"Narco": why the series became a hit and what to expect from the third season

"Narco"? Is it about drug addicts?

Not at all. The series tells about the drug business and the hunt for the most famous drug lords. The first two seasons were devoted to the fate of Pablo Escobar, who founded the Medellin cocaine cartel - the largest in the world. In the series, we first meet him personally accompanying the illegal transportation of household appliances, but small illegal shipments are a thing of the past after the first shipment of cocaine to the United States. Ahead of Pablo is billions of dollars in income, hundreds of human victims and even an attempt to get into power.

Corrupt or fearful, local officials and police are unable to cope with the unfolding drug empire, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration comes to their aid. One of the best agents arrives in Colombia, who, together with local colleagues, begins a risky and dangerous operation to capture Escobar.

The script for the show was written based on the personal memories of the protagonists of the protracted persecution: US Drug Enforcement Agent Steve Murphy and his Colombian counterpart Javier Peña. They willingly advised authors, although they did not protest against artistic embellishments.

What is so interesting here, if you know how it all ended?

Despite the fact that many are familiar with Escobar's history, it does not spoil the viewing experience at all. Quite the opposite. The series often switches to documentary chronicle of events, adding spice and recalling the reality of what is happening, no matter how creepy and incredible it may seem. And some scenes are simply impossible to give to the actors, having on hand a recording directly from the scene.

Spoilers do not spoil the impression of either the first season of "Narco", or even the more compressed second in time. This is exactly the case when history must be seen with your own eyes in order to believe in it.

Why is the series a hit?

"Narco" won the audience from the very first episodes. Firstly, the series is perfectly filmed and dilutes the boring urban landscapes of megacities with immersion in the poor quarters of South American towns and the tropical jungle. In addition to the exotic landscape, the abundance of dialogues not duplicated in the original in the state language of Colombia - Spanish, is also pleasing.

The plot of "Narco" is very dynamic, and rare and short pauses only allow you to catch your breath for a while before the next round of action. This is also true for the second season, in which a gradual approach to the expected denouement is the catalyst. If the first season is devoted to Escobar's business and career, then the second pays more attention to his relationship with his family and the realization of the hopelessness of his situation.

In the spirit of Scorsese's films, Narco is a masterful use of Agent Murphy's offscreen commentary to retell and explain the intervening parts of the story. The insertion of frames from the documentary chronicles fits very organically, and from a certain moment you begin to wait the most for real recordings.

As Narco hits Netflix, its content restrictions are as vague as those on cable HBO, Showtime, or Starz. Get ready for scenes of violence and nudity, as well as eerie footage from real assassination and terrorist attacks.

What's the third season about?

The series is being promoted in the 1990s, when, after the final collapse of Escobar, his implacable rivals - the Cali drug cartel, which controls more than 90% of the world cocaine market, become the main players in the drug business.

While Escobar did not disappear from the headlines and news broadcasts, Cali quietly became the world's largest drug supplier. Its leaders are no less greedy and merciless, and soon they are the ones who turn the attention of the Colombian police. Unlike the empire of Pablo, Kali is a multi-headed structure that successfully takes advantage of the gaps in the political and economic systems of the state and sometimes even is itself a part of them. Therefore, the anti-narcotics department should now pursue a different tactic to reduce the growing number of human casualties and prevent the expansion of global drug trafficking.

As part of the team of good guys, Javier Peña will definitely return to the screens, and his colleague Steve Murphy, as in real life, seems to remain in the States. Peña's new American partners should be young agents Chris Feistle (Michael Stahl-David, The Donnelly Brothers, New Girl) and Daniel Van Ness (Matt Whelan, Top of the Lake), who are enthusiastically seeking participation in special operations in Colombia.

Will the third season get boring without Escobar and Murphy?

A few days before the official premiere of the new season of "Narco" TV critics were able to watch. Almost all of them agree in the same opinion: there are 10 dizzying episodes ahead of us with dense and shocking action in the best traditions of the series. Some even say the third season is the best compared to the first two.

In the absence of the charismatic Wagner Moura in the role of Pablo, this is still hard to believe, but the authors certainly do not lower the quality bar. The show managed to retain all the recognizable elements: the memorable opening credits, high-quality cinematography and many sharp twists and turns as the story progresses. The usual off-screen comments will also remain, however, this time they will be pronounced by Agent Peña in the voice of actor Pedro Pascal.

And if you are hooked on the third season, then know: "Narco" has already been extended for the fourth. Perhaps, like the first two, both of them will be dedicated to the same drug empire from its dawn to its final collapse.

Has the trailer been posted yet?

Yes! On its YouTube channel, Netflix traditionally posted a trailer for the new season.

If I liked Narco, what else can I watch?

In addition to the popular drug thrillers Breaking Bad, The Wire and Power in the City at Night, the closest parallel will be the fresh TV series El Chapo. In a similar "Narco" manner with inserts of frames of real newsreels, the series tells about the life of the Mexican drug lord Joaquin Guzman Loera, nicknamed Shorty, or El Chapo in Spanish. We meet him in 1985, when Loera worked as a simple trader in the Guadalajara drug cartel. In a few years, he will become one of the most powerful people in the world and one of the most wanted criminals. Filmed entirely in Spanish, the series is also available on Netflix.

Another great find for fans of "Narco" can be the Italian crime drama "Gomorrah" based on the documentary novel of the same name by Roberto Saviano. The series tells about the Neapolitan mafia, which also controls drug smuggling.