'Narcos' Needs To Answer These 6 Burning Questions

Just a few days after Season 1 of Netflix's Narcos premiered on August 28, Netflix announced that it was going to bring back its dramatic look at the rise of Pablo Escobar and the cocaine trade in South America. And, even though there was less than a week to wonder about there being more episodes, there are still plenty of questions that Season 2 of Narcos needs to answer. Those questions include a combination of narrative payoffs that Season 1 left hanging and real facts about Escobar and the rest of the Colombian narcos that the show should think about incorporating as more stories go on.

Most of Season 1 was based around the perspective of Steve Murphy, one of the real DEA agents who helped to bust Escobar and his empire. And, while the season's initially sprawling pace ramped up big time as it led toward the finale, it seems like the show won't have the time to slow down for a single second as Pablo heads towards his ultimate death in 1993. But, before that happens, there's many more drug-related disasters and successes ahead, as the DEA, the Colombian government, and Escobar's forces all attempt to maintain control over the country and its drug trade. Here's what fans like me need answered in Season 2.

1. Why Must Peña & Pablo Have Such Similar Facial Hair?

Their names both starting with "P" has also tripped me up in the past. I would never root for someone as awful as Pablo Escobar, but every so often, I'd get confused in scenes with low lighting about whether it was the awful Pablo or the you-don't-even-know cool Peña I was seeing.

2. What Is Going On In Tata's Mind?

She's one of the most fascinating characters, because she doesn't have as much of a story yet. But, there's so much potential for one, especially since Pablo agreed to leave her when he "surrendered" himself to prison. Honestly, this season seems like it was setting the stage with everything people think they know about drama on TV, and the women characters were mostly fulfilling stereotypes about quiet, pregnant wives or literal prostitutes (even when they had other jobs, like the Colombian journalist). But, now, there's opportunity to expand beyond that.

3. Who Were The True Victims Of All Of This?

As much as I don't have a problem with the Murphy family, it does feel a little odd for a show about South America to have a white family and their cat as the center of the sympathetic part of the story. There have been occasional glimpses at other characters, but, true to the documentarian style, there wasn't much time in Season 1 for street-level drama. Maybe Season 2 will add more of that.

4. Why Did Escobar Become So Much Of A Hero?

Obviously, Escobar's donations to the poor contributed to his political popularity and his support amongst the people. But after the show took some time to jump into the "how" he managed to run for office, complete with cash bribes, it can now dive into why he was such a popular figure, even though he was just as brutal as he was generous. Again, this would mostly be answered by meeting more Colombians... Season 2 could benefit from an occasional look at people who are not super tight with the DEA or in the narcos' inner circle.

5. Will Search Bloc Be Disbanded, Like In Real Life?

In an interview with The Observer, real DEA Agent Peña describes why the hunt for Escobar was so frustrating — after he surrendered himself, "basically the [Search Bloc] was disbanded. And after he escaped, it was like ‘we don’t have the right cops to go after him.'" I can't imagine that the fictional Murphy and Peña will be too pleased about that.

6. Could Murphy & Peña Go Their Separate Ways?

Their partnership took a huge hit in the final episodes, but if the Search Bloc loses steam, these two are going to need to team up in order to help find Escobar and take him down. The US Embassy has been useless, and the conflicts between the Colombians and the Americans have just resulted in more carnage. But, the Peña/Murphy partnership might be the only thing that can stop the fictionalized version of Escobar. Narcos Season 1 was already bloody, brutal, and packed in a ton of real history, but the upcoming Season 2 needs to jump right in and start answering some of the tough questions it set up during Season 1.

Image: Daniel Daza/Netflix (4)