Los Juniors
In the third episode of Narcos: Mexico Season 3, El Chapo and his gang are feeling the heat from Benjamin. With more tax due and their operation being squeezed down to nothing, they contemplate whether to take a slice of the border by force. Things are volatile and you know what they say about a cornered animal; this one looks set to pounce.
Andrea continues to investigate further into the cartel, showing up at Soto’s door. Andrea brings up the hospital bills for the kid following the brutal beating last episode, but she’s met with a slammed door in the face for her troubles.
Meanwhile, Amado comes up with a big idea that would change drug trafficking forever. Essentially, it’s called the Cell System, whereby each part of the cartel would be divided into different parts so if one cell goes down, the operation would continue. ..
At the top of all this would be Amado, but given the magnitude of this operation, he needs help to see it to fruition. Step forward Vicente. Amado’s brutal brother is only really good for killing so that’s another member joining the gang. He also calls on the expertise of Jerrado Corral, a master with numbers and able to help with the logistics.
As the Sinaloa gang heads onto the ship with an independent trader, they try to strike a deal. With less than six months before they’re out of business, time is of the essence.
The gang try to convince El Mayo to buy into the idea of striking their own border. Given he’s in 20 million debt, the Sinaloa’s try to sweeten the deal… but to no avail. However, El Mayo agrees to set up a meeting with Benjamin, given he’s heading south anyway.
Andrea follows Hodoyan to his home in Tijuana and decides to tail him. With Isaac by her side, she uncovers that the Arrelanos are bankrolling the Tijuanas for their drug developments.
Andrea brings her findings to her boss, showing him all the pictures she’s obtained. All the pieces are there to be pounced on, but right now it’s too vague and there isn’t enough to pin down on them. Thanks to what Andrea has found out so far, she’s given the greenlight to continue pursing it. ..
Walt, who has been deliberating on his transfer request, heads down to see Victor who plays dumb and claims he doesn’t know Amado or any of the other gang members. It’s a brief meeting but a clever way of intersecting some of these stories together.
In Colombia, Amado meets Pacho who is growing impatient with the lack of progress on their operation. With no product being moved until the books and operation are set up, Pacho is growing restless and tells him he’s out. He wants to find someone else to move the Cali product. However, when Amado brings up the tragic story of his daughter passing, it’s enough for Pacho to take pity and give him an additional two months to turn everything around. ..
The Sinaloa gang lays out their terms for buying out The Imperial Valley, and Benjamin counter-offers with a suggestion to rent at an extortionate fee instead. El Chapo is absolutely livid with this proposal, sparking backlash from Chapo and the gang against Benjamin. ..
As the partygoers scramble for cover, the police are nowhere to be found. In fact, they’re probably out there shooting at the innocent people who just happened to be in the way. Who knows what could have happened if they were there instead?
After the shootout, it is revealed that Claudio was killed and Enedina is desperate for revenge. The boys are ordered to move on Chapo by her. ..
The Episode Review
Claudio’s death has created a power vacuum in the Sinaloa cartel, which could lead to a bloody power struggle. El Chapo, the leader of the cartel, is notorious for his brutality and is likely to be involved in any ensuing conflict. ..
The meeting between Victor and Walt is a nice inclusion, although the focus of the episode is the ensuing conflict between Chapo and the Narcojuniors. The shootout at the end is nicely shot though, and the whole conflict leaves numerous question marks over what the future holds for the cartel.
With Amado’s operation grinding to a halt and his Cell System looking like it might change drug trafficking forever, the screw is just starting to turn for our various players. ..
