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When we talk about streaming culture, we’re usually enthusing about what’s new, but one of the best things about streaming is how it’s made old and obscure cult hits available to a new generation. Presenting Cult Corner: your weekly look into hidden gems and long-lost curiosities that you can find on streaming
Though Netflix has renewed its best drug-fueled drama through Season 4, we’re still a long time away from new episodes of Narcos. However, if you’re craving a great high-stakes drama about the seedy world of Colombian crime, you don’t have to wait on Narcos’ production schedule. Netflix has another addicting watch up its sleeve — Pablo Escobar, el patron del mal.
As its name indicates, Pablo Escobar, which translates to Pablo Escobar, the Boss of Evil, tells a dramatized story about the rise and fall of the notorious drug kingpin of the same name. Whereas Narcos condensed Escobar’s life into 20 episodes, Pablo Escobar dives deeper into this baffling and violent chapter in history, devoting 74 hourlong episodes to this saga. With episodes averaging about a 42-minute runtime, that’s over 50 hours devoted to telling the story of one larger-than-life criminal. And those 50 hours are certainly worth watching.
Originally premiering on Caracol TV, Pablo Escobar is one of the few Columbian-produced series that has gained international attention. Created by Camilo Cano and Juana Uribe, both of the series’ creators suffered at the hands of their show’s central figure. Cano’s father, who was the publisher of the newspaper El Espectador, was murdered by Escobar in 1986, and Uribe’s mother was kidnapped and her uncle murdered on Escobar’s orders. There is a real weight and cultural intimacy to this fictionalized series that Narcos lacks. However, despite its heavy subject matter, Pablo Escobar also embraces its status as a Spanish novella. There is a soapy, intentionally over-acted quality to the series and especially Andres Parra’s performance as Escobar that lends another note of incredulousness to this already unbelievable story. It’s a balance that compliments the series’ telling of one of history’s most notorious and violent drug lords.
As great as modern, new television is, sometimes you want to forget about new releases and appointment viewing and just lose yourself in an addicting drama. If that’s the mood you’re in, and if you don’t mind reading subtitles, Pablo Escobar is the perfect binge. Sure, it’s not completely historically accurate. Much like Narcos, it’s unwise to treat the series as a textbook rather than the piece of art that it is. However, the series will give you a much clearer picture of the reign of terror that was conducted through one horrifying man.
