By Ken Foyle ‘20

Netflix’s “Narcos” is a show about the different drug cartels in Columbia and the DEA’s attempts to take them down. Currently the show is on its third season, and presumably has more on the way. Also, it is based on true events, but some scenes and events were dramatized for entertainment reasons.

Seasons 1 and 2 focus on the rise and fall of one of the world’s most infamous drug lords, Pablo Escobar. The show shifts focus from Pablo’s escapades to the exploits of DEA Agents Steve Murphy and Javier Pena.

“Narcos” perfectly encompasses Pablo’s rise to the top and his fall to the bottom as it documents his mistakes and blunders, eventually leading to his death.

People who do not know the history of this drug lord will be left mesmerized by what this evil man would do to protect himself and his family. From setting up bombs in cities to running for the Columbian Congress, Pablo Escobar did it all.

Season 1 did a terrific job building up Pablo’s image as one of the richest and most powerful men in South America, if not Columbia. His influence extended from his hometown of Medellin to the reaches of Panama’s former president Manuel Noriega.

Pablo had eyes everywhere.

What Pablo didn’t have, was loyalty. The U.S. DEA was able to assist Columbia in taking him down because men either betrayed him or died for him.

Agent Steve Murphy, played by Boyd Holbrook, narrates the show and he worked tirelessly in trying to bring the Medellin Cartel down. He traveled the distance in making sure that he could do everything in his power to gain the advantage over Pablo, no matter if his methods were legal or not.

After Season 2, however, the show takes an awfully sudden turn in transitioning from the Medellin Cartel over to the Cali Cartel, which was the other major drug ring in Columbia at the time. I began to lose interest in the show during Season 3 because I didn’t care about the Cali Cartel enough as villains, so much so that I didn’t even finish it.

The show creators should have prolonged the lifespan of Escobar from two seasons to maybe four or five seasons, and ended the show there. They could have dedicated the show solely to Pablo, because he was the reason the show was so intriguing to me and many others.

I would suggest this show to anyone who would enjoy learning about some of the biggest criminals in history. Also, this show is partly in Spanish, so be prepared to read a lot of subtitles.