Narcos: Mexico released its second season on Netflix on Thursday, February 13th. Released over a year after the first season, it was a wild ride. Of course, I had to binge-watch the entire ten-episode season in one day. It’s just how I am and this season was too good to pause. Starring Diego Luna as Felix Gallardo and Scoot McNairy as DEA Agent Walt Breslin, there were a lot of moving parts this season. A lot of characters and a lot of ground to cover.
You can read my full review of season two here. While I summarized my love for this season already, I wanted to highlight some key moments from season two that I thought needed the spotlight.
Spoilers Ahead
If you haven’t completed season two, then please keep in mind there are some serious spoilers ahead.
Walt Breslin Kidnapping Zuno Via Plane
Operation Leyenda is in full effect when season two starts. Walt’s crew start off as the “crash and grab” crew, but they need to get more creative when it comes to bagging a bigger fish. Ruben Zuno Arce owned the house where Kiki Camarena was killed. He’s also the Minister of Defense’s nephew. How does Walt figure to grab him? Make Zuno so paranoid that he has no choice but to attempt to flee. When he does flee, he gets into a plane that he does not realize is being flown by someone hired by Walt. Zuno is unknowingly flown right into Texas, on American soil. It really was a great scene.
Pablo Acosta and Walt Breslin’s Rooftop Talk
Past interactions between DEA agents and narcos don’t typically go well. I can think of the time that Steve Murphy talked to Pacho. Or when Javier Pena spoke with Judy Moncado or Don Berna. But, a rooftop conversation between a DEA agent and a narco made for one of the best scenes in the season. Pablo Acosta has always been wary of Felix. In season two, he’s looking to get out of the narco game altogether. For his beloved, Mimi. Mimi brings Walt to Acosta to talk. The two end up having a heart to heart about morals, honor, respect, and family. For a narco, Walt could see that Acosta was not a bad man. And I think, Acosta could see that Walt’s heart was in the right place. It certainly was a stand-out scene for me.
Palma Killing Clavel
Towards the end of the season, Felix’s driver/bodyguard kills Sinaloa’s plaza boss Palma’s wife and children. It didn’t matter that Clavel was having an affair with Lupita. Felix wanted to send a message and Clavel was ordered to carry out the order. When everything falls apart, Clavel ends up working at a shoe store in a mall. Palma and El Chapo make their way to the store and Clavel knows what’s about to happen. I don’t know why, maybe it was because I ended up liking Palma and El Chapo in the show; that I loved seeing Palma whack Clavel to death with a baseball bat.
All of the Plazas Leaving the Federation
Felix did the impossible by bringing all of the plazas together. The problem was that he was too ambitious. He threw people under the bus. Betrayed and had friends imprisoned. When Felix thought that all of the members of the Federation would fall back in line, he called a meeting. The rest of the Federation was fed up, though. They were tired of being run by a man who would eventually lead to their demise. One by one, they all walked out – leaving Felix vulnerable. It was all seemingly orchestrated by Amado Carrillo Fuentes – the nephew of Don Neto, who Felix helped put in prison in season one.
Walt’s Team Ambushed
At some point, Walt’s team becomes aware of Felix and Amado’s plan to transport 70 tons of cocaine from Colombia into Mexico. Walt’s team puts trackers in the plane in Belize, but Amado finds them at some point. Long story short, while everything seems like a win at first, it’s all an ambush. Walt’s team is practically decimated in this heart-pounding, intense shootout. I didn’t know who would end up alive, or if this was the end of every one. Only Walt and two others make it out alive and you find out that the crooked Commadante Calderoni had a part in this ambush.
Pacho and Don Juan Betraying Felix
Remember I talked about Felix’s grand ambitions? This includes getting the heroin dealer in the Gulf to form an alliance with him. Felix believes that with Don Juan on board, he will have leverage over the Colombians. He plans to use this leverage in a meeting in Panama. Except, when he arrives in Panama, Pacho has a little surprise for him. Don Juan and Pacho cut their own sort of deal, which leaves Felix speechless and struggling to recover from the embarrassment. Felix should have realized that no one wanted to work with a man who not only betrayed his family and friends, but who killed a federal agent.
Amado and Pablo Acosta’s Final Talk
Amado thought Pablo Acosta was “batshit” and Acosta thought Amado was “dopey”. Still, they worked together in Juarez. Their partnership was solidified in season one, when Amado gave Acosta a nice, but fake watch. Season two was Amado primarily trying to get Acosta back on board. Acosta, though; wanted out – for Mimi and because he didn’t like Felix. At the end, when Acosta personally knew it was all over, he and Amado share a little heart to heart. Acosta even reveals that he knew the watch was fake, but always appreciated the sentiment. It was bittersweet and Amado knew this was the last time he would see Acosta alive.
Felix Using the Tijuana and Sinaloa Plazas to Fix the Ballots
Whereas Pablo Escobar wanted to be the president of Colombia, Felix wanted to control the President of Mexico. It had seemed that the candidate Felix was backing was going to lose. The computer code they used to fix the voting numbers failed. It seemed like Felix was done for this time. No, though. Felix was able to convince the Arellano Felix brothers from Tijuana and El Chapo from Sinaloa to work together. They stormed voting booths and added a zero to every tally of votes for his candidate. A bold move that paid off.
Mimi Talks to Amado
I loved Mimi. I loved Amado. Both wanted Pablo Acosta to come to their sides. Mimi, though; wasn’t going to sit around and let the love of her life put his life in danger. While Acosta and Amado were talking at a restaurant, Mimi shows up. Like the smart, badass woman she is, she “lays down the law” with Amado. She loves Acosta and wants him safe; associating with Felix isn’t safe. Amado also tells her that the safest place for Acosta to be is in Juarez, so that he can keep an eye on him. This scene is about two people who care for Acosta for different reasons and only wanted the best for him.
Felix and Walt’s Prison Talk
The final scene of the season is Walt finally getting to look Felix in the eye. Felix has been arrested for the crimes he has committed. Walt dedicated his time in Mexico to catching Felix. As he said, it didn’t matter that he had never met Kiki. We find out in the season that Walt is a man of honor. So, Walt did everything he could to take Felix down. The two talk in the prison. It’s in this scene that we see how smart Felix really is. He explains to Walt the chaos that will ensue now that he isn’t in charge. We can see in the history books what happened with each plaza – the chaos they caused. Felix can predict all of that. Felix leaves Walt with a piece of advice and a warning: “you’ll miss me”.
What were your favorite moments from Narcos: Mexico season two?
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