of ages 18 and above.
TMJ Rating: 🍿🍿🍿🍿/ 5
The Plot of Snakes and Ladders Netflix Spanish Series
Dora López is a school prefect at a posh private school that takes in students from mostly privileged backgrounds and desires with every fiber of her being to become Headmistress in said school.
When the next election for Headmistress rolls around, Dora forges an unlikely alliance with Olmo, a wealthy chocolatier who also stands to gain by having her head the school. What proceeds is a comedy of errors, more unlikely friendships being forged, and a web of lies, manipulation, and deceit that is fun to watch.
Dora manages to keep her abusive husband at bay while pursuing her career, caring for her son with all her heart, and navigating through school politics with an ease that no one around her would have expected.
Throughout Dora's journey, she is steadfast in how she pursues her personal goals by literally writing down reaffirmations in a notebook, saying them out loud, and keeping distractions at bay easily, gradually working her way up to what she wants from life for her and her son.
Comedic Premise
The whole series is based on looking at the story as a spoof, while offering a substantial commentary on the socio-economic divide, the fundamentals of politics, and also, how the whole of life is best lived as a game.
What does living life as a game mean? As the name of the series suggests, it is best not to take things seriously while living life be it wins or losses.
It is very much like the tale of the Japanese farmer who undergoes a series of ups and downs in his life as his horse runs away, only to have wild horses barge into his barn, his son breaking his leg, followed by the Japanese army sparing him from military service. All through these events, when both praised and pitied by his neighbors, deeming the incidents good and bad, the farmer simply says "Maybe" to their declaration of his state in life.
Life is not absolute, it is a journey that is best traversed and experienced as a game, taking both wins and losses in your stride without placing too much weight on both the positive and negative experiences we go through.
The intro to Snakes and Ladders makes it a point to make light of its plotline, encouraging the audience not to take what they're about to watch too seriously.
It, of course, reminded me immediately of DC's Peacemaker series intro, which is identical in its theme and feel.
There are also scenes where Dora López imagines complex situations in her mind as Game of Thrones-type scenarios to help process them better and deal with those situations.
The age-old trope of the young girl beating the young boy to a pulp on the schoolyard is used in this series as a central plot element that kicks off a massive rivalry between two families who each want to win badly at a game that is much bigger than a schoolyard fight.
The Cast of Snakes and Ladders
As expected, I have little to no knowledge of the actors who play their parts to perfection in this gem of a series, but they share great on-screen chemistry, and it results in a series that is truly as clever as it is silly.
Cecilia Suárez plays Dora López-Negrete, the dark-horse protagonist who is underestimated all her life while quietly making progress in her life, with Benny Emmanuel playing Toñito, her soft-spoken son who is fond of his father. Her only friend seems to be Martha Sánchez, the teacher played by Michelle Rodríguez.
Marimar Vega and Gerardo Trejoluna play the power couple Tamara Sahagún and Fernando Colmenar, who are at odds with the wealthy industrialist Olmo, played by Juan Pablo Medina.
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Alfredo Gatica plays Roque, the PE teacher who moonlights as an exotic dancer and is consistently backed into a corner by anyone who knows about his dodgy past or moonlighting.
Germán Bracco plays Nicolás, a third of the love triangle between Toñito and Juana Muriel, played by Loreto Peralta
Should You Watch It? Absolutely!
This series is thoroughly entertaining with an amazing cast, a good plotline, and great execution. It is funny, while touching upon serious societal issues such as income inequality, living conditions, and work politics. Watch It
