Griselda was released on Netflix on January 25, 2024. This limited series took the internet by storm with its loosely based rendition of the infamous drug lord in 80’s Miami, Griselda Blanco.
Griselda opens up in Medellin, Colombia, while Griselda Blanco (Sofía Vergara) is gathering her three sons to flee from her drug-dealing partner/ husband, Alberto (Alberto Ammann), who previously injured her, to move to Miami, Florida. As the family is fleeing, Griselda calls a woman named Carmen (Vanessa Ferlito) who has a tragic past with the drug-dealing scene and begins to tell her what’s happening and that she needs a favor. Eventually, Carmen selflessly gives them a place to stay, offering Griselda a chance to start over at her travel agency. Griselda ultimately accepts the kind offer and promises Carmen that the life of drug dealing is now behind her. However, she was not so ready to leave behind the life of drugs. As the show continues, so does Griselda’s life of crime, and determination for power.
Griselda is a limited series of 6 episodes ranging from 48 to 59 minutes and had me hooked from the start. The first episode opened up with a quote from Pablo Escobar: “The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco.” Just one sentence from the world-renowned drug lord perfectly captivated just how dangerous and powerful Griselda Blanco was for decades.
This isn’t Eric Newman’s – Griselda’s creator and executive producer’s – first run with crime dramas. He not only created “Narcos: Mexico”, and “True Story”, but was also the showrunner for “Narcos.” Even though these shows have undeniable similarities, there is one topic that is brought up repeatedly in Griselda and that is Gender. Griselda Blanco faced gender inequality throughout her long reign, which is one of the many reasons she went undetected for decades. No one believed that women could do such heinous acts. However, not just Griselda was affected but Officer June was as well. June was the first officer who believed a woman was behind all the murders and drug dealing in Miami. Even though both characters are on opposite sides of justice, the parallelism between them is unfathomable. Both are single mothers dominating an occupation that is ideally a “man’s job” and both are underestimated in their abilities to excel in their occupations.
If you previously had any doubts about Sofía Vergara’s acting beforehand, hopefully, this series changed your mind. Considering that Griselda is her first drama, Vergara sure did a spectacular job. Vergara masterfully conveyed the complex character development of Griselda Blanco, portraying how she went from a vulnerable single mother to a relentless drug dealer who was nicknamed ‘Godmother.’
This series is rated TV-MA for reasons such as language, nudity, sex, smoking, and violence. Griselda is not suitable for younger audiences. However, if you are a lover of true crime or crime shows, this is a must-watch.
8/10
