If you haven’t seen Narcos (season one at least) or heard gushing reviews about it at a dinner or soiree, you’ve clearly just returned from outer space and need some time to readjust to life back on Earth. A Netflix original series that dramatized the life of Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar, the ten-episode first season was as addictive as the drug its titular character peddled and was consumed in the same copious manner.
Wagner Moura's portrayal of Escobar is powerful and utterly convincing.
The explosive Netflix series returns with a promise of another great season to look forward to.
If you haven’t seen Narcos (season one at least) or heard gushing reviews about it at a dinner or soiree, you’ve clearly just returned from outer space and need some time to readjust to life back on Earth. A Netflix original series that dramatized the life of Colombian drug baron Pablo Escobar, the ten-episode first season was as addictive as the drug its titular character peddled and was consumed in the same copious manner.
After a year’s wait, Netflix finally released the entire second season all together, ensuring that offices across the world experienced a sudden shortage in staff that was mysteriously ‘taken ill’ as people took time off work to binge watch the show and avoid spoilers. Ironically though, everyone knew the punch line. The execution was so remarkable and engaging that it didn’t matter.
Narcos season one was designed to shock and awe; it had the same gasp inducing value that the first two seasons of Game of Thrones managed to inspire and as enactments of real events unfolded throughout the season, incredulity hit. That sense of disbelief coupled with amazement has abated by season two; the audience has become well versed with the language of violence employed by the Medellin drug cartel but the narrative in this new installment is more nuanced.
The new season seems to progress at a more sedate pace than its predecessor and though the bloodbath continues, the clear demarcation between good and bad is often muddled as the remaining plot unfolds. There are shocking moments though (spoiler alert) particularly with the return of Colonel Carrillo and his unorthodox approach of capturing Escobar but it’s perhaps the way his death is orchestrated that signals towards the climax of the season.
What season two of Narcos also managed to portray better is the overall instability and terror that embodied Colombian politics in that era. There is a greater focus on the Cali cartel that is using Escobar’s diminishing authority as a diving board to strengthen theirs and the show also touches upon the conflict between the communist FARC guerillas and the extreme right wing paramilitary groups that eventually also targeted Escobar under the Los Pepes guise, playing an instrumental part in his take down.
The show handles portrayals of the embattled Colombian government adroitly, showing that President Gaviria faced opposition in his quest to capture Escobar from within and without. But it is perhaps the execution of Escobar’s character that they deserve most credit for.
Balancing his single-minded savageness with his concern for the welfare of his family ensures that Escobar’s character doesn’t devolve into a two dimensional sketch of a dynamic, delusional man. The conversation with his wife where she compares him to Nelson Mandela is both comic and touching in its divorce from reality.
To sum it up, Netflix has taken a well-known story based on a larger than life character and managed to do full justice to it. If you haven’t seen Narcos yet, set a date night with Netflix and let them regale you with an epic modern tale.
