(may contain spoilers)
Douban rating: 6.7
Director: Andrés Baiz
Starring: Sofía Vergara, Alberto Guerra, Juliana Aidén Martinez, Martín Rodríguez
Douban Comments: “Netflix has recently started leaning toward a somewhat problematic production trend: giving serious subject matter only six episodes, prioritizing binge-worthy appeal at the expense of depth. This approach often results in content that feels superficial, overly streamlined, and a bit too ‘entertaining’. Despite having the Narcos team on board, the show chose not to adopt a calm, nuanced narrative style or explore the complexities of its subject matter. Instead, it veers toward a lighter tone, focusing solely on a ‘strong female lead‘ conquering all in her path.
Griselda’s rise to power, as well as her more ruthless deeds throughout this ‘war’, are largely sacrificed in favor of a shallow ‘independent woman’ storyline. That said, Sofía Vergara, who hasn’t done serious acting in quite some time, put tremendous effort into portraying this character. Her performance shows her emotional range and a deep understanding of the real-life figure she’s playing.
As Michelle Yeoh once said, ‘Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re past your prime’. Sofía hasn’t hit hers yet – she’s still searching and evolving.”
“If the story only focused on how she succeeded, it would be an inspirational tale about a woman who was underestimated but proved herself with courage, strategy, vision, an understanding of the power of unity, the necessity of persuasion, and her undeniable charisma – all qualities worth learning from. If it only covered the latter half of her life, it would just be about the hollow existence of wealth, power, and drug addiction.
But this show tells the whole story. It’s complete. Even though the narrative picks up when she’s already in her 30s, it still shows how she lived her earlier years – how she turned passivity into action, escaped her personal hell, and built her empire from scratch. You can see just how formidable she is, and so can every man who crossed paths with her in the story.
The foil to her character is the female police officer who starts off frustrated and overlooked, yet intelligent, talented, and passionate. She rises from being undervalued to becoming a leader, ultimately retiring peacefully. The ending was never the point – after all, we all share the same ultimate ending. What matters is how we live.
I deeply admire both women in the story and find them incredibly inspiring.”
“Daring to create a biographical series about Griselda Blanco, a Colombian drug queenpin who was insanely ambitious, monstrously cruel, and overwhelmingly powerful – I have to say, Netflix has some serious guts! With the original Narcos team behind it, the quality of this gangster biopic is absolutely guaranteed.“
“I’d give it a 3.5. I’d rather believe it turned out this way because Netflix only gave them the budget for six episodes… The characters clearly had enough depth, and I had set my expectations as high as Narcos. But it seems it’ll be hard to see that level of quality again.”
