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Netflix's new drama: 'Narcos' (starring Oberyn Martell + Capitão Nascimento)


AncalagonTheBlack

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Have to say I thought that season was fan fucking tastic, was completely hooked from the first 20 minutes of episode 1.

 

One little nitpick would be the casting in that very few of the main cast were actually Colombian.

 

Escobar - Wagner Moura, Brazilian

President Gaviria - Raúl Méndez Martínez, Mexican

Pena - Pedro Pascal, Chilean

Gacha -  Luis Guzman, Puerto Rico / USA

Older Ochoa brother - Brazilian actor

Tata Escobar - Paulina Gaitan, Mexican

Elisa - Mexican actress

Escobar's reporter Valeria - Mexican actress

 

It's only a minor nitpick, I actually thought Moura with his very thick Brazil accent made a superb Escobar, but not having a trained ear for Spanish myself I wonder what South Americans will make of it.

 

I imagine it's in a similar ballpark to having canadians, brits, and australians playing interchangeable roles (Brazil being the non-spanish speaking exception ). It doesn't really bother anyone except for the native speakers. I'd hope it isn't an issue in terms of inclusiveness although it does seem odd they couldn't find a single Colombian actor. Maybe the events are still too close for them?

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I've only seen two episodes but I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm trying to recall whether a US show has ever used subtitles to such an extent? It does make the whole thing a lot more effective (even if it means I can't watch it while eating).

Hopefully this sort of exposure encourages people to try non-english tv with subtitles.

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I imagine it's in a similar ballpark to having canadians, brits, and australians playing interchangeable roles (Brazil being the non-spanish speaking exception ). It doesn't really bother anyone except for the native speakers. I'd hope it isn't an issue in terms of inclusiveness although it does seem odd they couldn't find a single Colombian actor. Maybe the events are still too close for them?

I was going to say, maybe they don't think it would be safe to be a part of a project like that. Or just didn't feel comfortable since they would have been born and living there during all of the horrible bombings. 

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I've heard that Netflix give all shows a two season run at least. Which would perfectly explain how that piece of shit Hemlock Grove got renewed.

Except that Hemlock Grove has been renewed for a third season, so another explanation is needed.
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I was wondering where Wagner was from. He's very close, but I could tell he wasn't a native speaker. I just finished episode three. The thing is that not only is the writing good in English, but it is even better in Spanish. Seriously, the nuances and colloquialisms are perfection. This show is gold.
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Only on episode 5, christ I had no idea how bad it got. Though seeing what they went through I've got to wonder what the reaction of the Incorruptibles and their ilk would be to hear American Cops these days claiming they're in a war and need APCS 

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I was wondering where Wagner was from. He's very close, but I could tell he wasn't a native speaker. I just finished episode three. The thing is that not only is the writing good in English, but it is even better in Spanish. Seriously, the nuances and colloquialisms are perfection. This show is gold.


As bad as my Spanish is I did notice though that the translations were off in some places.
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As bad as my Spanish is I did notice though that the translations were off in some places.

 

I don't think they were "off" -- more that they were working with English speakers' own preferred usages in mind.  Literal translations don't work very well, particularly with the swears and insult words.  And as often as puta, for instance, is translated as some other insult instead of whore, I wondered if that was partly due to our current sensibility about gendered insults.  But I dunno.  And I have been in situations with people for whom everything is puta this and puta that, like I've been in the company of those for whom, in English, everything is m*therf*c*ing this and that too.

 

Of course some of the criticisms of Narcos was how women were treated, but I'm not so sure that is entirely valid. The biggest criticism in that vein was the lighting of the serial rape sequence and that the woman then disappears not to be heard from again.  I dunno -- particularly since I did not watch that scene, but went into the kitchen and started to prep for making dinner!  I really cannot watch such scenes, anymore than I could watch the full beating Escobar gave his associate, or the tortures, whoever was committing them.  I always go around the corner and do something else.  I can hear when it's over.

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Except that Hemlock Grove has been renewed for a third season, so another explanation is needed.

Apparently that was a House of Cards (since there was apparently a bidding war) and possible Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt thing only. So...probably because we live in a cruel, uncaring universe beyond the reach of both God and justice? 

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Well, in Latin languages, the equivalent of the English swearing "F***" is puta/putain/etc. So it's pretty natural that puta would seldom be translated to whore, since its main usage is not that.

 

I thought that's what I said!  But not very clearly? :)  As well as speculating, of course, whether or not some ideas of not needlessly denigrating women were at work -- though as others think the serial rape scenes and other portrayals of women in Narcos are anything but ideas of not humiliating women needlessly.  But again I don't know, and I say so!  

 

What I do know though, is it's hot and humid here, so here we go -- it's Friday, it's after 6, it's a long weekend  :cheers:

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As bad as my Spanish is I did notice though that the translations were off in some places.


While good, it's not as rich as the Spanish dialogue. Regarding the bad words, Puta is used as an adjective. It can be used like effing or mother effing, but also as God damned. Give me the God damned gun. Dame la puta pistola. Plus marica is used as an all-encompassing male insult. It can be used in lieu of asshole. It also means the horrible homophobic word, but here they use it as mostly asshole. Again, the Spanish dialogue is gold.
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