‘Griselda’ Premiere Review: A Woman to Fear

Warning: This article contains plot spoilers.

“The only man I was ever afraid of was a woman named Griselda Blanco.” This message appears on the black screen written in a bold typographic style that immediately screams 70s, building intrigue and excitement as the signature is revealed — Pablo Escobar.

This is a promising opening to the much-awaited Netflix show, a short miniseries that finally introduces a female heroine — played by Sofia Vergara — to the world of cartel dramas. After recreating the ’80s drug scene in Columbia, the team behind Netflix’s “Narcos” came together to shine a spotlight at the leader of all the action in Florida. The first episode of the series, “Lady Comes to Town,” is an engaging premiere that — through masterful lighting, setting, and attention to detail — quickly hooks in the audience, making them eager to discover how Griselda Blanco becomes the famous and feared dealer figure that dominated Miami.

The episode starts in medias res as Griselda stumbles on screen with a gun injury in her abdomen. This entrance allows Vergara to showcase the scope of her physical acting: From the evident distress in her face to her limping walk and rapid breathing, her desperation is contagious. The first few scenes are fast-paced and short, appropriate to the quick escape that Griselda and her three sons make from Medellín, Colombia to Miami. A bloody scar and a brief mention of divorcing Griselda’s husband, Alberto (Alberto Amman), are the only hints for why they leave. Contrasting lighting between the dark Colombian nighttime and the lively Miami scene highlights the change in mood from one setting to another: the danger in Medellín versus the hope the family seeks at the home of Carmen (Vanessa Ferlito), Griselda’s longtime friend.

Early on in the episode, a conversation over drinks between Griselda and Carmen makes two things clear: Both have suffered marital violence, and Griselda cannot be trusted. Evidently, her claim of being forever out of the drug business will soon prove to be in vain. Indeed, that same night, while her boys are sleeping in the room the four share, she uncovers one kilo of cocaine from the youngest’s bag. Although Vergara’s delivery throughout the episode comes off somewhat awkwardly, her facial expression in this scene is a prime example of how her physicality makes up for it: The way Vergara sighs and trembles as she holds the pack of coke truly embodies a mixture of relief and fear, the kind that only comes from a balance of obsession and ingenuity.

Later, as Griselda walks into an expensive-looking party, where the drug dealers of the area are introduced into the storyline, the attention to detail in the cinematography transports the viewer to the time and place of 1970s Miami. Her shiny dress and bold red lipstick, the Cuban music paired with deafening sound effects, the color scheme, and the architecture all work to faithfully recreate the ambience of the ’70s. This scene’s most striking aspect is the fact that most of the conversations take place in Spanish, which not only brings in a degree of authenticity, but also excels by making the different nationalities of the characters clear through their accents. This duality in language further mirrors the dual culture — from the U.S. and from Latin America — that thrives in Miami.

As she begins to navigate Miami, Griselda’s first attempt at selling her kilo of coke and establishing herself as the new supplier in town fails. Her frustration is followed by flashbacks to the time immediately preceding her escape from Colombia, revealing the quarrel between her and her husband: Alberto’s reckless decision resulted in the lost of a million’s worth of shipment, so he asked Griselda to pay their debt off by sleeping with the provider, his brother. The scene serves to reveal that Griselda was the true mastermind behind their business — for she had advised Alberto against the faulty move — and the abusive disregard for women during the era and in the cartel environment. It is thus exciting to see her as the lead of this new addition to the world of 20th century drug lord dramas, taking over the market in Miami while Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura) leads the Colombian scene in the “Narcos” chronicles.

Griselda asserts her dominance in Miami as she retrieves the stolen kilo of coke, makes a sale with her wit and sass, survives a gunfire exchange, and seals a deal with the local cartel boss, Amilcar (José Zuñiga), to be his new supplier. A final flashback scene confirms that Griselda is the smart, fearless, and strong woman that would make Pablo Escobar tremble: After clearing Alberto’s debt, she shoots him and flees from town, on to a new territory to conquer, where she will create her own empire. With such a character, her success is inevitable, but the premiere catches the audience with the question of how.

—Staff writer Nicole M. Hernández Abud can be reached at nicole.hernandez@thecrimson.com.