Hotel Cocaine Season 1 Episode 1 Review: The Mutiny

Roman Compte is put in a heart-wrenching predicament, forced to choose between his immediate and estranged family’s safety on Hotel Cocaine Season 1 Episode 1, “The Mutiny.”

Hotel Cocaine, a series that unfolds in the unique setting of Miami’s Club and Hotel Mutiny, is a captivating tale centered around the life of Roman Compte (Danny Pino), a Cuban exile and the hotel’s manager. The hotel, a neutral ground amidst the ongoing struggles between drug lords, police, and more, serves as the backdrop for the series.

All interactions inside The Mutiny Club and Hotel are in the spirit of forgetting one’s day-to-day struggles. However, that peace and serenity ends for Compte when he’s approached by Zulio (Michael Chiklis), a DEA agent who has a simple yet complex request: reconnect with his estranged brother, Nestor Cabal (Yul Vazquez), who happens to be the most significant drug trafficker in Miami.

This unexpected twist for Roman sets the stage for a series of intense and gripping events.

On the outside, Hotel Cocaine is a high-energy, fast-paced series pivoting around the gruesome and deadly cocaine trafficking world in Miami from the 1970s to the 1980s, but it’s much more than that.

The complications and underlying factors that bring natural intrigue to what’s happening on the series revolve around the familial relationships at play. It’s that aspect that truly captivates the audience.

Roman’s Inner-Struggle

Throughout the episode, the spotlight is focused on the different facets of Roman’s everyday life, the relationships between him and his boss/employees, and the underlying factor driving his decisions: his daughter, Valeria (Corina Bradley).

Through heavy moments of dialogue, we learn that Nestor and Roman were forced to endure prison camps when first arriving in the United States. Since then, Roman has taken on a somewhat respectable life, working a job that allows him to provide a worthwhile life for his daughter and new girlfriend, Marisol (Tania Watson).

Nestor, on the other hand, has led a life entirely comprised of violence and ruling the Miami drug scene with a firm grip, a life Roman has worked to avoid until now.

With Zulio’s threat against Roman’s daughter, he plays the DEA agents game, links with Nestor’s right-hand man, Chucho (Juan Carlos Messler), and reconnects with his brother to get inside knowledge for a grand takedown.

However, as the episode progresses and Roman is drug deeper and deeper into Nestor’s world, he comes to the realization that to gain his brother’s trust, he’ll have to throw all his morals out the window.

Being the second in command to the area’s top drug lord comes with certain perks, like the ability to sniff out a rat at any moment. It takes Chucho only a few meetings to catch on to Roman’s intentions, leading to the turning point of “The Mutiny.”

During a planned meetup between Nestor and the Haitians who stole his product, plans change on a dime thanks to Chucho’s apprehensiveness to Roman. The slight plan deviation leaves Roman in uncharted waters, Zulio unhinged with his informant giving him false information, and Chucho hanging behind to confirm his suspicions.

With his cover blown, Roman is thrown into an ultimatum: choose between being outed to Nestor as a traitor or killing Chucho before he can talk. With only seconds to think, the moment ends with Roman’s hands bloody and a bullet hole in Chucho.

In typical dramatic fashion, Roman isn’t off the hook just yet, though. He and Nestor, who has no clue of Roman’s involvement, drop Chucho off outside of a hospital before he can succumb to his injuries.

Will Chucho regain consciousness and out Roman? Or will this outcome result in Roman becoming Nestor’s new right-hand man? These are the pressing questions viewers are left with as the episode comes to an end.

Whether it’s the brief heart-warming moments between Roman and Valeria, his interactions with his head employee, Janice (Laura Gordon), or the action sequences that take a darker tone, Danny Pino delivers an astonishing performance that leaves viewers itching for more.

Keeping the Mutiny Club and Hotel Afloat

Running a successful club and hotel like the Mutiny is no easy feat, but it’s a piece of cake for owner Burton Greenberg (Mark Feuerstein) with Roman at his side.

In a polar opposite setting of Nestor and Roman’s situation, Burton is carefree and solely concerned with being the life of the party. He created the Mutiny as a sanctuary for misfits and an outlet for his creative expression while distancing himself from his conservative family.

Burton’s character provides a comedic factor that is much needed to keep the series grounded and away from focusing solely on the violent aspects the story tackles.

The Mutiny is the talk of the town, where anyone who’s anyone makes an appearance. In its first outing, the series provides fun cameos from prominent figures like Liza Minelli, John Lennon, John Bonham, and Hunter S. Thompson.

Thompson, though, plays a more notable role. As one of the nation’s top journalists in his prime, Thompson’s character is on a mission to take down Burton’s family, hoping to enlist his help in the endeavor.

Because of Burton’s infatuation with Thompson, we see him spiral as he ponders whether to admit his wrongdoings in creating The Mutiny or stay quiet. As the two get closer with their coke-induced conversations, Burton admits to forging his father’s signature on a loan in his quest to escape his family.

This unfortunate sequence of events leads to Thompson publishing his hit piece on Burton’s family, including the forged document for The Mutiny, leaving the club’s and hotel’s future up in the air.

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“The Mutiny” is captivating with its immersive world-building, immaculate way of blending fiction and real history, and spectacular performances from its star-studded cast.

What did you think of this episode of Hotel Cocaine? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Hotel Cocaine is available to stream on Sundays on MGM+.

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