Thanks to The Signal, the premiere of “Netflix and Chilaquiles” brought much success to the newspaper, and to myself, which prompted hysterical fandom (like one). This one fan in particular asked what these “chilaquiles” had to do with Netflix and to you, my singular fan, I say, absolutely nothing. However, if anyone would like to analyze the title any deeper then we can make a south of the border connection this week as The Signal brings you Episode 2: The Story of El Chapo that Pablo Escobar Basically Already Wrote, with a weekend binge of Narcos.
Narcos is a Netflix original crime drama that depicts the story of the rise of Columbian drug-lord Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) and his Medellin Cartel. His co-star, Boyd Holbrook, plays the role of Steven Murphy, the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) agent who helped Columbian police track down Escobar.
Though much of the plot is fictional considering drug lords are pretty good at keeping people quiet, Producer Jose Padilha points that the information in the show is fundamentally and historically accurate considering the large amount of research done to prepare the script as well as the input received from retired agents who investigated Escobar.
However, I must warn that any individual who does appreciate being mentally stimulated by subtitles, considering large portions of the show are written in Spanish, might find themselves utterly and horribly sickened to their core. Oh yeah, and there are a few convincing murderous bloody scenes in every episode.
The show begins with a foreshadowing of what is to come without giving away too much specifically, setting up the story as we have come to know it. Steven Murphy (Holbrook), narrates the sequence of events American politics behind President Richard Nixon influenced the flow of narcotics in South America. During his tenure as president, the U.S. helped Chilean General Augusto Pinochet take control of Chile by the simple fact that he hated communists, something Americans would surely appreciate in the 1960’s. How did Pinochet thank the U.S.? Well he decided to imprison, torture, and kill thousands of his citizens. However, if there was one thing Mr. Pinochet did right was control the manufacturing of drugs just as Chile was on its way towards becoming the world’s biggest cocaine supplier. But that was only because Pinochet was Pinochet, and he had them all executed.
Imagine a line of poor Chilean workers manufacturing cocaine in the desert in order for their families to survive and military men pointing their guns at them as they await their imminent deaths. Boom! Shots are fired and the men all fall back into a ditch dug behind them to hold their rotting carcasses. As night falls, and after the military leaves, a single man arises from amongst the pile of dead bodies breathing and gasping for air and not a single bullet penetrated his skin. A single cockroach, and that’s what he was.  
The story of a man known as Cucaracha (that’s Cockroach to my one fan), the Chilean man who knew the chemical properties necessary to create cocaine, needed to move on to new market that wouldn’t temp his date with death. So he moved to Columbia and sought out Escobar, one of the best smugglers in South America, helping him become the most infamous drug-lords of all time. The rest is for your eyes to see and Steven Murphy to expose.
In all honesty, I was skeptical about watching a series that Netflix created considering they’re competing against well-established television networks. But if this is the type of quality they are striving for, they may give me more reasons to keep writing reviews for students to consider. The script is well written and echoes a similarity that resembles the film “Goodfellas” with Boyd’s commentary.
Wagner Moura, the man who plays Escobar, is actually a native of Brazil, and his distinct accent adds a layer of mystery to his character. He brings a unique quality to his portrayal of Escobar by adding elements of to his acting that border between his persona and allows himself to get lost in his character as soon as he steps on the screen. He develops this simple fascinating tendency of constantly having to pull up and adjust his pants that makes us forget we aren’t watching the real Escobar. It sounds ridiculous enough, but those simple mannerisms add a personal quality to his portrayal that makes us believe we are watching the man himself.
The character development in this series is beyond fascinating by the simple fact that the experiences touch on the simple conditions of human nature. As the season progresses, each character reacts to their previous experiences affecting who they are as individuals. Moura’s portrayal of Escobar embodies this childish narcissistic fascination with dreams and aspirations many drug lords wouldn’t surmise, and just like a child, when he doesn’t get what he wants, he throws a tantrum, except unlike a child, those tantrums usually result in him killing someone.
The experiences of Holbrook’s character (Murphy) are simply a residual effect of being caught in the middle of a drug war and a country that has no rules. The trauma and frustration he encounters changes the root of his character as he deals with new challenges that question who he really is, or who he is yet to become. As the show progresses, we see how his morals and principles become corrupted by this very same environment.
The show itself becomes addicting, feeding us like a 1970’s drug tested lab rat. Little by little we become entrenched in this story leaving us wanting more.So if you find yourself unmotivated this weekend buried under the piles of papers, homework, and readings professors surprise you with, then remember, it’s not your fault you lack the enthusiasm, you have simply been corrupted by your own environment. Rise above those carcasses of unwritten papers and breathe the beautiful sweet air of procrastination like Cucaracha did in Chile so many years ago. Savor the sensation and go to your nearest taco shop, order some chilaquiles, and binge on a weekend with Narcos. Trust me, even with this show, you’ll feel like you’ve accomplished something.