Narcos

This year almost every conversation with my friends started and finished with discussion about the new episode of Narcos. Believe me, if you have some free time – watch this TV show and you will not be disappointed.

There are two main advantages of this action drama: the plot develops at a fast pace which keeps you entertained all the time, and the characters act realistically enough to pump your adrenaline up. It made me want to keep coming for more and more episodes. I just couldn’t stop watching it!

The first two seasons, which were filmed in Colombia, tell a true story of drug lord Pablo Escobar. This man earned billions through production and distribution of cocaine. Escobar's life, his influence on the political system and the history of Medellin Cartel gives us a real insight into new things. As some reviewers say (even those who are native Colombians), they are " pleasantly surprised with the show" because they thought "it was going to be another bad gringo movie about Columbia with lots of inaccuracies and not even Colombian landscapes in the background", but they were wrong, and the cast was perfect. Pablo's accent did not sound like real Paisa one, though. Let's give them credit as most of us are non-native Colombians and just want to enjoy the great show.

So, the story itself is incredible. Real Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria (1 December 1949 – 2 December 1993) was a drug lord and terrorist who supplied 80 percent of cocaine illegally transported to the USA. His nickname was "A King of Cocaine". After giving up the Medellin University, he started being involved in the criminal world with the cigarette contraband and vehicle theft. In the 1970s, he worked for various contraband smugglers, often kidnapping and holding people for ransom. Then he started distributing cocaine himself. In 1975, he established the first smuggling routes into the US. In 1982, Escobar got into politics and was elected as a member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia. Despite all his crimes, he helped his country by donating money for the construction of houses and football fields in western Colombia. This gained him popularity among the locals. In 1993 Colombia was announced the "murder capital of the world". Escobar was shot and killed in his hometown by National Police.

Narcos is a realistic TV show and you will not want to skip any part of it for sure! It shows you moments from Pablo's future and then immediately goes back to his past to help you to resolve the main question – how did he reach the highest point and become so popular?

If you enjoy the first seasons, there are two more, as far as I know.
Some Colombians blame this show for drawing "so much attention to an aspect of their culture of which most of them are not proud". I accept this, but still I was impressed by the plot, cast and technical aspects.

Hope my review was useful 😊