This episode was a one of the deepest, most emotional and tense episodes in the fourth season of narcos, in has some great cinematic scenes that thanks to its amazing direction make for some truly remarkable and memorable moments combined with a great story.
5 Reviews
Plot Arcs Beginning to Wrap Up
Samuel-Shovel16 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
In "881 Lope de Vega" the DEA scrambles to find where Gallardo is keeping Kiki. They bring agents from all over the US to help. Meanwhile Rafa and his girlfriend flee to Costa Rica as Gallardo tells Rafa that he would end up being the fall man if he stays. But when the DEA and local law enforcement start putting the squeeze on his operation, Felix puts in an anonymous tip as to where they can find Rafa.
Meanwhile Kiki continues to be tortured but can't give any answers as he doesn't know as much as they assumed. They bring in a doctor to keep him alive and conscious as they interrogate him. Rafa ends up getting tortured a bit himself. He gives them am address that turns out to be empty...
I thought this episode was really well done. All the acting is great. And it really walks a thin line with the torture that is hard to do: show us enough to make us uncomfortable and empathetic but not showing us so much that it just turns into a gore-fest that makes me turn off my mind and my TV.
The actress that plays Mika has to do a lot of heavy lifting on screen in this episode and I think she does a fabulous job. It's really her front and center here for the first time. The show uses her as the emotional weight to Kiki's disappearance (which makes sense) and she's able to pull it off. Solid ep.
Meanwhile Kiki continues to be tortured but can't give any answers as he doesn't know as much as they assumed. They bring in a doctor to keep him alive and conscious as they interrogate him. Rafa ends up getting tortured a bit himself. He gives them am address that turns out to be empty...
I thought this episode was really well done. All the acting is great. And it really walks a thin line with the torture that is hard to do: show us enough to make us uncomfortable and empathetic but not showing us so much that it just turns into a gore-fest that makes me turn off my mind and my TV.
The actress that plays Mika has to do a lot of heavy lifting on screen in this episode and I think she does a fabulous job. It's really her front and center here for the first time. The show uses her as the emotional weight to Kiki's disappearance (which makes sense) and she's able to pull it off. Solid ep.
Thrilling, distressing, frustrating
TheDonaldofDoom3 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers
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
881 Lope de Vega
bobcobb3017 March 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This show has had its ups and downs, but it will end as a really good season of Narcos.
The best part was building up the takedown of Rafael. They really made you hate that character so him paying the price was such a great moment.
The best part was building up the takedown of Rafael. They really made you hate that character so him paying the price was such a great moment.
This is the Netflix version of the story...
silverton-3795928 February 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This version seems to be the one that made the US news media at the time. The Netflix version first has Felix seen as not being to blame for taking Kiki, then it switches to him being fully onboard with the kidnapping and torture. It also says that Kiki was tortured by a DFS specialist, then killed.
There's another version available in documentary form: "The Last Narc". I viewed it on Amazon Prime video. That version lays out the story that Kiki was taken by way of a crooked DEA agent (or more than one) who set him up for kidnapping, and then he was tortured by a CIA agent. The claims in "The Last Narc" come from a former DEA agent who was assigned to the case after Camarena's body was discovered.
The reason that the Netflix version doesn't strike me as being close to the truth is that so much of it just seems contrived. When parts of a story make no sense, I'm prone to dismiss the whole story.
Watch "The Last Narc" for an alternate storyline. It's a more credible tale than the one shown in Narcos Mexico.
There's another version available in documentary form: "The Last Narc". I viewed it on Amazon Prime video. That version lays out the story that Kiki was taken by way of a crooked DEA agent (or more than one) who set him up for kidnapping, and then he was tortured by a CIA agent. The claims in "The Last Narc" come from a former DEA agent who was assigned to the case after Camarena's body was discovered.
The reason that the Netflix version doesn't strike me as being close to the truth is that so much of it just seems contrived. When parts of a story make no sense, I'm prone to dismiss the whole story.
Watch "The Last Narc" for an alternate storyline. It's a more credible tale than the one shown in Narcos Mexico.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
