What I’m Watching: Narcos (Season Finale)

Narcos: Season 3, Episode 10 “Going Back to Cali” (B+)

While Chepe was interested in having a last meal before turning himself in, Pacho found it necessary to kill a bunch of people before surrendering. As Pena’s always helpful narration explained, neither of them made it out of this thing alive since they had burnt so many bridges with the way they operated. I was thinking that leaving David there as the person in charge of the cartel was a very bad idea, and Pallomari’s family nearly paid the price for it, but his father’s actions against the North Valley got him taken out before he could do any damage. Patricia’s boyfriend made a stupid calculation in trying to negotiate for payment for his information, and it’s incredible to think how that family made out. Pallomari’s assertion that his family required a certain amount of square footage and his wife’s claim that she couldn’t leave for a full week seemed so absurd in the context of all the death and destruction we’ve seen committed. It was a close call getting them out, and Navegante’s affection for Jorge is probably the only thing that saved him. Fast-forwarding to Pallomari testifying in court and pompously embracing the stature that came with the information he could relay demonstrated just how much of a spectacle this all created, while Jorge was forced to resign his family to a far less celebrated existence. Shifting the focus for season four to Mexico makes sense, and I do hope that the show manages to find a safe way to film given the reports of the death of a location scout there recently. This has been an excellent season, and I look forward to more of one of the most gripping shows on television next year.

Season grade: A-
Season MVP: Matias Varela as Jorge