The war on drugs looks set to get even more explosive.
In the first three seasons of Narcos, viewers were guided through the murky world of drug trafficking via two tough-as-nails narrators, Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) and Peña (Pedro Pascal).
After the demise of Pablo Escobar in Season 2, the attention switched to the Cali Cartel as the dulcet tones of Peña took over the narrating duties. However, the war on drugs is rarely static and after the show relocated its focus to Mexico and the rise of Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo’s (Diego Luna) criminal empire, a new voice was needed.
Throughout the majority of the first season of Narcos: Mexico, viewers weren’t quite sure who was doing the talking.
That changed after the death of DEA Agent Kiki Camarena (Michael Peña). His death needed to be avenged and a crackdown on the drug kingpins that rule Mexico was badly needed.
Enter DEA Agent Walt Breslin (Scoot McNairy).
Viewers got a glimpse of McNairy in the finale of Narcos: Season 1, but his character is the main man driving Operation Leyenda, the largest DEA homicide investigation ever undertaken.
In previous seasons of Narcos, the dynamic has been more like a classic game of cat and mouse, but the dynamics have really shifted in the most recent episodes.
Ok, spoiler alert for those who haven’t started the new season yet.
McNairy’s character is willing to torture victims for information, act with impunity and break the rules to catch his man. However, as that wonderful final scene illustrated, it appears to all be in vain.
Felix’s empire may have crumbled, but it’s clear that the power has now shifted to the Juarez and Sinaloa cartels. Chaos looks set to engulf the streets of Mexico.
JOE was lucky enough to chat with Scoot McNairy about his time on the show and we had to ask what the future has in store for his character. While nothing official has been confirmed by Netflix about a new season, he would love to come back for more episodes.
“Yeah, absolutely. I had a great time on the show and working with everyone on the show. I’d gladly want to hop into another season if they decide to do so. Absolutely, I love working with Netflix and the whole production team on Narcos. It’s probably one of the most pleasurable jobs,” said McNairy.
Throughout the season, the character of Walt was something of a closed book as viewers rarely got a glimpse into his motivations for heading down to Mexico. One epilogue changed all that as we learn that the tragic backstory of his own family and why he felt compelled to travel down to Mexico and take down Gallardo’s empire.
If another season is commissioned, McNairy thinks that there’s plenty more to explore with the character.
“Yeah, absolutely… I’d love to see them develop that backstory and history of where he comes from. You know, get more clarity about why he’s down there and what he wants to do,” said the star of True Detective and Frank.
During another interview with JOE, Narcos showrunner Eric Newman gave a few details about the direction the show could go in – provided it’s commissioned by Netflix.
Get ready for the rise of El Chapo and Amado Carrillo Fuentes.
“Yeah, if you look at things in real life – and I’m not talking out of school here – the facts show that the next guys who really rise up is the Juarez cartel, then the Sinaloa guys, and the Arellano-Félix guys,” said Newman.
“They all remain very active in criminal activity and they all benefited from the fall of Felix Gallardo. Then, the Gulf cartel and Los Zetas come in – you know, there’s a lot of stuff happening in the true story and they’re all compelling stories that we could tell.”
Whatever the future has in store, Narcos will remain well worth a watch.
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