Griselda

Man, we were truly blessed when Narcos came out in 2015: not many shows nor movies can captivatingly portray a fascinating part of history so effortlessly combining humour, drama, and action. As a victim of its own success, perhaps some of that magic of the first season disappeared with subsequent seasons and the spin-off series Narcos: Mexico, but that's not saying much given the high standards set by that same season. Along comes Griselda: another spin-off series, but this time without the word 'Narcos' in its title (simply Griselda) and thus also more loosely linked to what now can be called a proper franchise. Made by the same people behind Narcos (and Narcos: Mexico), don't let its unique presentation fool you though: this is again a story about one individual's rise and fall through the drug-trafficking business and everything that comes with it. However, that didn't really matter in damping the excitement beforehand as the creators behind Narcos have proven they have mastered this formula. Besides, the drug trafficking business from a female perspective is something I never knew I needed until now. Even if in the end it only lasted for a mere 6 episodes.

And it's precisely that fact where the problem lies with this show: it feels rushed. Although 6 episodes is a popular format that's used for either an individual season of a large show or a mini-series, this structure simply doesn't fit the story that is portrayed here. In tradition of the previous Narcos shows that we've had until now, Griselda needed at least two seasons to tell its story properly. Sure, Narcos and Narcos: Mexico also skipped a lot of the facts but that didn't come at the expense of the quality of the experience. That's unfortunately not the case here. Every episode from episode 3 onwards basically skips at least three episodes of good material, which is at odds with how carefully but adequately the show started. How is this rush noticeable? Well, in many ways: character shifts, lack of character development, sudden shifts in tone, a lack of intended impact with unexpected moments, ... and the list goes on and on. In other words, what is lacking is a straight line running through all the 6 episodes. And what you get as a result are episodes that feel detached from each other.

But what is even more worrisome is that it's the story that drives the characters and not the other way around as it should be. A good example are the children of Griselda: they have, besides a few moments here and there, very little moments of their own, getting dragged around all of the different locations with little to no protest. The problem overall is that with only 6 episodes, the creators of the show basically obliged themselves to force the story through at the expense of character autonomy. This not only leads to a lack of character development but also, as mentioned before, to sudden shifts in character and tone: the show suddenly becomes really violent halfway through, even though no convincing chain of events were set in place to make that change believable. Another example of this problem is Griselda's character: her change to a ruthless, obsessed godmother may serve the purpose of the story, but the previous episodes do not warrant it nor back it up. Simply explaining what has changed from one episode to the next through narration or one of the characters in dialogue isn't convincing enough for the audience to believe the changes.

What this all does is also make the message of the show confusing. Was the intention to make a historically accurate portrayal of what Griselda did during her time in Miami? Or was it rather the idea to give a unique spin to the character of Griselda to explore the unusual role of women in the drug trafficking business? The problem here's consistency in portrayal and tone: almost simultaneously with the increase in violence in the show, Griselda changes to a far more ruthless drug kingpin. This side of Griselda is more in line with what she apparently really was. However, as I have said before, this was not the case in the beginning, which makes you wonder if the creators of this show changed their idea halfway through of what kind of character Griselda should be.

Those of you who have seen Narcos: Mexico will clearly recognize the opposite relationship between the honest, good-working cop and the ruthless drug kingpin. Interestingly, the cop in this show is also a woman. However, this relationship and the entire cop-perspective of this story is not developed enough for us to care, making it seem more like an addition to make it clear that Griselda is a show made for female audiences, even if that means that not enough time was left to explore the darker sides of Griselda's character. It doesn't help that the show turned out to be so short. In the end, it feels as if there was no real commitment towards bringing a consistent version of the character of Griselda to life.

However, it isn't all bad: the acting here's on point, and nothing is to be said about the production of the show, besides perhaps the slightly weird-looking makeup of Sofia Vergara. Some of the brilliance of the Narcos series also shines through with the humour and unexpected twists and turns that shake up the story which made us fall in love with Narcos in the first place. It truly makes you wonder what this show could have been if it were allowed to develop more. Was the project cut short due to internal difficulties as has been the case with many projects recently due to the recent writer's strike in Hollywood or was this simply how the show was meant to be? I can't help but conclude the former, even more so given how so many actors of Narcos were recast here to the point that it became odd to me not even halfway through.

In the end, Griselda is a show that is much inferior in quality compared to the new gold standard of television series set forth by Narcos. Although still entertaining in the Narcos way, it feels a little inferior in quality on all aspects due to story decisions that are partly a result of this show's far too short runtime, even with long individual episodes. As a result, the overall impression is very mixed. It wouldn't be surprising should we see a new portrayal of Griselda in another show or movie in a few years' time, since there is so much wasted potential here. As it stands, it shows that not even shows like Narcos are untouchable.

I just finished watching Griselda with my brother and I can say it definitely lived up to my expectations. Anyone familiar with the Miami drug wars in the 70's and 80's has heard of the name Griselda Blanco. Her nickname is the Godmother. She is one of the most ruthless drug lords that's ever lived with over 250 murders accredited to her. I thought I was going to be distracted by Sofia Vergara's prosthetics but after a few minutes you don't even notice it. The entire cast does an excellent job but I couldn't believe how good Sofia was as Griselda. She stole every scene she was in and was terrifying as Griselda. Yes, this show plays loosely with the facts of the real story but that's ok. They did that to make the show more entertaining and watchable. There's a documentary called Cocaine Cowboys 1 & 2 that tells the exact story and it's worth a watch if you have the time.

This was decent. Pretty good acting and filmed on a decent budget but they absolutely butchered the real story of this woman. They tried so hard to find some kind of humanity in this completely unredeemable woman that it took away from the story of how psychopathic and sociopathic the real Griselda Blanco actually was.

This is a really nice drama to watch but not much more. It's like diet Narcos that's been kept at room temperature. Sofia Vergara does a fairly good job with that she is given but the character is written as an animal backed into a corner, rather than the ruthless sociopath that was the real Griselda.

It was better than ok... But only just.

Overall I believe this was a good miniseries. While the character of Griselda Blanco was a bit too sympathetic compared to what she was like in real life, Vergara did an outstanding job in a lead dramatic role, and if she was typecast as Gloria Pritchett she broke from it in a strong way.

Supporting cast was very good, I felt there was good chemistry between Vergara and many of the others. Writing seemed very good, well-paced story.

I also very much liked the subtitles. This was a nice touch, and is rarely used on such a large scale. The Spanish language was needed to convey the mood and energy of the show, and it worked like a charm. Nicely done.

Only had a couple of problems with the series:

1) it painted Blanco in way too sympathetic of a light. Anyone who watched the groundbreaking 2006 documentary on the Miami Cocaine Wars called "Cocaine Cowboys" would know the real Blanco was far more vicious and cold than Vergara's portrayal. Also, I don't recall the real Blanco being a demagogue of sorts, with stirring, rebellious speeches to rouse her people to take on the rich whites who exploit them. Nice message but I don't think Blanco was like that.

2) The series was way too short. Only six episodes? There was so much to Blanco's life that you could have done four full seasons, easily. With flashbacks to her horrific childhood, particularly her upbringing by her vicious, abusive mother, Ana Restrepo. Season 1 could have been her NY days, season 2 Miami, season 3 in California (both as a dealer and her imprisonment, including her relationship with Charles Cosby), season 4 back in Colombia ending with her assassination. This was a very good, well-made series and I wanted to see more.

I give this 8/10 largely due to Vergara's chops in a dramatic, serious role, great writing for what this was (a miniseries), and great supporting cast.

We quite enjoyed this once we got past thinking of the real life character. We have seen documentaries, this woman was a complete monster. Humanizing her and almost trying to gain sympathy for her plight was jarring. It's just goes too easy on her and almost has you thinking well who could blame her? I thought Sofia was really good, much better than i expected. Just as something to watch it's good, but if you're looking to get a genuine picture of just how awful the real woman was, don't bother! It glossed over or didn't include at all so many major things which is a shame, I feel like it was a wasted opportunity.