Courtesy photo of “Narco’s” preview Ori Singer | Vimeo
Courtesy photo of “Narco’s” preview. Ori Singer | Vimeo

by Joe Azar

    Even the advertisements leading up to the release of the second season of “Narcos” spoil the ending to audiences: Pablo dies. History is the greatest spoiler in the entertainment business, right above the Disney princesses that live happily-ever-after. With the outcome of the season already known, the Netflix- original series was presented with a daunting task. How do you keep an audience invested through 10 more episodes? According to the producers of the series, captivating sub-plots and a twist in the middle.

“Narcos” does still put most of its effort into telling the story of capturing the Colombian drug lord,with the second season beginning at the scene of the shootout that occurred at the end of season one. It seems as though that was the climax of Escobar’s reign in Colombia. Most of season two narrates the fall of one of the most powerful people on the planet during the late 1900’s. Right away things get worse for Escobar as the one man he fears, General Horatio Carrillo, comes back to lead the Search Bloc to hunt him down for good.

 

    With Carillo back, the biggest sub-plot of the season emerges as well. Tata, Escobar’s wife, grows increasingly worried about what will happen to Escobar and their children. Sure, you can clearly see what happens with Escobar by doing some research, but how many people know what his wife is going through? Pablo has always been a man on the run and Tata’s story is like a car crash you can’t look away from. You know the ending, so through every episode you just feel a lump in your throat knowing her worse nightmare will turn into a grim reality. The family also has to worry about the Cali Cartel, especially as the season progresses.

    Still, the main plot needed something to spring new life into the series. It needed an extra punch to ensure that people weren’t just going to see Escobar and his men get captured every episode. That’s where the twist comes in, and boy is it a good one. Halfway through the season every reasonable prediction as to how Escobar is captured is thrown out the window, and a sense of the unknown is brought back to the audience. Which is what made season one so great. No matter how many times it seemed as if it was the end for Escobar, remember he is at his most dangerous when he’s about to get caught.

 

    If there was one part of the season to nitpick, it would be Escobar’s death itself. See, there’s a mystery as to who actually took down the Colombian. In “Narcos,” it becomes obvious as to who did it, which is a huge missed opportunity. The mystery of his death would have made his legend grow, his family always said if he was truly caught with nowhere to run, Escobar would shoot himself as to not get captured. “Narcos” could have used that to create a question and to spark debates amongst fans of the series itself.

    Outside of that, “Narcos” was a pleasure to watch. There was constant action, invigorating plots and entertainment through 10 episodes, which was also a nice choice to keep the series from dragging along. Fans of the series shouldn’t worry though, as it looks like season three is happening based on how this season ended. People know about Escobar and his pitfall, but not a lot of people know who became just as powerful in the drug world right after Escobar’s death. If they do make a new season, let’s hope it is as good as this one.

screen-shot-2016-09-11-at-9-31-41-pm