What I’m Watching: Narcos

Narcos: Season 1, Episode 7 “You Will Cry Tears of Blood” (B+)

To say that this show hasn’t been so serious or dark up until this point isn’t at all accurate, but this episode definitely felt like it descended into a much more dismal state where it’s become completely clear that no one anywhere in Colombia is safe. When Pablo was taking out government officials or heads of state, it felt like there was at least a purpose and an intentionality behind who was being killed, but massacring the bodyguards of those associates or relatives of important people who he had kidnapped showed a much more vicious side of Pablo and the Medellin cartel that emphasizes his status as the nation’s most violent and omniscient element. His decision to abduct the reporter after his girlfriend talked about how much she hated her was particularly personal, and watching Gaviria being pressured to give in to Pablo’s demands by her influential parents showed just how difficult a spot he was in, especially because of his pledge to rid the country of the narcos. Steve and Javier going into enemy territory with no backup because of how much they wanted to catch the cartel members was intense, but given the fact that their target was about to murder a baby simply because his father had been unknowingly manipulated into killing a plane full of people, their exuberance was justified. Both agents experienced harrowing moments in which their lives flashed before their eyes, and coming so close to catching to major players is sure to only egg them on even more.