Season two of Netflix's Narcos arrived on the streaming service last Friday and fans have been devouring it ever since. The story of the rise of Colombian drug pin Pablo Escobar proved a sleeper hit for Netflix last year, but it's popularity is growing by the day. It's also already been commissioned for two more seasons, so it's definitely worth investing your time in.
Here's why you should watch...
1 It's a true story
There have been many drug crime dramas we have been glued to in recent times, Breaking Bad and The Wire naturally being the first two that come to mind. However the events of Narcos, as crazy as they may be at times, are based on the true story of the Medellin drug cartel and how Pablo Escobar is pretty much responsible for bringing drugs to America. The show adds to the feeling of authenticity by constantly interlacing it with actual news footage from the time reflecting the turbulent reaganesque era of America in the backdrop, as well as clips of the real Pablo Escobar. Let's not forget, this is the man who made so much money off the drug trade, that he had an actual zoo on his estate, and would write off 10% of the money he made each year because the rats would eat it in storage or it would be damaged by water. That worked out at about $2.1 billion, which was mere chump change to Pablo.
2. Wagner Moura (Pablo Escobar)
Brazilian actor Wagner Moura dominates every scene as enigmatic drug kingpin Pablo, managing to convey his menacing nature without being melodramatic. Moura gained almost three stone for the role, as well as learning Spanish, and moved to the Columbian capital for five months with his family to prepare for the role. He earned himself a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Escobar, but this dude should be raking in the awards in our opinion, and can safely sit alongside some of TV's greatest antiheroes.
3. Music
One of the best things about Narcos is the fantastic score by Pedro Bromfman, a Brazilian musician and composer who also scored Elite Squad and Elite Squad 2, the highest grossing film in Brazil's box office history. Have a listen to the opening credits here;
4. Pedro Pascal
It's Oberyn! For Game of Thrones fans who (spoiler alert) felt like Pedro Pascal's time on the show was all too fleeting, you can catch him in Narcos as DEA agent Javier Peña, who is teamed with Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) to take Escobar down. Fun fact about Pedro Pascal, he also played Steve the vampire in an episode of Buffy. Pascal really gets to show off his range in Narcos and far outshines Holbrook, who is also the show's narrator.
5. Netflix
The streaming service have been blasting out the original dramas the last couple years leading to a fantastic breeding ground for creativity. Netflix have often said that they leave the writers to it and don't insist on pilot episodes from the show creators, leaving a lot of leg room for drama's like Narcos to really flourish. Also you can binge watch their shows in one sitting, so social life be damned.
Narcos season 2 is currently screening on Netflix. For the way we watch today. Vodafone TV & Broadband for €40 a month with six months Netflix included. Vodafone. Power to you.
Narcos season 2 is currently screening on Netflix. Vodafone now offer both TV with six months Netflix included and superfast Broadband, where you can watch all these shows and much more. For more information please visit Vodafone.ie
