Kaka

Probably the first final installment of all the Narcos series that wasn't interrupted by shootouts and showdowns. The story of Fuentes is simply a little different, just like its protagonist. Enjoyable catharsis for most of the main characters. A functional, clever conclusion to another excellent series. What will follow it? Chapito?

Amado, at least in the Narcos series, was the only one who got it. Quitting while you are ahead is not the same as quitting. An attempt at one last chess game that is staged and played to perfection. Gripping to the last second.

Still a high standard, with interesting characters, slowly building up to the grand finale, but the middle episodes don't really offer anything spectacular. Just very good workmanship with more or less suspenseful few important moments, and a little bit of history here and there.

The only memorable scene after two days is the one where the young ambitious journalist goes to her car, it’s brilliantly acted and can make you vibrate. The rest is the usual: stakeouts, chases. Technically precise, artistically accurate, yet pretty much the same and repetitive.

A stylish Fuentes with chocolate, violence, revenge, threats – nothing new under the sun. If this episode didn’t exist, the viewers wouldn’t notice. A filler middle of the series, picking up momentum before the finale.

Another fairly big action scene: a shootout on the street and a gripping narrative that continues and builds further. So far only the line with the Juarez police officer is somewhat stiff, sterile and not entertaining, let's see if he plays an important role in the story.

The interestingly reconstructed shootout at Guadalajara airport, which was in all the world's media at the time, and the plot of the tug-of-war between the main drug gangs is not too far behind. After the crazy eighties and the bumpy beginning of the nineties, there is a potential cooperation that will actually turn drug dealers into normal businessmen. The key points of the story stay pretty well within the boundaries of "based on a true story".

Directed by Wagner Moura, this information is mentioned in the opening credits, so you can assume that fun is taken care of. And that is exactly the case. This episode is in the spirit of the “good-old” Narcos Escobar. There is little talk, not much thought, hotheads draw their guns and hell is unleashed.

It feels like the preparation for a proper carnage. A lengthy exposition of a wedding that will very likely play a crucial role in the further development of the story and its characters. Plus, there's already one brazen journalist having a real hard time. A slower-paced episode, the kind that is usually followed by hell.

Right from the beginning, the third season starts very sharply and without unnecessary talk. From the first notes it is already clear what and who is going to be involved, it will be entirely about the path the ensemble will take. Everything keeps on following the slightly calmer rhythm of the previous Narcos: Mexico episodes, while the riveting Escobar episodes are still a bit higher.