But Narcos' second season gets a bit chewy and repetitive in the middle. It also tends to over-romanticize Escobar, going to almost ridiculous levels by the final three chapters. I can see why though, to some extent, despite the man's monstrous and murderous actions. As was the case in Season 1, Wagner Moura is absolutely riveting as Escobar, so much so that more of an effort is made this season to spend time with the character and draw us into his heart and mind, making things feel less like a documentary reenactment than last year.
That being said, Season 2 really lays it on thick with regards to humanizing Escobar, for better or worse. The end result being, well, he's the draw. The one we care about is the crazed mass killer. Much of this feels similar to another Netflix international production, Marco Polo, where Benedict Wong's Kublai Khan, and his direct family drama, became that show's addictive nucleus. It's funny too that both Wong and Moura gained weight for these historical roles, though Moura seems to be aided by a bit of excessive padding this season.
