Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal

When compared with Narcos, the low budget is very visible in the production standards -- but the detailed script overrides the other flaws. Outstanding attempt.

This was an interestingly informative series. Unlike the new Narcos show, this show gave us a complete insight of how Pablo became the terror he was.

In my opinion Narcos has to get better with their storyline, as it is not as thorough as the Pablo el Patron series. Maybe because they telling it from the Narcs perspective and even though it is a good show, I feel like it is still lacking some pertinent information.

Pablo el Patron took me by surprise and held me tight until the very end of the series and now I feel like I need more but the story came to an end in the right way. LOVED IT!!!!!!! I hate it took me 4 years to see it.

Pablo Escobar: El Patrón del Mal is an ambitious and largely successful undertaking to portray the man who held the country of Colombia in his tyrannical grip (by the proverbial cojones) for more than a decade. The epic series (73 episodes on Netflix) details the damage and heartbreak this man left in his wake. The story of Pablo Escobar is nothing if not unbelievable, and this expansive production manages to explain the seemingly inexplicable, how a single person could essentially take over a country, corrupting countless individuals through the imposition of a ruthless ¨plata o plomo¨ (money or bullets) ultimatum at every stratum of his society.

The series is not perfect--the jarringly repetitive music riffs preceding every single pursuit scene, the sometimes bizarrely abrupt casting changes from one episode to another (the radical transformations of the wife, Paty, and the son, Emilio, were especially puzzling), and the excessive, overwrought sentimentality in the aftermath of some of the atrocities can all be criticized with good reason.

That said, the overall production is a success because the acting is very, very good, and the writers and director accomplished what they set out to do: to tell a story which needed to be told, and to do so convincingly, complete with historical film clips inserted where available to document that this is not a tale of fantasy. The series was so gripping that I watched six episodes a night continuously until I finished, exhausted by the ordeal.

I was especially impressed by the ability of the lead actor (Andrés Parra) to portray how it was that Escobar was both loved and feared to such an extent. His rise, fall and ultimate unraveling were very well paced, and the acting was perfect. Other standout performances were those of El Chile, El Topo, Fabio, Marino, Pedro Motoa, El Mariachi, Marcos Herbert, Gonzalo, Cain, Kiki... the list goes on and on.

I highly recommend this series to anyone with an interest in the history of Colombia, the cocaine trade, or organized crime more generally. All of the dialogue is in very clearly articulated Spanish, so it is linguistically worthwhile for anyone who speaks Spanish as a second language. (There are subtitles in various languages, too, so the production is accessible to non-Spanish speakers as well.) Anyone who is interested in the nature of corruption should not miss this series.

I really didn't expect this series to be as good as it is. It was one of those shows you find on Netflix hoping to like but fully expecting to turn off ten minutes in. I was thoroughly surprised to enjoy it as much as I did and found myself sinking into the deepest of binge holes. From what I understand this show was made in Colombia and created by individuals who's lives were personally impacted by Pablo Escobar. Because of that they must have felt a responsibility to make it true to life while trying to represent their country in the storytelling. This show has heart. There are times when it seems a little melancholy after something awful happens but these terrible things happened to them and they deeply traumatized the country. As an American I see this in anything that portrays the terrorist attacks of 9/11 so as a viewer I understand they're trying to reflect the sorrow the nation felt. The acting is just excellent. After the first episode they switch some characters around and at first that bumped me but after seeing more I can't imagine the story being told with any other actors. I don't imagine they had a huge budget and some of the explosions aren't shown but the production value is tremendous. On par with most current television shows. If you are fascinated with the Pablo Escobar story and wish to get an angle that isn't quite as glossy or glamorized then check this out. There are enough episodes to scratch that itch while telling a complete story that never gets old or feels tiresome.

As a fan of all the Narcos series I was happy to see this turn up on my stream, hungry for more of the intrigue and shoot em up action. But I soon realized this take on Escobar was a far cry from those glamorous romanticized versions with their Sopranos-like anti-heros - the main character of this show is an unrepentant scumbag, with more revolting warts than endearing dimples.

The early episodes had me questioning the casting of the lead. The character was a dumpy schlub, too stupid and crass to emerge as a powerful leader. But as the series unfolded the actor proved a superb choice, evolving seamlessly into a canny take-charge capo and eventually a cold-blooded sociopathic tyrant. It's a brilliant performance, of a character with very little charm who nevertheless commands your attention.

While there's plenty of violence throughout, it's rarely the exciting give-and-take gun battles of the Narcos shows, but rather savage murders and bombings aimed at defenseless politicians and journalists and other declared enemies of the Medellin cartel. And there's no clever adversary playing cat and mouse games with Escobar - the personal thorn in his side is his wife, a strong-willed character every bit as conflicted as Carmella Soprano, torn between her conscience and her lifestyle.

At times the series dips a toe into telenovela territory, with maudlin montages as characters reflect on memories of their recently assassinated loved ones, but these are few and far between (and easily zipped through on fast forward, without losing any of the story.)

There is also real news footage, generally of the aftermaths of bombings or assassinations, which is noticeable but works well in the context of the show.

Another big difference from the Narcos shows is the depiction of the Colombian law enforcement and political establishments, with much less focus on the corrupt officials in Escobar's pocket and more on the heroic idealists who opposed him. (Understandable, since some of the producers had personal ties to those opponents.)

Overall, the production values, like the casting, is excellent. The settings and costumes are somewhat more realistic and down-to-earth than those of the Narcos shows, reflecting Escober's lower class tastes.

Warning though, if you get hooked: with several dozen episodes, this will keep you binging for weeks.