As part of my regular TV serial research I came across Narcos, but didn’t pay much attention to it, as it failed to grab my interest based on the synopsis. A month later a friend suggested I watch it and gave it to me on a flash drive. Not very sure on what to expect, and keeping a fairly open mind, I fired it up. Episode 1 of Season 1 felt almost like a history lesson, with a narrator going over past events to do with the South American Drug Cartels, and the efforts of the American DEA in the 60’s. The style was humorous, and the characters were slowly introduced. Over the next few episodes the characters developed, and what started out like a documentary, took shape in more crime drama sorta form. The plot revolves around the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar, the Colombian drug lord who is recorded as the wealthiest criminal in history. As the season plays out, it captures and portrays Pablo Escobar in wonderful detail. As much as he’s a criminal, his strong family values, and his incredible street smart and savvy business ways become evident; making for a very human and relatable character. His vision, being what separated him for the rest of the two-bit cut throat criminals. Wagner Moura who plays Escobar is brilliant; to the extent that just from his expressions you can tell what he is feeling and thinking, even in moments of complete silence. Overall the show makes for an interesting watch, being a balanced mix of entertainment and world history based on true events. Needless to say it’s a unique theme of interest, and does have its bits of graphic violence; so it certainly isn’t for all. There are a few funny moments woven into narrative, which help keep things light. Worth noting though is that the show is from the American Perspective. It would perhaps be interesting to understand how an actual Colombian or Narco would see it.
My Recommendation: Watch It + (A Netflix crime drama based on true events surrounding Pablo Escobar)
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