Sometimes you just have to give a show props for originality and for taking on a taboo topic.The Horror of Dolores Roachis one of those offerings that just dropped on Prime and addresses the abomination of cannibalism, and not only makes it palatable but turns it into a thrilling ride filled with macabre twists and turns. For years shows have been trying to address the niche subgenre of cannibalism and only a few have done so with the aplomb ofDolores Roach.Santa Clarita Diet, for instance, was a terrific and whimsical take on the controversial topic and ran from 2017-2019, but it had a zombie angle to it. The performances of leadsDrew BarrymoreandTimothy Olyphantare memorable turns as well (with a great cameo fromNathan Fillionin the pilot episode for good measure).
WithThe Horrors of Dolores Roach, it is straight-up living people eating dead people.Justine Machadoreally does most of the heavy lifting appearing in almost every scene. She struggles to balance her own survival instincts with a moral dilemma of the highest order and takes you along for a wild ride that only gets more troubling and darker the further along she goes.
What is ‘The Horror of Dolores Roach’ About?
The first episode ofThe Horror of Dolores Roachestablishes that she was the serious girlfriend of a local drug dealer in the Washington Heights district of New York around the year 2008 named Dominic. When the cops raid their apartment, Dolores is alone and busted for possession with the intent to distribute marijuana. She is sent to prison for 16 years. Upon her release, she has nothing but the clothes on her back and a couple of hundred dollars courtesy of the State of New York Penal System. The first place she goes is back to the neighborhood where she used to be a respected girlfriend of Dominic the area’s biggest dealer.
Upon her return, so much has changed. The neighborhood has been gentrified and is no longer the hardscrabble district that she knew before she went to jail. There are hipsters everywhere and a Starbucks at every other corner. The only place she recognizes from back in the day is a local empanada shop that she use to frequent. She is so excited to see a familiar landmark in a place that she doesn’t recognize anymore she rushes in to try to reestablish her bearings.
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Dolores Runs Into a Familiar Face
After a testy exchange with the empanada shop’s cashier, Nellie Morris (Kita Updike), Dolores is greeted by Luis Batista (Alejandro Hernandez), the son of the man who used to own the shop and is now running the place. They hit it off immediately and Luis quickly offers Dolores a place to stay in the basement of the building. She accepts, but still doesn’t have much money and needs a job quickly. While giving Luis a shoulder massage with an effective new technique that she learned in prison, Luis is so impressed with her skills as a masseuse, that he suggests that she start running a massage parlor out of the basement. She does and just like that, she has both a place to stay and some cash coming in. It seems as if Dolores has everything heading in the right direction and for a few days, she does. But something is about to happen that will change her life forever.
The Trouble With Luis in ‘The Horror of Dolores Roach’
Luis, for his well-meaning generosity and warmth upon being reunited with Dolores, is not exactly the most level-headed of people, to say the least. You might even say that he is one empanada short of combo platter. So when he starts having issues with the building’s landlord Mr. Pearlman (Marc Maron) over months of missed rent payments, you may see the car starting to carom off the guardrails and sparks flying. Dolores interrupts a heated argument between them and offers to give Pearlman a free massage and some money toward the back rent he is owed. She takes him down to the basement and starts giving him a massage. After finding out that Pearlman is not a great guy and is owed more money than she and Luis will ever be able to repay,she snaps and kills him right thereon the massage table. Her life will never be the same from that point forward.
Luis Has a Frightening New Flavor of Empanada for the Menu
When Dolores returns to the basement after frantically going to buy supplies to get rid of Pearlman’s body, she finds that the body has disappeared. In a panic, she confronts Luis about it ad discovers that he has taken care of it, and that she doesn’t have to worry about the disposal anymore. But when he introduces a new type of empanada on the menu, it starts to fly off the shelves. The locals can’t get enough of this new type of meat in these empanadas. Dolores begins to suspect something is amiss but has no idea just how macabre things have gotten and will continue to get.
The Horror of Dolores Roachaddresses cannibalism with extremely dark humor, but Machado and Hernandez do such a terrific job playing off each other, that you almost forget that the new flavor is Mr. Pearlman, and that Luis is serving human flesh in his new menu item. It’s grisly at times, but alsodone with such aplomb and delight by a deft and radiant Machado, you somehow find yourself rooting for her to get away with it as she starts to kill more and more to keep the shop afloat. One of the best sequences of the show is the life-or-death struggle between Dolores and her potential victim, a private investigator named Ruthie (played by the legendary 80s pop star and music producerCyndi Lauper). We’ll let you find out who wins.
‘The Horror of Dolores Roach’ Plays Up a Taboo Until the End
As Dolores finds herself in the midst of a murderous rampage, there is always an overarching feeling of whimsy to the dark material.The Horror of Dolores Roachnever takes itself seriously and asks that you not either. The subgenre of cannibalism has been touched upon before, including similarly in the aforementionedSanta Clarita Diet, butin a new era of kitchen dramas that we currently find ourselves inwith the success of shows likeThe Bear, and with 2022’sThe Menu,Doloresis a uniquely fresh take on the niche and taboo topic that benefits from a playful script and characters that all come together to not only make it palatable but the kind of taste that we like in our television shows.
