Narcos Season 2 Review: 8 Ups & 3 Downs

2. Wagner Moura's Electric Lead Performance

If there's one never-faltering constant of the show, it has to be Wagner Moura's phenomenal performance as Pablo Escobar. This time around, we get a far more introspective, some might say sympathetic, portrait of the man, who displays more tenderness as the show gets more time to breathe and examine him as a family man.

The comparisons to Tony Soprano are inevitable, but scenes such as one in which Pablo dances with his wife while cross-cut with scenes of wanton brutality, perfectly surmise the dichotomy of the character.

We see Escobar far more vulnerable than he ever was in season one as the net tightens, resulting in some terrific dramatic beats opposite various family members. We get to see the human being behind the carnage, and while the man is evidently still a monster, it's always nice to know how these beasts tick.

If Moura doesn't receive an Emmy nomination for his work here, it'll be a major disservice.