“It's all to see whose is bigger.”
That line slithers through the middle of the Snakes and Ladders trailer like poison in a milkshake—and sets the tone for what might be Netflix's boldest Mexican series yet.
From The House of Flowers creator Manolo Caro comes a black comedy that weaponizes a childhood board game into a satire of power, privilege, and the kind of ethical collapse you can't look away from. The trailer? Dripping with glitter, guilt, and a little bit of cocaine.
Let's break it down.
Hook: Where's the Ladder When You Need It?
Dora López (played by Caro's frequent collaborator Cecilia Suárez) isn't your typical anti-heroine. She's not rich. Not corrupt. Not even cool. She's a teacher with a dream: principal of a posh school in Jalisco. But when two 8-year-olds throw punches, their parents—two of the most powerful families in the state—turn the sandbox into a civil war. Dora? She's the collateral damage. Or… maybe the secret player.
The trailer oozes irony. Dora isn't climbing a ladder—she's skating uphill on a snake's back, clutching her moral code like a cheat sheet before a final exam.
A Board Game Becomes a Battlefield
Let's be clear—Snakes and Ladders is not your feel-good nostalgia reboot. It's more Succession than Stranger Things. Filmed in Guadalajara, it doesn't just localize the drama—it grounds it in a Mexico where power doesn't whisper, it belts into a karaoke mic while throwing tarot cards and blowing smoke rings.
Manolo Caro's fingerprints are all over this: high style, emotional chaos, and a rotating cast of beautifully flawed people making terrible decisions. Add in co-writer Ángela Armero (from Holy Family), and the result is less “lesson learned” and more “ethics optional.”
Like The White Lotus, the setting is both lush and claustrophobic. Like Derry Girls, it dances dangerously close to absurdism—but with real stakes.
The Board Game Metaphor Is the Real Villain
Let's talk symbolism.
Snakes and ladders—the game—isn't about strategy. It's about luck, fate, divine punishment. Originating from ancient India as Moksha Patam, it was designed to teach morality: virtue moves you up, vice brings you down. The trailer flips this on its head.
In Caro's version, the ladders are fake, the snakes are charming, and “winning” means getting your hands dirty. Even Dora, with her spotless chalkboard of principles, starts to crumble when ambition whispers sweet nothings in her ear. In a world where prestige is currency, Dora learns: you don't play fair. You play smart.
Would You Slide for Power?
Snakes and Ladders premieres May 14, 2025—and it's not just a new series, it's a cultural mirror. How far would you go for power? Would you sacrifice your ethics? Or worse—your karaoke dignity?
Watch the trailer. Then ask yourself:
Are you on the board… or just another pawn?
