This episode is what the whole season has been building up to, and it doesn't disappoint. The tone is brutal. Especially knowing that this actually happened to Kiki, it leaves a feeling that you wouldn't get if he were a fictional character. It's so intense because Kiki is a character we care about, and I didn't know his fate prior to watching this so I held a faint hope that he would be saved even though that was unlikely.
What makes this episode so frustrating to watch is the system the Americans have to deal with in trying to get Kiki. All the might of the DEA still struggles to work within the corrupt bureaucracy of Mexico. Seeing Rafa escape from their clutches because apparently it's not him when it blatantly is, is inconceivable, yet it happened. The frustration I feel isn't frustration at the show itself, it's frustration at what it depicts. It's unpleasant viewing, but it's supposed to be. I think in this case the narration is unnecessary and gets in the way of the emotion of the story. We don't need a narrator to tell us about the inaction and stonewalling when we can see it happening, and it actually detracts from it somewhat.
This fast-paced episode also manages some good character beats. There's Mika's determination in the face of the stonewalling and there's Gallardo's attempt to find a way out of this mess, in the end tipping off Rafa's location. Seeing his last conversation with Rafa doesn't quite make you feel sorry for Rafa because he's such an unsympathetic and one-note character, but it does make you feel how hard it was for Gallardo to do what it is. It would be a touching scene if Rafa had any redeeming qualities. Nevertheless, it's satisfying to finally see Rafa taken down and also to see the brat Sofia's happiness fall apart. I hate Rafa, but shame on Sofia for falling for such a man.
The end of the episode is a real surprise. I thought we'd find out Kiki's fate by the end, but even that is put off, in a way that feels apt. 9.3/10
What makes this episode so frustrating to watch is the system the Americans have to deal with in trying to get Kiki. All the might of the DEA still struggles to work within the corrupt bureaucracy of Mexico. Seeing Rafa escape from their clutches because apparently it's not him when it blatantly is, is inconceivable, yet it happened. The frustration I feel isn't frustration at the show itself, it's frustration at what it depicts. It's unpleasant viewing, but it's supposed to be. I think in this case the narration is unnecessary and gets in the way of the emotion of the story. We don't need a narrator to tell us about the inaction and stonewalling when we can see it happening, and it actually detracts from it somewhat.
This fast-paced episode also manages some good character beats. There's Mika's determination in the face of the stonewalling and there's Gallardo's attempt to find a way out of this mess, in the end tipping off Rafa's location. Seeing his last conversation with Rafa doesn't quite make you feel sorry for Rafa because he's such an unsympathetic and one-note character, but it does make you feel how hard it was for Gallardo to do what it is. It would be a touching scene if Rafa had any redeeming qualities. Nevertheless, it's satisfying to finally see Rafa taken down and also to see the brat Sofia's happiness fall apart. I hate Rafa, but shame on Sofia for falling for such a man.
The end of the episode is a real surprise. I thought we'd find out Kiki's fate by the end, but even that is put off, in a way that feels apt. 9.3/10