In the run-up to Narcos: Mexico , Netflix went to great lengths to tell its audiences that they could watch the franchise’s latest offering with zero context. “Never mind seasons one, two and three,” it seemed to suggest, “Narcos: Mexico is a whole new world, with rehashed characters, setting and narrative.”
And yet I couldn’t help but wonder if starting your Narcos journey from ‘Mexico’ would do enough justice to a show that has left audiences spellbound by virtue of its solid narrative, strong characters, breathtaking cinematography and dare I say, aesthetic violence. And there’s plenty of all that in ‘Mexico’.
Chronology-wise, Narcos: Mexico begins a few years prior to the events of Season One. You are warned at the start: this story does not have a happy ending. There’s no scope for hope. ‘Mexico’ narrates the real-life story of Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Agent, Enrique ‘Kiki’ Camarena (Michael Pena), and his run-ins with Mexico’s Guadalajara Cartel, headed by suave policeman-turned-drug-trafficker Felix Gallardo (Diego Luna).
Remember how Stephen Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) mentions that Kiki is considered the ‘Jesus Christ of the DEA’, back in Season One? Narcos: Mexico tells you the story of how that title came to be.
As much as the installment traces Kiki’s heroic contribution towards busting the Mexican Cartel, it’s Felix Gallardo who holds it all together. While Luna delivers a performance worthy of praise and acclaim, the manner in which he does is what must be written home about.
Unlike Pablo Escobar or the Rodriguez brothers of the Cali Cartel, Felix is understated. While Pablo seems near-indestructible, Felix comes across as almost vulnerable — careful, calculative, circumspect. That is the biggest take-away from the show, from a historical perspective: the Mexican Cartel, unlike its Colombian counterparts, was more human than God-like. But this could well be a double-edged sword, for fans accustomed to drug lords as ruthless as Pablo. But Felix isn’t Pablo, and that is a reality we have to live with. Luna has said so himself, while promoting the show: “Felix is more businessman than a drug trafficker.”
The show traces the Guadalajara Cartel’s early days in Marijuana cultivation and trade, and how Felix re-structures the business, focusing on Cocaine trafficking later on. There are a few Easter eggs too for Narcos fans, including a delightful crisscrossing of story arcs.
Narcos: Mexico comes with familiar ingredients: a great plot, plenty of firepower and violence that hits home hard. While the archival footage isn’t on the same scale as previous installments, there is still a significant historical context that the show delves deep into.
The great camera work is another trait that ‘Mexico’ has inherited from its predecessors. While the show-makers seemed to have toned down on the aerial shots from previous seasons, there are tracking shots aplenty — letting you get in on the action and become one with the characters.
There is a bit of a slowdown towards the middle — almost as if to give us all a breather and gear up for the crescendo in the end. Stand-out performances by Tenoch Huerta and Joaquin Cosio do a great job in keeping audiences glued. If you haven’t watched Narcos’ previous seasons yet, watch Narcos: Mexico only once you’re up.
