A possible Narcoleptic watches Narcos

Narcos is a show set during the infamous and questionable war on drugs. The show follows not one, but two the opposing in this pseudo documentary and drama. Following and narrated by the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) officer Steve Murphy who is stationed in Columbia with his wife and child. The other half of the cast is the disturbing yet oddly charming Pablo Escobar. The two make for a duo that indirectly mirrors each other

The story starts on a police raid in a karaoke bar. After the DEA use some old fashioned tracking to locate their target they call the police. Remember they're the DEA they can track and condemn the drug traffickers, but they can't take any legal action against them. The police gun down every single person for the righteous cause. The targets were all given little pet names like Poison, and Big Badmouth. Gives a fantastic removal of the human element to make the people seem other worldly, this has been done for various reasons over the years, but in this case it's done to make the targets more identifiable and easier to shoot. This is just the opening of the story.

The rest of the episode mostly follows Escobar's rise to power through trafficking cocaine. This was done through the aid of his business partner Cockroach, and his many business dealings. Escobar manages to make the idea of drug trafficking seem like a clever and legitimate business venture through his mannerisms and dealings. In fact the entire episode begins to build up both sides as people you want to see win. Until they begin to do things that call both people into question.

Murphy is the DEA officer and narrator. He serves as a sort of window into a pre-cocaine Miami. He recounts how before the events of the show 1 kilogram of weed was considered a huge bust and cause for celebration. When Escobar began importing the cocaine into the U.S his job became a lot harder and more dangerous. His scenes show the effects that Escobar has caused on Miami. Talking about how he had to shoot a seventeen year old kid in self defense. The drug war officially started after Reagan's speech on the dangers of drugs. Although, rather cynically Murphy points out that it may have been because wealthy business men were concerned with their lack of profits that the war started. He still willingly went to Columbia out of patriotic pride and a sense of duty.

The difference between the two characters that makes us see Murphy as the “good guy” and Escobar as “the villain” is what actions they take and how they can justify them. Murphy has only acted in self defense or because it's his job. While he doesn't make any excuses for shooting a 17 year old drug dealer he does try to deflect any criticism that the audience might direct at him. Saying that is essentially his job, and that good and evil are relative concepts. Escobar, however doesn't make any excuses for what he does. Maybe it's because he's not the narrator, or perhaps he doesn't care what people think, because when he's as wealthy as he is, who could challenge him?

Narcos seems to take this idea of there being no true good and evil, and run with it. I'm beginning to think Netflix has some sort of fetish or secret business deal with it's directors to make this a central theme in most of their Netflix Originals (could be both). The series itself has me captivated and may distract me from the far more important things I have to do, like get an education. The series seems to be trying to capture the spirit of the many humans who fight in a war, and to serve as a criticism of the Drug War.