Life in Wartime
Episode 10 of Narcos: Mexico Season 3 begins with Mexico left with egg on its face following Rebollo’s arrest. Given he was heralded as a man of integrity, it’s not a great look. The only thing the US and Mexico can agree on right now is tracking down Amado and bringing him to justice. Catching the most prolific drug trafficker currently operating could help them get a handle of the volatile situation across Mexico. In Juarez, Victor ignores the warnings from his wife and continues to investigate. That night, he follows the car and seemingly finds the man responsible for killing all these women. He stops him on the road, putting a bullet between his eyes and then several more in his gut for good measure. The trouble is, this isn’t the end of it. Seven more bodies arrive outside in the desert in the morning; the start of what’s known as the femicide epidemic. A movement by women in Juarez helps to bring attention to this in the near-future but it’s something that continues on to this day. These hardworking women are killed just because of their gender. In San Diego, Alex and Walt hide out, waiting for the former to be called in for questioning. However, following the Rebollo debacle, heads could roll and Walt may be one of those to lose his job. Alex’s immunity situation is also a point of contention, as Jack admits that this isn’t a done deal. Given how Alex was tortured, that’s not going to go down well in court and Walt knows this. He speaks to Alex about it that night, but he’s under the illusion that he’ll be able to go home after testifying against the Arellano family. Walt warns the naïve boy that heading back is a death trap, and implores him to stay. In Walt’s absence, Alex skips out and heads home. Jack tries to convince Walt to give up on this, but he refuses to do so. Walt heads back to his apartment in Tijuana but gets nowhere. Unfortunately Alex’s body is found hanging on an overpass, killed because of what he knew. Meanwhile, Benjamin gathers the family together and remains adamant that their family is stronger than ever. Enedina is not so sure, and although she’s happy he’s home, she knows that this war is still raging on. The real prize in all this is Amado, who finds himself caught right in the middle of a gunfight as his bodyguards are taken out en-route to the airstrip. There are even RPGs here too. Amado does manage to scramble to his plane but several gunshots knock the engine out, stopping them from flying. Amado eventually manages to scramble to safety, but how long can he keep this up? With Hank covering his tracks and shutting down the traces linking back to him, Andrea finds herself faced with a dead-end. Salgado tells her matter-of-factly that this is the end of the road, reminding her that the Rebollo story is good enough. While all this is going on, Guero gets himself arrested and immediately threatens what Chapo has built for himself behind bars. Thanks to Neto’s words of wisdom, Chapo decides to take control of the Sinaloa cartel for himself, transferring Guero out the cell and even getting Neto out too. Andrea eventually speaks to Walt, who testifies about the torture and what happened with Rebollo. His desire to try and catch Amado no matter what has blinded him. “We’re not the good guys” He says matter-of-factly, realizing that his desperation has turned him away from the righteous path. Then again, working with the corrupt Rebollo will do that for you! With newspapers released, breaking down the news surrounding corruption in the gangs, David Barron and Salgado are both assassinated. Unfortunately, so too is Victor when Rogelio learns that he’s been working with the DEA all this time. He shoots him at point-blank range, leaving him in a pool of his own blood. Thanks to an anonymous tip, Amado is captured on July 7th. However, he actually died while undergoing plastic surgery in a last-ditch attempt to try and change his appearance. With the “Lord of the Skies” dead, Carlos then dies in 2002 with thousands attending his funeral. That’s pretty ironic, given several years prior there’s an investigation done linking him to the drug cartels. In Mazatlán, Ramon is killed. Mayo rings Enedina to let her know; his final revenge for the trouble the Arellano family have caused him. With everything starting to simmer down, Walt decides to press forward with his transfer. Her and Dani are still on bad terms though, but he does his best to find his way in life. And part of that comes from continuing his work as a DEA agent, continuing to use his words to manipulate dealers into trusting him. The final shot of the season skips over to Marta, who walks along a gorgeous beach and inside her house. The camera pans across to the piano where a toy plane happens to be; a reminder of how close Amado came to flying out to safety.
The Episode Review
Narcos: Mexico comes to a conclusive end here, with lots of ensuing drama resolved and our characters finding salvation (or not) by the time the final credits roll. This whole series has done a wonderful job juggling its different players in this war, with plenty of action, thrills and drama used to tell this comprehensive story of the drug war in Mexico. Seeing Walt back to his old tricks by the time the show ends, manipulating two-bit players with his words, is a nice way to round out his character. Mayo gets the last laugh on the Arellano family too, while Victor meets a grim end. In fact, Victor’s whole story here is obviously designed to shed light on that femicide epidemic and while there’s no resolution, it’s unsurprising given it’s still going on now. The rest of the storylines do end with a satisfying conclusion, wrapping everything up with a neat bow by the time the final credits roll round. The show has done well to keep things exciting throughout while remaining true to the real story. Well written and enthralling until the end, Narcos: Mexico has been a really solid watch.
