Narcos: Season 2 (2016)

Interesting & very well acted.

Amazing story; amazing set-up; amazing acting; amazing entertainment.

This is a combined review of Season 1 and 2 of Narcos A remarkable telling of the life of Pablo Escobar by a great actor named Wagner Moura. Originally I thought the show as only about Pablo Escobar. Since Mr. Escobar died in the 90s I didn’t think the show itself would go more than two seasons so I would review at the end of the series, like I did Hand of God. Then he died and Netflix is moving on with the Cartels, so here is probably a good stopping point to review. Like all TV shows, it glamorized and filtered through the lens of Hollywood, even with that, I thought it was a decent three-dimensional view of Pablo Escobar. Of course, I don’t know him personally, but I have read about him and it felt like a fairer view, even with the glossy candy coating it got. I appreciated that it showed he was a human, not just a monster. Maybe this is because I came from a family (both blood and not blood) that was involved illegal activity when I was a child, but there is no “bad” only person. Society may not agree with a person, but it doesn’t mean that the dealer/killer/arsonist/etc. doesn’t love other people, want to help other people and that they don’t make human mistakes. I always hate the idea of an “all bad” villain, because it isn’t true. Like a show I used to watch said a lot, “Everyone is the hero of their own story”. No one thinks of themselves as evil. The part of the show I didn’t like was how his wife was handled. I don’t know personally of his relationship, but having grown up in a similar scene I don’t believe there is any way that his wife wasn’t fully aware and complicit, or at the very least aware and tolerant of it. Personal experience says there is no way that remains a secret, and in fact my experience most spouses work together. Other than that, I enjoyed the series, I liked how it showed both sides and I would recommend seeing it. Pros: The acting was great, the story tight and interesting the whole time. Cons: I was just sad to see Wagner Moura no longer in the show. I will definitely follow up with Season 3, I look forward to more stories.

Narcos' second season is still plagued with unnecessary narration, robbing the audience from finding importance in characters and events on their own. It's like coming back from the bathroom at a movie theater and having your friend explain what you missed, it's not the same as experiencing what happened for yourself. However, as the season reaches its end, the narration lessens, allowing the show to come to life through the emotional performances of the characters. Paulina Gaitan as Tata Escobar was hands down the best of these performances, while Wagner Moura and Boyd Holbrook become a bit less annoying near the end of the season. Unfortunately the good section near the end was not enough to make up for this boring season.

Puntaje Original: 7.9 Es la serie que eriza tu piel, es la serie que mata tu aburrimiento, la excelencia y el buen trabajo hay en la trama que te atrapará. Narcos, la serie que justificará tu pago de NETFLIX mensual, los capítulos que ansiarás mirar por los impactantes sucesos. ¿Y que nos traerá la tercera temporada? Dices tu: serán nuevos narcos, ya lo verás aunque sin Escobar, sin Escobar.