"The Horror of Dolores Roach," based on the hit Spotify podcast of the same name, is steeped in themes of class and race. The white landlord (Marc Maron) and his son (Ilan Eskenazi), the Latina woman (Judy Reyes) who runs Dominic's abandoned pot business, and even the Black man (K. Todd Freeman) who delivers Empanada Loca's meat are all there waiting to be massaged and possibly slain, should the situation require it. But the thing is that Dolores doesn't really want to be a murderer. Or at least that's what she tells herself.
Dolores wants to be a legitimate businesswoman with a great shop — and for a moment she gets that wish. She's also the one who messes it up, but at first, she seems sort of ... justified. The landlord isn't exactly a shining example of an upstanding citizen, and he thinks Dolores is going to give him a hand job, not a massage. Besides, while murder may not be justified, there are many people who will benefit from his demise. In fact, Dolores is kind of happy about her actions until she snaps out of it and realizes she has to find a way to hide the body.
However, she isn't above judging the people who come in and eat the man in empanada form, especially Luis who knows what he's doing and enjoys his concoction anyway. And although she swears she won't do it, she continues to murder people. While at first she reluctantly goes after people who are threatening her and Luis for various reasons, she soon willingly, even gleefully, starts taking other people out as well. Eventually, we start to wonder who the real bad guy is.
