This past week, Netflix’s new series, “Griselda,” starring Sofia Vergara and Karol G, took the internet by storm, going viral for all the right and wrong reasons. Premiering on Jan. 25, this show has remained number one on Netflix since its release, along with receiving an 87% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Causing much talk and commotion across all social media platforms and news outlets, there have been mixed opinions regarding this new series and its telling of the Miami-based Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco.
Vergara plays the role of Blanco, who was known as the Godmother of Cocaine and created one of the most profitable cartels in history. The series starts off with a quote from Pablo Escobar that states, “The only man I ever feared was a woman named Griselda Blanco,” and begins in Medellín with Blanco and her three children fleeing after she kills her husband. Blanco and her children make it to Miami where a friend takes them in until Blanco can become independent. Her friend offers Blanco a job at her travel agency but is unaware that she secretly stashed a kilogram of cocaine to the U.S. and is looking to sell it. Although she only wants to sell it for some extra cash at first, she runs into issues trying to sell it, realizing no one wants to buy from her or takes her seriously just because she is a woman. This is the spark that ignites Blanco’s ambitious drive to set up her own cartel in Miami and eventually take control of the entire city. The series then follows how Blanco makes her way to the top as a powerful drug lord, her downfall and inevitable path to capture, highlighting how her own insecurities and addiction to power ultimately lead to her end.
I really enjoyed watching this series. I think Netflix did a fantastic job in making this a limited series, seeing as they didn’t drag the story on for the sake of content nor left out any important aspects of Blanco’s story. I also liked the feminist take they incorporated into the series, showcasing how Blanco had to work twice as hard and constantly prove herself to be worthy simply because she was a Latina woman. Along with this, I enjoyed how the series portrayed Blanco as someone who looked to give underdogs a purpose, with there being many scenes in the series where she gave a chance to people who were overlooked and subject to prejudice by the rest of society.
There are some aspects of the series that I didn’t like too much. I didn’t agree with the glorification of Blanco as a character. To a certain extent, I think the series justified her crimes and didn’t do a good enough job of communicating that her feminist role was out of place, considering all of the bad things she did and all of the people she killed. I definitely think Netflix could’ve done a better job of not glorifying her as much and toning it down in that respect. This led me to simply get bored towards the middle of the series because of the fact that I didn’t like nor agree with the light that they were painting Griselda’s character in.
Despite this, I am glad I watched this series and can see why it is such a big hit. If you are interested and have the time, this series is worth binge-watching and is a series that keeps you captivated the entire time. Vergara does an excellent job portraying her role and is very different from anything we’ve seen her in so far. Karol G’s appearance in the series is random at times, but she also does a great job considering this is her first acting project. Though the series incorporates some controversial themes, it is one you don’t want to miss out on and won’t regret watching.
