Netflix's 'Dark Desire': Maite Perroni is 'extraordinary' as fans fawn over 'handsome creep' Alejandro Speitzer
Spoilers for ‘Dark Desire’ or ‘Oscuro Deseo’
‘Dark Desire’ or ‘Oscuro Deseo’, Netflix’s new Mexican erotic thriller drama series has already seemed to have found a fan following on social media. The series follows Alma Solares (Maite Perroni), a prestigious lawyer and college professor. She’s married to Leonardo Solares (Jorge Poza), a powerful judge in Mexico. Their marriage, after 20 years, is not a happy one. Alma suspects her husband of having an affair with his assistant Edith (Paulina Matos).
The lack of adventure in their marriage, added with the suspicion of adultery makes Alma do something she will eventually come to regret. When Alma visits her freshly-divorced friend Brenda, she too, against her own better judgment, decides to commit adultery. At a party, she meets Dario Guerra (Alejandro Speitzer), a 23-year-old man, who later turns out to be her student at the university. The two hit it off and later that night, they have sex.
This lapse in judgment, however, does not leave Alma as Dario refuses to leave her be. This thriller that feels like a weird cross between ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and ‘You’ may not be the best-written show out there, but fans seem to be enjoying the no-holds-barred spiciness of the story that has lust, adultery, murder, and secrets as its themes.
Fans especially seem to be fawning over Maite Perroni for her performance as the lead character. A fan of Perroni wrote on Twitter, “This series marks a before and after in your career since I already saw the first two chapters of #OscuroDeseo and all I can say is: fire!” Another wrote, “Extraordinary Work @MaiteOficial!!! I do not recognize you!!! #OscuroDeseo Thriller will keep us glued to the TV!”
Fans couldn’t also help but appreciate just how good-looking Speitzer is in the show. Many noted that it was difficult to choose between how much they loved the actor and how much they disliked the character. After all, Dario's character has a Penn Badgley vibe from 'You' -- somewhat crazed, slightly psychotic, and definitely stalker-y. A fan wrote, “Alejandro Speitzer is playing a role that makes me hate him ahahahaha. So handsome!” Another wrote, “His character is so creepy but my crush by Alejandro Speitzer has just grown to another level.”
Aside from the actor-appreciation, however, many were happy about the show touching upon some tough topics. A fan wrote on Twitter, “The fact that they are touching the topic of femicide in the series so thank you for that.”
The series unfolds around femicide as a hate crime and its growing problem in Mexico. Femicide refers to the killing of women for gender-specific reasons. As per a Deutsche Welle report from August 2019, 56 percent of Mexican territory is seen as dangerous for women. The report added that the Mexican government had recorded 1,006 incidents of femicide in 2019 alone.
But even as fans continue to watch the series -- it has 18 episodes in this season -- many are already demanding a season 2. A fan wrote on Twitter, "Listen, it won't take me long to finish 'Oscuro Deseo'. Please give us a season 2 already Netflix. At least I'll have something to look forward to." Another fan wrote, "There better be a season 2 for 'Oscuro Deseo', otherwise, I'm going to lose my s***!"
‘Dark Desire’ or ‘Oscuro Deseo’ is available for watching on Netflix.