Pablo Escobar, played by Brazilian actor Wagner Moura, is already dead at the close of the Season 2 of the American crime drama TV series “Narcos” on Netflix.
As expected, viewers streamed the full 10 episodes of “Narcos” Season 2 in one sitting when it was released by Netflix on September 2 so most of them have already watched the complete second season less than a week later.
Given the success of the Season 2 of “Narcos” which critics describe as several notches better than Season 1, there are already talks about how the third season of the popular TV series shall play out.
While “Narcos” Season 3 shall be happening about a year from now, Netflix surprisingly released the first teaser of the TV series and it hinted that the show will introduce new characters next season.
It was also expected by fans since the death of Pablo Escobar during Season 2 would have reset the storylines of “Narcos.”
The emergence of the Cali Cartel
Reports now have it that Season 3 shall see the emergence of the Cali Cartel and it shall be taking center stage in drug operations in Columbia. Along with the teaser for “Narcos” Season 3, Netflix also formally announced the renewal of the TV series for its third and fourth seasons, reports the Parent Herald.
The Cali Cartel was actually given a glimpse of during Season 2 of “Narcos.” Established by brothers Gilberto Orejuela, played by Damian Alcazar, and Miguel Rodriguez, played by Francisco Denis, with Helmer ‘Pancho’ Herrera, played by Alberto Ammann, but the fourth man of the cartel’s executive board, Jose ‘Chepe’ Santacruz-Londono, has yet to be introduced in the series.
It can be recalled that the Cali Cartel was instrumental in the death of Pablo Escobar. The group worked with Escobar’s competition, Judy Moncada, and also enlisted the vigilante group Los Pepes. They also provided intel for the Search Bloc in the Columbia police.
Eric Newman, executive producer of “Narcos,” said that unlike Pablo Escobar who has positioned himself as an enemy of the state, the Cali Cartel was very much a part of the system.
He added that while Escobar’s life story on “Narcos” was legendary, the Cali Cartel had a bigger organization and had an influence in Colombia’s presidency in 1994. They had control over military, financial, and legal institutions as well. The group was even listed as one of the world’s most powerful crime syndicates.
Giving rise to the Mexican cartels
The Cali Cartel became the most powerful drug ring in the entire world, accounting for 90% of the world’s cocaine sales using a powerful system and political organizations.
The group also gave rise of the Mexican cartels as it sparked the boom of the cocaine business in Mexico, where it proved to be more lucrative than heroine. The Cali Cartel earned over $7 billion each year at the peak of their business, reports Game & Guide.
Meanwhile, most critics are saying that Season 2 of “Narcos” was a suitably impressive step forward and is obviously a marked improvement compared to the first season.
As previously hyped before its official release date, “Narcos” Season 2 shall focus on Columbian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and the law enforcement officers who worked to bring him down.
Season 2 builds to a suitably grand climax but it gets overbearing at times that some critics found themselves very frustrated with the TV series.
Brazilian actor’s rendition of Pablo Escobar is quite good but his performance seems to be constantly positioning his character for his doomed foreshadowing.
The storytelling is okay but it struggles along the way with telling straightforward historical true stories within the confines of episodic television, typical to almost all of Netflix dramas and all American TV dramas for that matter.