'Fantasmas' Episode 2 Preview: Julio Torres' bizarre hunt for the oyster begins
Contains spoilers and speculations for 'Fantasmas'
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: 'Fantasmas', written and directed by Julio Torres' made its debut on HBO on June 7, 2024. The comedy series stars Torres in the lead role and follows his adventures throughout New York City in search of gold oyster earrings while encountering people along the way.
The six-part series also features Martine Gutierrez, Tomas Matos, and Joe Rumrill with a star-studded guest lineup including Julia Fox, Emma Stone, and Paul Dano amongst others.
The official synopsis for 'Fantasmas' reads, "Writer, director, and comedian Julio Torres spins a fantastical six-part tale of when he lost a gold oyster earring. In his search to find the precious object, Julio reflects on the offbeat characters he encounters in introspective, often eerie, and always comedic vignettes set in a dreamy, alternate version of New York City. A kaleidoscope of color and surrealism, FANTASMAS weaves together stories of people looking for meaning, purpose, and connection in an increasingly isolating world."
When will 'Fantasmas' Episode 2 release?
The new HBO series 'Fantasmas' will follow a weekly release pattern. As per the schedule, 'Fantasmas' Episode 2 is titled 'Valued Customer and will air next Friday, June 14.
The episode will premiere at 11 pm ET/PT on HBO but will be streaming early on Max at 8 pm PT.
What happened in 'Fantasmas' Episode 1?
After a brief sequence of Julio having a dream, the series begins with him visiting Crayola HQ where he pitches a new clear color. While the executives wonder about the relevance of clear color, Julio explains, “To color something clear is to acknowledge that things are different, and that’s just fine.”
He wants to name this color 'Fantasmas' which means 'Ghosts' in Spanish. When the executive argues that colors have to be named singular, he has to agree.
Julio then gets in a cab, driven by a talkative driver named Chester. He instructs Julio to delete Uber and other car hire apps and download his, explaining that he would always pick him up even if he's driving someone else.
On the screen mounted in the back, a sitcom called 'MELF' is playing. Chester tells Julio that the screen shouldn't be turned off and only this sitcom could be played. The sitcom is about a happy family that gets an unexpected visit from a funny alien (Marc Petrocino).
When the young daughter asks to keep the alien, the parents agree. Alien easily blends into the family and loves eating cookies and spaghetti.
Things take a hilarious turn as the family's father (Paul Dano) and the alien start a secret affair. One day, as they are caught kissing each other, the father decides to come clean about his feelings and eventually leaves his wife and children to get settled with the alien.
Chester and Julio pick up Julio’s robot assistant Bibo (Joe Rumrill) on their way. Bibo asks for a day off as he has a dentist's appointment for teeth whitening. Julio finds it bizarre as Bibo has no teeth.
Bibo then shows yet another urgent letter from his landlord which Julio ignores.
While in the cab, Julio hears a siren call in his head and heads into a jewelry store where he buys a rare, cursed antique oyster-shaped earring. Later at the club, his manager Vanesja (Martine Gutierrez) asks him to not lose it. And guess what? He loses it almost immediately.
Back in the cab again, Chester is driving Julio along with Vanesja and a teacher (Eudora Peterson). During the drive, Julio tells Chester how he can feel the inner lives of colors, shapes, sounds, numbers, and alphabets. He goes on to tell the story of the alphabet Q who finds his positioning absurd between “normies” like P and R.
At the school, the teacher uses the men's restroom and is astonished to see a bizarre drawing of male genitals shying away from the viewers' gaze. As she tries to find the boy who drew it, she discovers that he is a bully who gets angry at people who do things as per their desire while he can't since he's a "man".
Julio arrives at his apartment and starts to make an audio note of the bizarre dream he saw where he is trapped in a room.
He then looks at his birthmark that's shaped exactly like the oyster that he lost. He believes that the birthmark is growing and requires an immediate checkup while Bibo tries to draw his attention to the piling letters from the landlord asking him to vacate the apartment.
What to expect in 'Fantasmas' Episode 2?
'Fantasmas' Episode 1 ended with Julio having his undivided attention on his birthmark while the "real” problem remains unresolved. The clock is ticking and he has to vacate the apartment.
Bibo suggests that he needs to find a new apartment for which he needs proof of existence which he clearly doesn't have. Julio, however, has no time to get the proof of existence as he believes he is "sick" and needs to get his mole checked.
In the upcoming episode, he will most likely be drawn to the idea that the oyster is indeed related to his birthmark. He will begin his journey to locate the missing oyster and will meet new people with their strange stories.
The official synopsis for 'Fantasmas' reads, "Julio fixates on finding the oyster; he starts his search with Skyler, an influencer desperate to stay relevant."
'Fantasmas' is available to stream on Max.