Narcos does a great job of introducing us to the figure of Pablo Escobar, the family man who was also a kingpin, the man with so much money he could buy anything and anyone. Not only do we get to know him as a character so driven by his ambition, we also get to know the events that led to the production and trafficking of cocaine, and the meaning behind the politics at the time which are vital in order to fully understand Escobar’s story. Indeed, magical realism was born in Colombia, there is no other way to tell this story without having people wonder what’s real and what isn’t.
“Narcos, ” the series purports to tell the epic tale of El Patrón but for some awful, misguided reason filters it all through the perspective of a bland gringo DEA agent.
when comparing with other programs. Parents need to know that Narcos is a very realistic drama about the birth of the cocaine trade in Colombia. The drama is historically accurate and made with great care. However, because it depicts shocking and potentially traumatizing events, it’s not for kids. Violence is ever-present on-screen. Characters are shot dead suddenly, with spurting blood and gore. Their dead bodies are shown at length. A dog is shot on-screen and his body shown for long moments; a pregnant drug mule and her baby die from leaking ingested cocaine packets. Characters frequently snort cocaine, drink liquor, and smoke marijuana on-screen; piles of packaged cocaine and stacks of money are shown frequently, as are the intricacies of the drug trade: how it’s made, smuggled, and sold. Characters have sex on-screen; we see breasts, moaning, and thrusting. Prostitutes are offered up as trophies of success; their body parts are ogled and rated. Frequent four-letter words, ethnic slurs, and insults