About Putting This In Your Pipe

Post 476:

            I’m in the mood for another Netflix review. I’ve been working like a madman this week, but I managed to squeeze in the entire season of Narcos: Mexico. On the real, there was a bunch to do, but I saw it in its entirety.

            That should be a big hint. Loved it.

            I enjoyed the previous seasons, and this is pretty much the same story in a different country with mostly different drugs and characters.

            Marijuana smokers might get a little shamed, but other than that, I can’t imagine an adult demographic that won’t dig it. I’m sort of kidding about the pot smokers. Do your thing or don’t. Just make sure it’s not originating from psychos. C’mon. It’s like saying don’t buy blood diamonds. Shouldn’t be that controversial.

            Alright, enough with me playing Captain Whinybritches.

            Let’s sally forth.

            I find myself asking why I like this show. It’s not that there’s nothing else I could be doing. And we all know how the scenario is going to play out. A sort of rags to riches thing where some smart dudes go from being low-level criminals to running what are ostensibly country-sized criminal organizations, only to collapse under the weight of their success. Every time. Oh yeah, most of it is in Spanish, which I know a bit. This makes reading the subtitles and understanding some of what’s being said pretty frustrating. And yet—powered through.

            I pondered, why do I watch? Ruminated. Did a little quibbling. Some flip-flopping. Went to the bathroom. Thought…. Nope. Yep. There it is. I’ve got it figured. What keeps you hooked? The scope, pacing, and acting.

            Scope. This is based quite heavily on true events. Not like ghost-story true events. Most of this shiz for reals happened. There were real stakes. Real lives were lost in this fight. That’s compelling and it gives me perspective. My job does not include the constant threat of assassination or torture. Okay, maybe the torture.

            Pacing. This is the main reason why the show works. It dishes just enough of the story to keep you coming back. There are no major lulls or characters that you wish would get off the screen. The directors and writers do a fantastic job at giving us a steady story. I’m not a huge docudrama guy—it takes some work to hold me.

            Acting. I want to say it’s as good as the original seasons. The bad guy boss is stoic. It feels real. When you think about it, your Scarface types probably aren’t the best in management roles. Too many screaming tirades and bad suits. This is more like it: calm and collected, at least on the outside.

I’ll add one more thing. The main DEA agent involved in this is a real deal hero. The show never preaches or shoves anything down your throat, but for me, at least, it makes me think about drugs and all the crap that goes with it. Super complicated stuff, but I like having my nugget provoked into think mode.

So that’s it. The Force has been strong with Netflix lately, I must admit. Hope they keep it coming. Cheers and see you after.