Earlier this month, Netflix released the second season of its crime thriller, Narcos: Mexico.

Originally, this new season and the one before it were supposed to serve as fourth and fifth seasons to the original show, Narcos.

Based in Colombia, that show chronicled the life and dealings of Pablo Escobar, the infamous drug cartel leader in Colombia.

However, Narcos: Mexico was eventually developed to be its own show.

“I think that it was smart of the producers and directors to make it its own separate show,” junior Sumaya Ahmed said. “Even though the concepts of the two shows are similar and they attract the same audience, there is a big difference in the plot and focus of the two shows.”

Narcos: Mexico explores the growth and conflicts of drug cartels in solely Mexico, as can be inferred by the title.

In the first season, the show captures how Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo discovered the profitability of drugs and started his drug trade, turning it into a big operation which came to be known as the Guadalajara cartel.

The season ends with Felix killing the main DEA agent coming after him, known as Kiki Camarena, and leveraging the government to give him protection.

However, the second season sees the fall of the drug kingpin’s success.

He faces many struggles, with most of his companions becoming disloyal due to pressure from other cartels and the Mexican government.

Eventually, he builds ties with Colombian cartels, who need to use Mexico’s proximity to the U.S. to smuggle drugs across the border.

However, this leads to the U.S. and the DEA applying more pressure on the Mexican government, who want to join NAFTA and build an alliance with the U.S.

Overall, the second season garnered a lot of good reviews. It was just as good as the first season and was easy to watch.