Narcos Information

Narcos is an American crime web television series created and produced by Chris Brancato, Carlo Bernard, and Doug Miro. Season 1, comprising 10 episodes, originally aired on August 28, 2015, as a Netflix exclusive. Set and filmed in Colombia, season 1 tells the story of notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who became a billionaire through the production and distribution of cocaine, while also focusing on Escobar's interactions with drug lords, DEA agents, and various opposition entities. The series has been renewed for a second season, which is scheduled to premiere on September 2, 2016 with 10 episodes.

Production

The series was announced in April 2014, through a partnership deal struck between Netflix and Spanish language network Telemundo. The series is primarily written by Chris Brancato and directed by Brazilian filmmaker Jos Padilha, who directed the critically and commercially successful Elite Squad (2007), before directing its sequel in 2010, which became the highest grossing film ever in Brazil. Narcos opening theme, "Tuyo", was written and composed by Brazilian singer-songwriter Rodrigo Amarante.

Etymology

In Spanish, the term "narco" is an abbreviation of the word "narcotraficante" (drug trafficker). Before this usage, in the United States, the term "narc" (or "narco") referred to a specialist officer of a narcotics police force, such as a DEA agent.

Cast

Main cast

• Wagner Moura as Pablo Escobar - a Colombian drug lord and the leader of the Medelln Cartel
• Boyd Holbrook as Steve Murphy - a DEA agent tasked with bringing down Escobar
• Pedro Pascal as Javier Pea - a DEA agent, who is on Murphy's task force
• Joanna Christie as Connie Murphy - Steve's wife and a nurse, who is on a personal vendetta to bring down drug cartels following the death of a pregnant smuggler
• Maurice Compte as Horacio Carrillo - a Colombian police chief, based on Colonel Hugo Martinez
• Andr Mattos as Jorge Ochoa - founding member and former leader of the Medelln Cartel
• Roberto Urbina as Fabio Ochoa - a high-ranking member of the Medelln Cartel
• Diego Catao as La Quica - an assassin routinely hired by the Medelln, based on Dandeny Muoz
• Jorge A. Jimenez as Poison - a hitman hired by the Medelln Cartel, who often argues with Quica about personal death counts
• Paulina Gaitn as Tata Escobar - Escobar's wife, based on Maria Henao
• Stephanie Sigman as Valeria Vlez - a Colombian journalist, based on Virginia Vallejo

Recurring characters

• Richard T. Jones as CIA Officer - a CIA officer, also on Murphy's task force
• Luis Guzmn as Gonzalo Rodrguez Gacha - founding member and former leader of the Medelln Cartel
• Juan Pablo Raba as Gustavo Gaviria - Escobar's cousin and one of the founding members of the Medelln Cartel
• Juan Riedinger as Carlos Lehder - Lion's contact in the United States, tasked with distributing the cocaine
• Paulina Garca as Hermilda Gaviria - Escobar's mother and a Colombian schoolteacher
• Ana de la Reguera as Elisa - the co-leader of guerrilla faction 19th of April Movement (M-19)
• Danielle Kennedy as Ambassador Noonan - a United States Ambassador deployed to Colombia under Ronald Reagan
• Jon Ecker as Lion - Gustavo's childhood friend who grew up in the United States, he is first sent to take cocaine into Miami.
• Bruno Bichir as Fernando Duque - a Colombian politician
• Ral Mndez as Csar Gaviria - a Colombian economist and politician and the 28th President of Colombia
• Patrick St. Esprit as Colonel Wysession - a member of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who is fighting against communism
• Manolo Cardona as Eduardo Sandoval
• Thaddeus Phillips as Agent Owen - a CIA agent on Wysession's task force
• Ariel Sierra as Sureshot - a Colombian guerrilla fighter and noted sharpshooter, based on Manuel Marulanda
• Carolina Gaitn as Marta Ochoa - the Ochoas' sister, who is kidnapped by M-19
• Laura Perico as Marina Ochoa - the Ochoas' sister, who has an affair with Escobar's cousin Gustavo.
• Vera Mercado as Ana Gaviria - the wife of Csar Gaviria and the First Lady of Colombia

Special guest appearances

• Luis Gnecco as Mateo Moreno or "Cockroach" - the primary chemist who first introduced Escobar to cocaine trafficking
• A.J Buckley as Kevin Brady
• Adria Arjona as Helena
• Rafael Cebrin as Alejandro Ayala
• Dylan Bruno as Barry Seal - an American drug smuggler working for the Medelln Cartel who uses the alias "McPickle"
• Adan Canto as Minister Rodrigo Lara Bonilla - a Colombian lawyer and politician
• Gabriela de la Garza as Diana Turbay - a Colombian journalist who was kidnapped by the Medelln Cartel
• Alberto Ammann as Helmer "Pacho" Herrera - a Colombian drug lord and high-ranking member of the Cali Cartel
• Adrin Jimnez as Colonel Herrera - a DAS agent
• Aldemar Correa as Ivn Torres - a Colombian guerrilla fighter and communist, based on Ivn Ospina
• Julin Beltrn as Alberto Suarez
• Juan Pablo Espinosa as Luis Galn - a Colombian journalist and politician

Episodes

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Season 1 synopsis

The first season of Narcos chronicles the life of Pablo Escobar from the late 1970s, when he first began manufacturing cocaine, to July 1992, when he escaped La Catedral prison. The show chronicles the main events that happened in Colombia during this period and Escobar"?s relationship to them. It is told through the perspective of Steve Murphy, an American DEA agent working in Colombia.

The initial episodes show how Escobar first became involved in the cocaine trade in Colombia. He was an established black marketeer in Medelln, moving trucks worth of illegal goods (alcohol, cigarettes, and household appliances) into Colombia during a time when this was strictly forbidden, when introduced to Mateo "Cockroach" Moreno, a Chilean exile and underground chemist, who pitched the idea that they go into business together, with Moreno producing and Escobar distributing a new, profitable drug"?cocaine. They expand beyond Moreno's small cocaine processing lab by building additional, larger labs in the rainforest and, using the expertise of Carlos Lehder, transport their product in bulk to Miami, where it gains notoriety amongst the rich and famous. Soon enough, Pablo develops larger labs and more extensive distribution routes into the US to supply growing demand.

With cocaine's growth into a drug of importance in the American market, one that accounts for a large flow of US dollars to Colombia and escalating drug-related violence in the US, the Americans send a task force from the DEA to Colombia to address the issue. Steve Murphy, the narrator, is partnered with Javier Pea. The role of Murphy's task force is to work with the Colombian authorities to put an end to the flow of cocaine into the United States.

At the time of Murphy"?s arrival in Colombia, Escobar and his associates are dealing with more significant problems than the DEA. They are at war with the M-19, a revolutionary group of guerilla communists. When the M-19 kidnaps a member of the Ochoa family, Escobar seizes the opportunity to form strategic alliances with other black-marketeer criminals to establish a group called "Death to Kidnappers", the genesis of the Medelln cartel. His promise to his allies is simple: to recover Marta Ochoa unharmed and to prevent further kidnappings.

In the meantime, Escobar has political aspirations, as he desires to eventually become president of Colombia. He is elected as a congressman, but is made a fool of when proven to have criminal ties to the blooming drug industry. Escobar plots his revenge.

An extradition plan is passed in the Colombian congress, allowing for narcos to be extradited to the United States when caught. This is a landmark win for Murphy, Pea, and the DEA and a devastating blow to the Medelln cartel. After making successive threats to the Colombian government to repeal the extradition plan, Escobar takes action against Rodrigo Lara Bonilla, the Colombian minister of justice and a prominent lawyer in the prosecution of cartel members, by gunning him down in his car.

Murphy and Pea are finally making progress when they catch Escobar"?s accountant, "Blackbeard"?, along with a gigantic cache of incriminating evidence. The evidence is stored in the only place large enough and thought to have security strong enough to thwart any break-in attempts: the Palace of Justice. However, Escobar hires the M-19, his former enemies, to attack the Palace and burn all of the evidence. The DEA is left with nothing after Escobar"?s slippery move.

In the sixth episode, Csar Gaviria"?the pro-extradition presidential candidate"?is targeted by Escobar"?s assassins. Their plan is to blow him up whilst on Avianca Flight 203. He is saved when the DEA warns the president"?s team of the assassination plans. Nonetheless, the plane is brought down, killing all 107 people on board. The Colombian people are infuriated with the unmanageable levels of violence, especially the plane bombing. The DEA also manages to track down Gacha, one of Escobar"?s principal associates, and violently gun him and his son down.

As politicians and his business associates begin to turn against him, Escobar finds a way to strike back at them all: he kidnaps journalist Diana Turbay, the daughter of ex-president Julio Csar Turbay. Escobar uses Diana as a political bargaining chip to fight the extradition plans that the elected president, Csar Gaviria, has set in motion, and also to negotiate a peace treaty between the Medelln Cartel and the government. After months of gridlock, the government makes one final attempt to capture Escobar, but government forces mistakenly kill hostage Diana Turbay. As Colombia mourns her death, President Gaviria accepts the terms of Escobar"?s deal, which will allow Escobar to be incarcerated in his own prison, La Catedral, which will be guarded by his own men. The deal also suspends the extradition plans. Escobar and his colleagues will turn themselves in, and a tentative peace will be restored to Colombia.

Nevertheless, Escobar suffers a tremendous personal blow when his cousin and right hand man Gustavo Gaviria is brutally killed by the "Search Bloc", a designated team of Colombian Special Operations agents tasked with catching high-level drug barons. In the meantime, Escobar faces competition from the rival Cali Cartel and opposition from members of his own crew. In La Catedral, however, he is protected from authorities and can live in peace without constantly being chased by the Search Bloc. Escobar decorates La Catedral to his liking and hosts guests frequently, including judges, prostitutes, and his family.

The DEA manages to track the movements of people going in and out of La Catedral and observe that two of Pablo"?s closest associates, Moncada and Galeano, entered the prison but never left. As the rumors begin to circulate that Escobar killed them in La Catedral, the government uses this new information to try to convince Escobar to be transported to a jail in Bogota so that the government can further "fortify" La Catedral. Escobar does not approve of this, knowing that once in government hands, he will be prosecuted and extradited to the U.S. The army nevertheless surrounds La Catedral. Eduardo Sandoval, vice-minister of justice, decides to brashly enter the prison to escort Escobar out. He mistakenly assumes he has Pablo"?s cooperation and is surprised when Escobar takes him hostage, forcing Sandoval to speak with President Gaviria on Escobar"?s behalf. President Gaviria, fed up with Escobar"?s persistent demands, calls for a special-forces team to be sent into the prison to kill Escobar and his men. The team enters, and Sandoval is rescued safely, but Escobar narrowly escapes La Catedral with a few of his men.

Outside La Catedral, Escobar is much more vulnerable because he no longer has the protection of his hundreds of men.

Reception

Narcos received mostly positive reviews from critics. At the online movie database and score aggregator IMDb, the series scored 9.0/10 based on over 81,000 user reviews. Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes rates the series 78%, based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. Rotten Tomatoes' consensus reads, "Narcos lacks sympathetic characters, but pulls in the viewer with solid acting and a story that's fast-paced enough to distract from its familiar outline." On Metacritic, Narcos holds a score of 77 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

IGN reviewer Cliff Wheatley gave the first season a 7.8 out of 10 "Good" rating, saying: "It's a true-to-life account, sometimes to a fault, of the rise of Pablo Escobar and the hunt that brought him down laced with stellar performances and tension-filled stand-offs. Its blend of archival footage reminds us that the horrors depicted really happened, but also manage to present an Escobar that is indefensible but frighteningly sympathetic." Indiewire reviewer Erik McClanahan criticized the decision to tell the story from a "bland gringo" DEA agent's perspective.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	ref
2016	Writers Guild of America Awards	Episodic Drama	"Explosivos"
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor - Television Series Drama	Wagner Moura
		Best Television Series - Drama	Narcos
	Satellite Awards	Best Television Series - Drama