4. "First episode got me hooked " In response to Reply # 0
I'm all the way in, but the voice over is getting annoying.Wagner Moura is such a great actor and I'm happy him and Padilla are back together, I loved the Elite Squad films.
sometimes u gotta leave ur inner nigger in the bank vault. - desus
15. "man, it took me 5 episodes to even notice how heavy on subttitles" In response to Reply # 9
this show is. which i'd say is a pretty good sign. I'm not sure if it's the voice-over balancing that out, but either way, i'm glad they didn't go the Tyrant route and have everyone speak english
Yeah it balances it out, made me forget the majority of the show is subtitles. Takes getting used to but it was smart on their part and i actually dont mind subtitles.
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"The world is before you and you need not take it or leave it as it was when you came in." - James Baldwin
25. "I don't think it grows on you... it just fades out" In response to Reply # 9
I definitely noticed the amount of voiceover declining as the episodes stacked up. It was annoying and almost pandering in places in the early episodes, so I'm glad they got away from it.
40. "I think it "called too many shots" throughout the season" In response to Reply # 9
And almost ruined some of the surprises and killed the tension in some scenes.
Ep. 1: "That mug shot of Carlos would haunt him later."
Ep. 8: "The surveillance that they found wouldn't lead to a victory" right before Carillo's people try to free the female reporter. This was the worst case, because it completely gave away that the raid was going to wrong.
Ep. 9: "Pay attention to this story about the farmer finding money, because it's going to change everything."
Sometimes it served its purpose, but I didn't really need to punctuate every scene.
21. "you should say that movies have too much drugs and spanish in them" In response to Reply # 17
and that's why Narcos is better.
it's pretty weird to say that the problem is a focus on "international" when you're talking about a series that was specifically designed to be released around the world simultaneously, and to capitalize on audiences in North and South America
36. "So Carlos "Leon" Ledher was the inspiration for Diego in "Blow"" In response to Reply # 0
Don't know if this has been mentioned earlier in the thread, as I'm not finished with the series yet, but the John Lennon loving, Nazi sympathizing, pilot drug lord was George Jung's bunkmate in prison.
42. "i'm sure it's some legal technicality " In response to Reply # 37
a lot of characters in Narcos have their names changed as well even though they're clearly "inspired" by real life people (like the news reporter lady for instance).
41. "So that was really, really good (SPOILERS)" In response to Reply # 0
Probably up as there as one of the best seasons of anything NetFlix has done. Fascinating story that made Pablo and the Narcos interesting but not at all sympathetic. Oberyn Martell did a really good job as Pena as well. The M. 19 girl was pretty good too; I'm surprised that they stopped using her after halfway through the season.
A few issues tho:
1. The narration sometimes spoiled the scenes and killed the tension. I gave specific examples above, but the one that really bugged me the most was the raid to free the reporter.
2. The whole stuff about the takedown of Gacha/Luis Guzman. Probably most of it had to do with the introduction of Gacha's son; the kid was an awful actor, and the character was completely one-note. Then Gacha's revelation that his bodyguard was betraying him was treated like it was something that just then occurred to him and had no build up. Then all of Gacha and his son's interactions during Carillo's raid itself were extremely lame and forced. And the action, aside for the bazooka blast, was kind of lame. Really wish that had all been executed better, because Gacha was an interesting character.
But those are mostly minor quibbles. I really can't wait until next season. And I'm fascinated to see where it will go.
45. "loved it. could do without the v/o but meh" In response to Reply # 0
Wagner Maura is doing some pretty special work here. wow. love that he was a thin Portuguese speaking dude who had to learn spanish to make this part work. obviously the showrunner/casting was dead set on this dude turning into Pablo.
48. "Anyone finish the second season yet?" In response to Reply # 0
I won't post any spoilers, but I'm curious what folks think of what seems to be the new direction for the next season? That's assuming Netflix will in fact renew the show for another season.
"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.
49. "Halfway. Next season apparently focuses on Cali cartel" In response to Reply # 48
What I appreciate about this season so far is Moura's much improved paisa accent it was atrocious during the first season But he must have practiced and it shows
Pablo's story has been told multiple times and we all know how it ends but aside from that Netflix has done it again the cinematography, the overhead shots, the Medellin slums maze mirroring the DEA and Colombian government attempts to catch him coming up short in dead ends and traps
Word is next season focuses on the Orejuela brothers Cali Cartel the gentleman traffickers While Pablo cultivated his "man of the people" image coming as he did from the slums The Cali brothers were upper class businessmen so of course they would clash They're not as famous as Pablo and Medellin, and that's how they wanted it It'll be interesting to see how they're portrayed
As for this season so far thank God Steve's wife bounced, her character adds nothing to the plot Meanwhile Tata is ready to draw heat while cooking up marvelous feasts and regulating on her in law, straight Colombiana style!
50. "**SPOILER WARNING**" In response to Reply # 49
You are correct in that the future seasons will focus on the Cali Cartel. You are also correct in that Pablo Escobar's history is already out there, so it shouldn't be a big surprise this season is the end for him, but I didn't want to ruin the show for folks that haven't watched the season in full yet, hence me posting all the spoiler warnings.
I also read some blurbs online that Netflix renewed the show for two additional seasons, so it appears Netflix is all in with this show. Pretty interesting to want to continue with the show since Pablo was such a huge focal point and the Cali Cartel were in the background for the most part. I'm guessing the show will move to the US more since it appears the Cali Cartel operated a lot in the States, but I could be wrong. Should be interesting how the show will proceed since the show lost a huge star.
"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.
56. "I think focusing on the Cali Cartel is a mistake" In response to Reply # 49
Wagner Moura *was* the show. they need to find another central character as magnetic and interesting as him, and nobody currently on the Cali roster approaches that. they're all supporting cast.
58. "That's how it was in real life though" In response to Reply # 56
Cali's whole steez was stay under the radar, no flash, no fucking airline bombings they followed Lopez advice to young broke Tony Montana word for word Unlike Pablo, they eventually did get caught by/ratted out to the DEA and are now in the feds Meanwhile Pablo was larger than life and he was a pig that didn't fly straight We pretty much didn't see a super villain super star drug lord since Pablo's demise until El Chapo
They got renewed for 2 seasons actually. Being that Escobar was just the beginning of this cartel stuff, I'm sure it will go into Mexican Cartels next after the Cali Cartel stuff.
Granted, an Uber driver told me but I'm trusting him. Not sure how to watch it.
I thought season 2 was fine. The new show sheen was off and it's a lot of the same thing which is kind of why I wish there was more on Los Pepes or one of the new elements. Or maybe more depth into Pablo's crew.
57. "it’s damn entertaining almost in spite of itself. " In response to Reply # 0
S2 can’t rely on pure autobiography and newsreels to fill up 10 episodes, so the focus turns to how much the drug war, and the pursuit of an enemy, takes out of you.
nearly the entire cast has fallen in a hole so dark, they can’t even tell how deep it is. Pena loses his credibility on both sides. Murphy loses his family. Gaviria loses his decency. Carrillo loses his life. Pablo loses everything but his name, which I suppose was always most important -- here we are, two decades after his death, reminiscing about his life through 20 hours of TV.
the format, however, remains very pastiche. too many scenes ape a better drama, from Goodfellas to The Sopranos. and there’s those redundant plot points:
* “we’re about to catch Pablo…next episode” * political vs. populist push-pull on how to handle Pablo. * small vignette showing innocent person, which is an obvious prelude to them becoming a collateral casualty in the drug war
so yeah, entertaining binge-watching for a long week or weekend -- I look at the series as a vehicle for Wagner Moura, who was excellent (I couldn’t tell you about the accent) and worth watching on his own. too bad the rest of the material never really got close to his performance.
59. "The sole problems I had with this season" In response to Reply # 57
were the scenes with Pablo day dreaming and those forced flashbacks towards the end when things were winding down; it was as if the show was forcing ways to draw out screen time for Escobar.
"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.
61. "love it but i wish it was more historically accurate" In response to Reply # 0
I understand that sometimes they make changes to benefit the story but sometimes it just seems like they make changes to make changes. Having said that, I really enjoyed it, looking forward to delving into the Cali cartel. It would be cool to see them get into the Mexican cartels or even go back to the Madrina story in future seasons. Pena and Pablo both did great acting jobs imo.
“So back we go to these questions — friendship, character… ethics.”
65. "Maybe it's because I haven't watched in a while" In response to Reply # 0
but this feels like a much slower burn than the prior two seasons. I've seen the first five episodes so far and it's pretty masterful how they pivoted from the Escobar seasons to the Cali Cartel. Only one scene early on bothers me as I think about it, but pretty impressive stuff so far.
"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.
I forget the episode, but the scene where the NYC boss shoots up the Dominican Beauty Parlor; I didn't buy him smuggling in those large automatic guns without those two hairdressers seeing them since the space was so small. A minor issue, but that took me out of that scene a little bit.
"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.
74. "RE: They kinda could do it though *SPOILER*" In response to Reply # 72
>I have to watch the scene again but if they had on coats or a >big shirt they could easily tuck the heat underneath > >Ill scene regardless
The way the scene unfolded it appeared as if the gun was directly flush against the hair dresser smocks dude was wearing because the smock caught fire against the gun nozzle. If the guns were stashed under dudes clothes or even a jacket, the clothes or jacket would have caught on fire in addition to the smock..
"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.
76. "Right I got that, I mean off camera" In response to Reply # 74
Like these 2 dudes walk in to the salon clearly they had the guns concealed not handguns either, I'm thinking mac 10 something like that so they sit down, the girl puts the smock on them obviously big enough to hide movement as they get the guns out and aim waiting for the dominicans
70. "I really enjoyed this season" In response to Reply # 0
I was worried about missing Pablo but this season was full of compelling/well-acted characters. Pena came back and killed it...the two new DEA guys were pretty good...The Cali Dons were all awesome...Gilberto and Miguel were cool but Pacho and Chepe were def my favorites. I also really liked Jorge...the actor did a great job there. Overall a really strong season and a great way to show the continue corruption that occurred.
I hope Pena comes back for the Mexican Cartel seasons but it honestly wouldn't make sense for his arc but with him gone I wonder who will carry the show.
71. "Ridiculous acting!" In response to Reply # 70
>I was worried about missing Pablo but this season was full of >compelling/well-acted characters. Pena came back and killed >it...the two new DEA guys were pretty good...The Cali Dons >were all awesome...Gilberto and Miguel were cool but Pacho and >Chepe were def my favorites. I also really liked Jorge...the >actor did a great job there. Overall a really strong season >and a great way to show the continue corruption that >occurred.
Gilberto was too cool for school! LMAO He thought they'd be able to just chill. Miguel was one of my favorites because of how his demeanor shifted due to others believing he was weak. Chepe was funny! I liked learning about Pacho's background and how he became the killer he was. Jorge is who I rooted for the whole season.
>I hope Pena comes back for the Mexican Cartel seasons but it >honestly wouldn't make sense for his arc but with him gone I >wonder who will carry the show.
Pena is certainly a beast. I think they set it up well for him to go into Juarez but I would not be surprised if they're able to find someone else who will do as great of a job as pena did.
79. "That young stunner on his arm gave him some juice too." In response to Reply # 75
He had to show his strength to her as well. Didn't wanna come off weak when head to protect her and project an attitude similar to that of her now dead husband.
Women can change a man's mind and heart quickly...
77. "RE: Ridiculous acting!" In response to Reply # 71
>Jorge is who I rooted for the whole season.
It didn't bother you a little bit how the storyline for the Colombian Anderson Silva ended because of Jorge's action? The one thing I was curious about watching how was who made the double front pocketed short sleeve shirts he was wearing. There were about five or six episodes where he rocked those continuously; I'm guessing those were a big deal in Colombia at the time.
"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.
78. "Jorge was a good dude who wanted out..." In response to Reply # 77
>>Jorge is who I rooted for the whole season. > >It didn't bother you a little bit how the storyline for the >Colombian Anderson Silva ended because of Jorge's action?
He really wasn't like any of those dudes. Necessity/survival put him a bad and awkward situation. And the DEA didn't help him by moving so slowly.
73. "Season 3 soundtrack and wardrobe= FUEGO" In response to Reply # 0
DEA rockin Wu Wear NYC skyline shot with Come Clean playing Wild ass shootout as This Is How We Do It plays cartel henchmen on the warpath with Shook Ones bumpin all the women had the 90's look down
Then they mix in actual news footage with the scenes They got it 50% right on the casting though Dude who played Miguel looked like the real life one while Gilberto was way off not mad at all, Gilberto was the star of the season
first 5 eps do start out slow and full of tropes but halfway through it picks up the pace and the ending is perfect GREAT season, historically accurate and acting was on point
82. "Apparently S4 will be the rise of El Chapo" In response to Reply # 0
I wonder, do these locked up kingpins or their families (in Pablo's case) sign away rights to be portrayed on screen? do royalties go to victims?
This current season apart from Cali kingpins touched on the AUC, even Castaño made a cameo. They did mention how AUC committed numerous massacres AUC demobilized, turned in their arsenal, and Castaño is free as a bird is he getting royalties? that would be foul
83. "small detail i thought was gonna be significant" In response to Reply # 0
Whenever Jorge left his house, he'd pull on the gate next to his steps. I guess to make sure it was locked. I thought for sure that was gonna come into play, but i guess it was just a character tic.
85. "I interpreted that as typical Colombian/Latino superstition ritual" In response to Reply # 83
He wasn't doing that to check if something was locked, it was a superstitious ritual/nervous tick that he had to do everytime he left the house.
I thought it would come into play in that he was so stressed out that he would forget to do it one day and that would be the nod/hint that he was going to get got in that episode.
91. "Pablo's brother threatens Netflix, advises them to hire hitmen" In response to Reply # 90
On Monday, Escobar’s 71-year-old surviving brother, Roberto De Jesus Escobar Gaviria, issued a chilling threat to the makers of the series, advising them to hire "hitmen ... as security" on location in Mexico.
Escobar threatened to "close their little show" if the streaming giant failed to provide a $1 billion payment to his company, Escobar Inc., for alleged intellectual property violations.
“I don't want Netflix or any other film production company to film any movies in Medellin or Colombia that relates to me or my brother Pablo without authorization from Escobar Inc. It is very dangerous. Especially without our blessing. This is my country,” Escobar told The Hollywood Reporter.
His remarks came after Carlos Muñoz Portal, a location scout for the new series of Narcos was found shot dead under unexplained circumstances last week along a dirt road in Mexico State.
In his interview, Escobar added, "Netflix are scared. They sent us a long letter to threaten us."
This series is depicting real dangerous people with real stories using their real names We often complain about Hollywood fictionalizing real events, there's a reason for that NGCCOT
95. "yeah they put a green light on him and he had to pay up" In response to Reply # 94
The one time where he should've kept it real and filmed what actually happened (the real Santana wasn't raped and was killed by the northerners not his own people)
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