Source:Lord Of The Skies Amado Carillo Fuentes
I was never a fan of the original Narcos surround Pablo Escobar but I did think series 3 and 4 surrounding the Cali Cartel was absolutely quality. 2 brothers and their loyal friend Paco quietly went about their business. Dangerous but discreet. I found the 3 characters cast were excellent and I liked Paco must of all. The most dangerous of them, openly gay and just a bit of rasmataz about him. Brilliantly cast. So when Narcos Mexico started I was delighted to see that the Cali Cartel had a major part to play in this series as well. Mexico was a whole different ball game to Columbia and the drug lords were small timers running their own regions. The skinny man Felix Gallardo wanted to reunite the various regions under one umbrella and smuggle into America . The first major cartel. Organised and efficient. Felix pulled a master stroke and got all the rival gang bosses to sit down at a table. Felix would provide the political protection and the gangs would all profit under one entity. Felix dealt with the Cali Cartel and they were happy to do business discreetly. And the politicians in Mexico were all on the payroll. Felix was the first Mexican to get a type of operation like this up and running. But Felix started making enemies and the regions started getting jealous of Felix's power and influence and like any drug cartel it started to unravel. This brings us up to Season 2 with Felix in prison.
Small time drug lords such as El Chapo had small parts but in season 3 , these small timers started getting bigger. I found season 3 the best of them all with the series learning from the mistakes of the other Narcos. It is action packed from start to finish with El Chapo in the middle of it all. Series 3 focuses around 5 stories. The lord of the skies Amado Carillo Fuentes who starts off as a lowly pilot for Felix is now the boss man. He is as cool as ice and would make you wanna be a druglord. In Narcos you really do seem to be rooting for Amado and actually El Chapo because the two of them are up against it. Chapo is so low down the pecking order that he is being made fun of. Amado takes over from Felix and meets with Paco from the Cali Cartel and their relationship even though business looks to be close. I actually loved every episode and I got through it in a week. The series also sheds some light on normal living in Mexico with the storyline of the normal policeman who is investigating murders of teenage girls in the cities close to the American border. Also there is a storyline around the DEA's involvement in Mexico and a journalist writing a story around the political involvement in the drug trade in Mexico.
Things start unravelling for the drug cartels at the start when a cardinal is shot by cross fire in a shootout at the airport. I will leave it at that. But I seriously think this series is by far and away the best season so far in any Narcos. It is just excellent. The casting is top notch and I might even watch it a second time and look back on the Cali Cartel's time in the original Narcos also.
Source Felix and Benjamin Arellano
The Arellano brothers were also brilliantly cast and the acting is excellent. The show is subtitled but you need to keep it this way. You will be nearly understanding Spanish by the end of it.
Overall a great watch. There are so many storylines in this. You will be enthralled. I would highly recommend it.