“The Manager”: from a rogue and a trickster to an evil genius

Yeah “The one in charge”the series of Mariano Cohn and Gaston Dupratwould have started with this third season, which can be seen since last Friday, instead of the first, It would certainly not have provoked the same protests from Suterh, the union of workers in that trade.but they would almost certainly have laughed in the same way as their vast audience does.

The character of Eliseo Basurto (the surname, a tribute to the comedian brothers of the 60s, now forgotten) He has gone from being a simple cheater and opportunist to becoming a kind of Evil Genius of Marvel or DC Comics.who now continues to build his own empire of iniquity from the sumptuous apartment he inherited from his neighbor Beba (the nonagenarian Pochi Ducassewho in his ghostly reappearances now speaks with an almost sewage-like lexicon).

As is known, Naturalism does not provoke the same reactions in the viewer as the fantastic.and that is what happens with this third season of the series. Guillermo FrancellaHe is undoubtedly an exceptional actor, who immediately catches the eye of the viewer, but here he has to carry out (it was already hinted at in the second season) a comic book evil that exceeds the limits of plausibility.

“The Manager”: changes in the new season

Of this new installment, which Star/Disney has not uploaded in full but will now broadcast weekly, which prevents “marathoning” and forces the public to follow it until its conclusion, only two chapters have been seen, but enough to get an idea of ​​its continuity. Perhaps, the “algorithm”, the “character arc” and all those strategies that the scriptwriters of yesteryear were unaware of, have required an evolution of this style, but the truth is that now we see Eliseo as a porteño Lex Luthor and not as a rogue.

The same could be asked about the need for the continuation of this success, which already closed perfectly in its first part. It would be the same as continuing “Nothing”the round series with Luis Brandoni and Robert De Nirowhich had a flawless ending and would not admit a satisfactory continuation. In short, the algorithm rules.

“The Manager”: what is known about the third season

The third season begins with a VIP convention of Latin American managers in Rio de Janeiro, as if it were a CEO congress, where everyone stays in five-star hotels with a view of the sea, enjoys the beach, and recounts commonplaces —except for Eliseo, naturally— during the course of the symposium. A very brief scene that, however, did not save on travel and production costs.

Immediately, Eliseo begins to plot his new strategy to take control not only of the building but of the entire neighborhood and, presumably, in a short time, of the entire city as well (like the Joker with Gotham City). He sets up a luxurious management services company, SIB (Soluciones Integrales Basurto), whose aim is to force the rest of his colleagues to resign, in order to recruit them to his service, but no longer in a dependent relationship (that “means being submissive,” he tells them), but rather shadily hired to work for him on a piece-rate basis.Entrepreneurs” who, it is presumed, will also end up being scammed.

With this characterization, at least until now, the sympathy that his character produces is maintained, but there is a risk that at some point this bond will be broken, because One thing is the nice cheeky guy and another is the ruthless cretin who plays with a value as scarce today as work.But, well, maybe that’s splitting hairs too much, and this is nothing but a comedy. A comedy about a complicated subject in much more complicated times, of course..

Vocabulary, as was said in the case of Ducassein another era it would have made a friend blush (and perhaps even today there are some parents who do not feel too comfortable watching the series with their minor daughters, for example), but, yes, there is one word that is not even mentioned in the title.

That reminds me of an anecdote from Borges: Once, on a television show in the 70s, the author of “The Aleph” What did you think of the novel? Pacho O’Donnell “The seduction of the doorman’s daughter”and he answered: “It is a very brave book”. Surprised not so much by the answer but by Borges’ knowledge of the work, the journalist insisted: “Why do you say that, Borges?” And he added: “Because he used the word ‘doorman’ instead of ‘caretaker’”Political correctness is not a new thing, at least in some areas.

“The Caretaker III”. Miniseries by Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn. Starring: Guillermo Francella, Gaston Cocchiarale, Daniel Araoz, Daniel Miglioranza, Pochi Ducasse. Disney Plus/Star.